FOR GOD’S CREATION
Lord God, open my eyes to the beauty of your created world. You made all things to nourish my life and to fill me with wonder and joy. Open my mouth to praise and thank you for your gifts.
FOR GOD’S LOVE
God our Father, your Son welcomed all who came to him, even the outcasts and despised. Give me a faith that dares to come to you, trusting only in your love. Give me a love that accepts others, as I have been accepted by you.
FOR FAITH
O Holy Spirit, come to me with your comforting Word, which alone can drive away my doubts. Direct me to my Savior, Jesus, that I may trust in him with my whole heart.
FOR FORGIVENESS
Lord God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Forgive my open sins and my secret sins. Forgive the sins I know and the sins I do not know. Forgive the sins I did to please myself and the sins I did to please others. Forgive them all, gracious Lord, for Jesus’ sake.
FOR PATIENCE
Lord Jesus, you promised to comfort those who mourn and to satisfy those who hunger. In time of trial remind me of your cross, where you endured the curse of my sin. When I am weak, teach me to depend on you for strength. At your own time, deliver me from suffering and distress.
FOR OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WILL
Lord God, give me strength and willingness to say with your Son, “Not my will but your will be done.” Make me cheerful and trusting to bear whatever you let happen to me. From your hand I am willing to take the good and the bad, the joy and the sorrow. Keep me from sin, gracious Father, and comfort me with your kind Word.
FOR THE FAMILY
Heavenly Father, thank you for my home and family, for love and gentleness, for laughter enjoyed and sorrows shared, for daily bread. Help me to be mindful of all your gifts and to rejoice in your goodness. May your peace be with us and your presence protect us.
FOR A MARRIED COUPLE
O God of tenderness and strength, bless our home and our love, our comings and our goings. Keep us from growing weary in doing good, and sustain us in the hour of trouble. Help us deal tenderly with each other, and knit our lives together in love for you and one another.
FOR MISSIONARIES
Jesus, my risen Lord, you commanded your Church to preach the gospel to all nations. Prosper the work of missionaries sent out in your name. Protect them and their families from illness and danger. Give them joy in proclaiming the good news of salvation to people everywhere.
FOR PASTORS AND TEACHERS
O ascended Lord, thank you for the gift of pastors and teachers to feed your flock. Enable them, by the power of the Spirit, to stand firm in the midst of the trials and stresses of this world. Give them the courage to speak your Word faithfully and the grace to reflect your love in their actions.
FOR ZEAL TO DO GOD’S WORK
Too often I put my own concerns and priorities above your will and work, O Lord. Rid me of my selfishness, and fill me with the zeal to keep you first in my life.
FOR COURAGE TO SHARE THE GOSPEL
Give me a caring heart, O Lord, to love and seek the lost. Overcome my fear, and grant me courage to share my hope of salvation with those who have no hope. Make me faithful in my daily life so that all I say and do may glorify you.
FOR PROPER USE OF GOD’S GIFTS
Gracious God, all that I have comes from you: my body and mind, my strength and intelligence, my time and abilities, my energy and possessions. Guard me from the temptation to use these gifts only for my personal benefit. Make me willing to use them joyfully in service to you and to your people.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT
Lord of all nations, I praise you for the blessings you have showered on my country. Guide and guard your representatives in government as they care for the needs of all citizens. Give them wisdom to rule our society with honesty and justice, that we may have peace in our lives and opportunities to witness to your love.
FOR PEACE AMONG NATIONS
O God, my Father in heaven, bless every effort to establish peace among the nations of the world. Give wisdom and strength to those who lead, guide those who make decisions, and transform the hearts of people everywhere to exalt peace above war, justice above gain, and honor above glory.
FOR LOVE OF OTHERS
Lord Jesus, teach me to love others as you have loved me. Help me be more patient and alert to the needs of others, and always ready to serve them with the gifts you have given me.
Lord God, hear me as I speak to you about those near and dear:
For all who travel: keep them safe.
For all who are sick: heal them and make them strong.
For all who are in pain: allow them to have relief.
For all who are discouraged: let someone bring them cheer.
For all who mourn losses: grant them understanding and recovery.
For all who feel their hopes have been dashed through death: be the strong arm they need
through Christ, who suffered death and rose again.
Dear Lord, let them know that nothing can separate them from your love in Christ Jesus.
FOR THE POOR AND HUNGRY
Compassionate Savior, too often I forget how many in our world are homeless, poor, and hungry. In your mercy relieve their suffering and pain. Remind me that when I help a person in need I am serving you.
IN TIME OF TROUBLE
O Lord, you promise that in all things you work for the good of those who love you. Help me see your loving hand in this time of trouble. Save me from doubt, relieve my anguish, and lead me through these dark days with the light of your presence.
FOR OTHERS IN TROUBLE
O Lord, be gracious and kind to all who are in trouble. Heal those who are sick, cheer those who are sad, and give your strength to those who are weary and weak. Do what is best for them according to your gracious will, and keep them faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ.
WHEN THERE IS STRIFE
O Lord, it grieves me that anger, strife, and bitterness have become a part of my life. Forgive my sins and renew my spirit so that I will pardon others, correct the mistakes I have made, and be more cheerful toward those around me. Remind me through your Word that your Son’s peace provides the needed hope and reason for healing and change.
WHEN SICK
Great Physician of body and soul, I have been struggling with sickness and pain. If it is your will, let these days pass quickly. Guide the hands of those who care for me, and give me confidence in their skills. If I must continue to suffer, grant me the comfort of knowing that you will allow nothing to happen to me which is not for my eternal good.
FOR THE SICK
Almighty Father, giver of life and health, I pray for _______ and for all who are sick and suffering. Grant that in the midst of pain they may be comforted by your presence and sustained by your love. If it be your gracious will, restore them to health.
ON RECOVERING FROM INJURY OR ILLNESS
Lord of my life, in the day of trouble, I called to you and you delivered me. Receive my humble thanks. Bless those who prayed for me and those who served me in my time of illness. Enable me to use all my days in grateful praise and service.
FOR A LIFE OF SERVICE
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
IN THE MORNING
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger. Keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please you. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me.
Almighty God, you divide the day from the night. Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet in the way of peace. And having done your will with cheerfulness while it is day, grant that when evening comes, we may rejoice in giving you thanks.
Grant us, O Lord, to live this day in gladness and peace, without stumbling and without stain, that reaching the evening victorious over all temptation, we may praise you, the eternal God, for you govern all things and are praised now and forever.
We give you thanks, O Lord, for the rest of the past night and for the gift of a new day with its opportunities for pleasing you. Grant that we may pass its hours in the freedom of your service and, when evening comes, give you thanks again.
IN THE EVENING
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have graciously kept me this day. Forgive me all my sins, and graciously keep me this night. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me.
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who watch or work or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, give rest to the weary, pity the afflicted, soothe the suffering, bless the dying—and all for your love’s sake.
O God our Father, by your mercy and might, the world turns safely into darkness and returns again to light. We place into your hands our unfinished tasks, our unsolved problems, and our unfulfilled hopes, knowing that only what you bless will prosper. To your great love and protection, we commit each other and all those we love, knowing that you alone are our sure defender.
O Lord, support us all the day long, till the shadows lengthen and the evening comes and the busy world is hushed and the fever of life is over and our work is done. Then in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging and a holy rest and peace at the last.