We express our love for God when we give him our time—when we pray. Prayer can be intimidating, whether you’re just beginning to explore faith in Jesus or a lifelong believer. We’d like to help. Commit to spending 5 minutes in prayer every day this week and consider working through the exercises below.
Read James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Review your day.
What moment from today are you grateful for?
Who are you grateful for today?
What place are you grateful for today?
For your prayer today, thank God for these good and perfect gifts from above.
Have mercy on me, O God,according to your unfailing love; |
How do you need God to have mercy on you? |
according to your great compassionblot out my transgressions.Wash away all my iniquityand cleanse me from my sin… |
What sins would you like God to wash away? |
Let me hear joy and gladness;let the bones you have crushed rejoice.Hide your face from my sinsand blot out all my iniquity. |
What joy or gladness have you heard today? |
Create in me a pure heart, O God,and renew a steadfast spirit within me. |
In what way does your heart need to be cleaned? |
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. |
What do you want God to sustain you to do? |
If you prefer another version of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), feel free to pray that instead. Read through this prayer several times, noting which line(s) connect with where you are today.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one,
for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
Pray the following excerpt of Isaiah 43 with your name in the blank.
But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, __________________,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
On our last day, stretch yourself to spend 5 minutes in silence. Start a timer. When your thoughts wander (and they will), don’t feel guilty. You’ve done nothing wrong; you haven’t failed. In those moments, repeat to yourself, “God made me. God loves me.” until you are focused again.
Prayer enables us to live out the purpose that God created us for—to love Him. Learn more about God’s purpose for you and discover that you are NOT an accident, in this special message from our “Wait, What?” series.
