Establish Me

Lord,

Thank you for saving me

into an eternal relationship with you,

enjoying your wonderful presence moment by moment.

Thank you for saving me

into the fellowship of believers,

who love you, know you,

and shine various facets

of your beauty and life.

I pray for wise, godly companions,

holy, righteous, devoted,

courageous, bold, and pure hearted,

who love your Word,

who walk in your Spirit,

that I may walk strengthened

in your counsels and in your ways,

urged on to stand firm in my faith.

Grant me opportunities to use my gifts

to build up the body and your kingdom of grace

according to your will.

Root and ground me in your Word

that I may be a tree planted by

streams of living water,

replenish me so that I can give,

bearing fruit in every season.

Establish me and use me

that I may be your hands, feet, and heart,

your blessing in this world.

Lord, you are so worthy

and I bless your Name today.

Amen.

Grace Working

^{Photo by Thomas Despeyroux on Unsplash.}

Abba,

You are good.

You never stop working in my heart,

bringing mercy, healing, and wholeness,

then opening my eyes again to my blindness,

in your continuing work of restoration.

Forgive me for grumbling and complaining

when things don’t make sense,

and when I question you.

I praise you that your grace steadfastly

overruns, overtakes, and wins me anyway,

like vines and greens that grow wild and abundant.

Dislodge and remove the rocks in the soil of my heart

that hinders my growth in you.

Thank you that it’s your power and Spirit alone at work within me,

transforming and changing me.

You are the author and perfecter of my faith,

grant me the grace to submit to your Word and your Spirit,

to be in alignment with your movement in my life,

and your purposes for my day to day.

Let me trust in your goodness,

that all things you work for my good and for your glory.

And that in the end I am blessed

when my life is surrendered,

and all that I am, is all about you.

I love you Lord and my life is yours.

Have your way in me.

Amen.

Loving His Way

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Lord,

let my life wrap tightly around your Word,

loving your statutes,

embracing your ways,

devoting myself at your feet.

Let me draw away

from the pull of the world

just as you did,

to spend time

with you,

refreshed once more

in the stillness,

knowing your presence,

inspired, embraced by your love,

heartened again,

strengthened in spirit and body.

And so give me grace

to do your Word,

grant me a right spirit,

give me a pure heart,

clean hands,

that I may be a true witness,

reflecting your love and grace,

for your glory and my joy.

I love you Lord.

Amen.

How You See Me

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Lord,

show me how you see me,

you who formed my inmost being,

lovingly crafted my soul and spirit,

my nose, my cheeks, my form,

planting every hair on my head,

breathing me to life,

and sustaining my moment-to-moment existence

with your oversight, guidance, and power.

Show me Lord.

I surrender the outside-in definitions I’ve used,

my family name, my job, my status, how much money I make,

my race, ethnicity, culture, and subcultures,

denominations, doctrines, and beliefs,

other’s expectations and voices over my life,

I surrender it all,

I long to hear and live by your voice alone.

Would you let these labels melt away,

the structures I’ve forced myself into I let go,

and show me how you see me.

Let me live from the inside out,

conformed to your likeness —

Creator, Artist, Poet, and Love,

one with your Spirit,

manifesting your life and joy,

soul, mind, body, and action

in alignment with your Word,

my doing flowing forth from being,

living in accordance with one standard —

already accepted, embraced, loved

exactly as I am, exactly where I’m at,

a cherished child of God.

Thank you Lord for your love and sacrifice

that makes me possible.

I love you Lord.

Amen.

Memorial Day

^{Photo by Debby Ledet on Unsplash.}

Lord,

We honor those who have served our country well,

soldiers — family, friends, and neighbors,

whose lives reflect your heart of service, courage, and devotion,

whose deaths reflect your love and sacrifice.

We remember and honor their lives,

we thank you for their strength and love,

and we will not forget that freedom comes at a high price.

Blood was shed for us,

to enjoy freedoms beyond what any generation has experienced,

and a stability, prosperity, and abundance

that has been the desire and envy of nations.

We bless the lives lost for our protection, safety, and the freedom to choose,

and the families who have had to let go and sacrificed for us too.

I praise you Lord that you are close to the broken-hearted,

that you bless the poor in spirit, those who mourn,

where there is trauma, grief, and pain,

wounds and scars in fellow soldiers and loved ones left behind,

passed down through generations,

be close, bring comfort, healing, and deliverance,

release laborers and angels to minister to their hearts in a special way,

that there may be closure, seeds of hope planted,

strength and joy renewed, and shalom peace reestablished.

We love you Lord,

wrapping our hearts around your sacrifice,

remembering you journeyed through death,

as the Son of God,

and in your beautiful resurrection,

you will come, wipe away every tear, bring nations to peace,

and make all things right.

We bless you Lord.

Amen.

Your Prayer Quote

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The King’s Love

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Lord,

I’m amazed at the gentle grace of your gaze

that sees everything and is still so kind,

that accepts in me what I abhor,

filtering all with merciful hope,

trusting and believing,

seeing me far beyond my limited scope.

With no condemnation, judgement, or anger,

ever careful and attentive, never dismissive,

recognizing me, seeing me,

picking me out in the crowd,

my demeanor, face, and carriage,

my voice, my heart, my breath

deeply, intimately known, followed,

made by you.

You know me,

you know your sheep,

and you would have me know your voice.

Help me to hear and trust your voice,

amongst others that clamor, push,

demand, and persuade,

yours alone is pure as a bell,

sweet, unhurried as zephyrs over waters,

peaceable, gentle, joyful, and kind.

Can you truly be so good?

Utterly genuine with no guile,

so kind and gracious,

leaving me defenseless,

arrested, and humbled,

that your love is utterly foreign,

beyond my understanding,

holy, other, beautiful.

I’m amazed at the goodness of your love,

and I praise you in gratitude

for making me, knowing me, loving me today.

Amen.

Sweet Rest

^{Photo by Dev Asangbam on Unsplash.}

Beautiful Lord,

Sweet rest is in you,

abiding in your love

that makes me worthy —

valued, precious, seen, known,

crafted by your Word,

knit together by my Creator,

saved and delivered out of sin and shame,

your mercy and love have arrested my doing,

my independence replaced by your Spirit within,

cleansing, washing, renewing my heart,

counseling, guiding, granting wisdom for my function,

that I may live from the inside out,

in alignment with my Maker,

allowing your streams of living water

to flow forth from me —

an instrument in the hand of my Redeemer,

without apology,

my gifts and talents anointed and alive

by your love and Spirit within.

Oh Lord, that my love would abound in knowledge,

depth of discernment, and insight,

and guided by your grace,

that I would have understanding

of your whole and complete will for my life

that I would live a life pleasing to you,

and in you,

be salt and light in this world.

Amen.

The Vine

^{Photo by Jeremy C on Unsplash.}

Lord,

hidden in you,

I sense sweet completeness,

a soft orb of light surrounding me,

boundaries intact, healed, whole.

The Source of life emanating from within,

a fountain of life bubbling forth,

washing, cleansing, rinsing away

shadows and cobwebs of sin that want to cling.

You are the Vine and I the branch,

I’m at rest in your seat of love,

you lavish upon me

a banquet, a feast of spiritual blessings

before me — joy, gladness, delight, and hope,

as you talk intimately in my heart,

giving your wisdom and counsel.

I long to hear more of your heart, your priorities,

your call, your purpose.

Grant me the grace,

to stay in this sweet place,

and hear and obey your voice,

devote myself, my time to you,

that I may walk in the fullness of your call,

my identity, my rich inheritance —

being a child of God, making salty and emanating light, in a hurting world,

all for your Name’s sake,

all for your glory and praise.

Amen.

Invitation Of Love

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Lord,

I praise you for delivering me from my shame,

from my proving, doing, and covering up,

into your freedom,

my place of worth and belonging,

deeply valued, held precious, and beloved,

resting, being, and exposing all my heart to you.

I praise you for the softness of your Voice,

your Spirit within,

illuminating and bringing your Word to remembrance.

I’m never alone, and you are always for me!

No longer do I need to crumble before the pressures and voices of the rest.

You’ve given me a new spirit,

whole, healed, and able to love,

accepting of my limits and weaknesses,

welcoming connection, interdependence,

giving and receiving of mercy and grace.

I love you Lord,

and I’m thrilled that with you,

I can just be me.

Let me not look far,

but find you in my neighbor, the friend, the next one in need,

to express your love, my gratitude and joy,

and to invite into your circle of acceptance and belonging

with a word, a call, a gift,

just as you have done for me.

Amen.