“In times of great difficulty and great expectation, it is our wisdom to keep our spirits calm, quiet, and sedate; for then we are in the best frame both to do our own work and to consider the work of God.”—Matthew Henry I posted this graphic (left) on my Facebook page yesterday after I saw it on the wall of Sisterhood magazine. It resonated with me because I so often run ahead of the Lord. Sure, I may appear patient on the outside. But on the inside—far too often—my emotions are churning, my mind is screaming, and my will is screaming, “Go!” Some translations render the admonition in this verse as “Be silent” and others as “Be still,” but I believe both have the same meaning: let God handle it. Wait before Him. And rest. Easy, right? Of course not. That’s why so many people shared and/or “liked” the graphic yesterday. But when Moses told the Israelites, “Be still,” I don’t imagine they wanted to listen, either. Their chariot-driving enemies were bearing down. Their number was small. Their bodies were tired. And they could do nothing to change their situation. Nothing except follow a leader they didn’t quite trust—who urged them to be still. For those of us who are tired of waiting, tired of staying silent, and tired of trusting that God will fight for us, I offer today’s prayer: Lord, I’m standing at the edge of my personal Red Sea today. The enemies are behind me, screaming their threats. And you’re saying, “Be still”? I don’t get it, Lord. And I confess: my ways are not Your ways. The things I want to do are often the exact opposite of what You desire. I want to move, and You say to rest. I want to cry out, and You remind me to be silent. I want to fight back, and You tell me You’ve got it. So, Lord, I ask You today to fulfill this work in my life. I can’t do it, but I know You can. Live through me. Be my rest and give me rest. Be my peace and grant me peace. Silence me that I may hear Your voice. Quiet me that I may know Your will. And move my heart, my mind, and my eyes to know that You are fighting for me whether I see any evidence of that or not. I trust You, God. You made the customized Red Sea before me, and You can get me across. I wait before You with the strength only You can give. I offer myself to You to use as You desire. Live through me. Move through me. And oh, my Father, give...

Photograph © Andrew Pieper, 2012 Sudden and sad events have prompted this prayer. This week, our Florida community mourns the loss of a precious mother and her two young daughters after a horrific car accident. They’d moved from our area but, through family and friends, retained many local ties. Only a few days earlier, another area woman lost her estranged husband and three children in another awful accident. I don’t know these families. But the news of the tragic deaths has filled me with sorrow. I’m asking God to turn my sympathy into prayer. I know what it feels like to hurt—and to have no words. Although I haven’t lost family members this way, I’ve been in that place without coherent thought. I’ve walked through the valley of crushing weight and deep shadow. And I know what it is to count on others to lift me up when I could no more utter a prayer than I could reverse the tragedy. At those times, I counted on the Holy Spirit to speak what I couldn’t. But I also counted on those who had the ability to connect their thoughts. I needed others to pray because I had no words. So, for Lake County’s grieving families along with many more—Lord, I come to you today on behalf of those who can’t speak for themselves. Their loads are too heavy, their burdens too great. The earthquake has hit. The tsunami has blasted. And the resultant losses have left  them unable to do more than take the next step—and unsure if they can do that. Oh God, come to these dear ones today. Allow them to press into you. Hold them. Comfort them. Surround them with your mercy.  Let them see you over and over again in those who touch their lives. Grant them, Father, the ability to remember your goodness as they look back to the past. Blanket them in your love. Give them solid strength for the day, sweet peace for the night, and bright hope for tomorrow. Dear Jesus, use this time to bring each one near to you.  Keep them safe in the name that calms all fears. Protect them from further pain, from the enemy who would wound them still more. And fill them, please fill them, with the assurance of your love and faithfulness so that, one day, they may dream of the future again. As I pray for these who have no words, take my words and make them matter. Turn my anxious thoughts into action and my mourning into more prayers. I’m so grateful to call you Father and so honored to pray in the name that is always above all—AMEN. Are you without words? Feel...

Photograph © Andrew Pieper, 2012 2012 was a banner year for our family, but I think the banner would probably read something like, “Trust Me through the Tough Times.” Yes, God is good, but we faced some big challenges. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to close the door on an old year. So far, 2013 seems much the same. Amid the joys of a daughter’s upcoming high school graduations and plans for summer mission trips come the sorrows of broken relationships, friends’ serious illnesses, and more. Circumstances, whether we see them as positive or negative, necessitate decisions. A friend facing his wife’s recovery from cancer surgery thousands of miles from home had to make multiple decisions about returning to work.  Several friends are looking at job-related choices and changes. And many more face the difficult decisions involved with our status as part of the sandwich generation, with teenage or young adult children and aging parents. I offer this prayer for myself and for others who face decisions they never anticipated: Lord, in the midst of all these unexpected decisions, I look to you. I never imagined I’d find myself in this place.  I never thought of myself as unprepared, but here I am. And I had no idea life would look the way it does right now. Perfect Father, I ask you to cover me and to cover for me as well. I’m flying blind. Since I know you promise to give wisdom to those who lack it, I’m asking. You say that if we acknowledge you in all our ways, you’ll direct our paths. Help me first to acknowledge you in every little and large thing I do, to remember you when I’m tempted to wander away. And God, I’ve never needed direction more than I do now. One step at a time? Maybe, but I can’t lift my foot to take that step without you. Find me, remind me, secure me, reassure me, and help me always to walk with you. And Almighty God, would you also protect me from the evil one? I know he wants to steal, kill, and destroy everything good in my life. I’m so thankful I know you and can keep walking your way. Even when I stumble, Lord Jesus, compel me to run always to you. Shelter me and keep me, ever weak but always strong in the mighty name of Jesus in which I pray this day—AMEN.  If you’d like prayer for a specific need, feel free to email me or comment below. I’d love to hear from you. And if God has pulled you through a time of unexpected decisions, feel free to share that, too. Your words will give...

Lord, I come to you today on behalf of those who feel they have disappointed others who are important to them. And I come with understanding because I often feel this way myself. Father, sometimes we disappoint others because we turn away from you. We go our own way, fight for our own rights, and hurt others in the process. We ask forgiveness, God, for the times we’ve hurt those we care about because of our own selfish and sinful desires. Our King, we also disappoint others because we are inadequate. We don’t have the ability to do what we attempt. Give us a greater dependence on you, Lord, and allow us to look to you alone to supply the things we lack. But God, sometimes we disappoint others because they have false expectations. They demand more than we can give. They look to us to meet needs you alone can fill. In these situations, our Savior, we ask for your abundant grace to balance both sides of the equation. Help us to go beyond that which we ask or think. And help those we disappoint to look to you to fulfill their desires and fill their longings.  In this way, God, we thank and praise you for our inadequacies, knowing they are arrows that point others to you. We love you and pray all these things in your mighty name—AMEN.   Do you identify with one or more elements of this prayer? Feel free to leave a comment or contact me to share your...

Our God, I recognize You today as the God who heals. I praise You because of Your great grace and the way You use it to pour your power through our weaknesses. Today, I surrender the physical needs in our lives to You. No diagnosis, illness, or wound surprises you. I ask for Your protection from the enemy who so often invades this area of our lives. You designed a world without sin and sickness, without cancer or chronic pain. But You also use physical problems to bring people closer to You. While I ask for healing, I pray for the grace to endure. Allow no one to suffer in vain. May our light and temporary afflictions bring us into the greater glory that is ours in relationship with You. May we know You more and more in spite of— even because of—our physical needs, concerns, and problems. As Jesus knelt to make a mud ball to place on the blind man’s eyes, so I bow in life’s dirt to offer Your healing and hope. Remind us all to pray for those who fear the future, those who live with constant pain, and those who have already suffered much. I ask You to come to those who have physical problems, to be present and powerful in every conversation with doctors and other medical personnel. Give these instruments of healing Your wisdom, Lord God, and allow them to see Your glory as they serve.  May we see You and show You as we lay our physical bodies before You each day. In the holy name of Jesus I pray with faith, AMEN.  Do you or does someone you know have a special need in the area of physical healing? I’d be honored to lift your request before Him. Feel free to leave a comment or email me. Thanks for sharing in this time of...

Beloved Father and Shepherd of our souls, I come to You today with gratitude in my heart for the gift of family. I know You designed families to present a perfect picture of You and Your work. But so often, God, we are sorrowful people in shattered relationships. Sin and Satan have entered in to fracture our families and leave them in deep need. Today, I pray for healing of family bonds. I ask you to breathe your unity throughout each family. Where hatred reigns, let love prevail. Where anger rises, let peace endure. Where selfishness chokes, let sacrifice come forth. And where bitterness poisons, let the sweet balm of your Spirit whisper truth, light, and life. Lord, you know the deep needs of each family touched by this prayer. Some have relatives who don’t know You. Some have family members who don’t communicate with them anymore. Some have loved ones removed from them by death, illness, or the deceitfulness of sin. I ask for Your grace to allow each one to stand strong amid these trials and for Your mercy to flow in and through every unique situation. Protect us from the evil one, and knit the hearts of our families together even as you knit our own hearts more closely to Yours. In Christ’s holy name I pray, AMEN.  Do you have a more specific family prayer need? Leave a comment below or email me here. I’ll be honored to lift you and yours before...