Adoration
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord, my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty.
The Lord covers Himself in light as with a garment;
He stretches out the heavens like a tent curtain. (Psalm 104:1–2)
Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
Say to God, “How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies submit themselves to You.
All the earth will worship You
And sing praises to You;
They will sing praise to Your name.” (Psalm 66:1–4)
The Lord is righteous in all His ways
And gracious in all His works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him;
He hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh will bless His holy name for ever and ever. (Psalm 145:17–21)
Pause to express your thoughts of praise and worship.
Confession
Remember, O Lord, Your compassions and Your mercies,
For they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your loyal love remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He instructs sinners in His ways.
The Lord guides the humble in what is right
And teaches the humble His way.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth
For those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
For Your name’s sake, O Lord,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. (Psalm 25:6–11)
O God, You know my foolishness,
And my guilt is not hidden from You.
May those who hope in You not be ashamed because of me, O Lord God of hosts;
May those who seek You not be dishonored because of me, O God of Israel. (Psalm 69:5–6)
O Lord, be gracious to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You. (Psalm 41:4)
Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;
Save me, and I will be saved,
For You are my praise. (Jeremiah 17:14)
Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.
I will cleanse them from all their iniquity they have committed against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities which they have committed against Me, and by which they have transgressed against Me. (Jeremiah 33:8)
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts,
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23–24)
Renewal
Lord, renew me by Your Spirit as I offer these prayers to You:
I am the Lord’s servant; let Your will be done in me according to Your word. (Luke 1:38)
Since the day of the Lord will come like a thief, what kind of person should I be in holy conduct and godliness as I look for and hasten the coming of the day of God? But according to His promise, I am looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, since I am looking for these things, may I be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless. (2 Peter 3:10–14)
May I not love with words or tongue, but in deed and in truth. By this I will know that I am of the truth and will assure my heart before Him; for if my heart condemns me, God is greater than my heart, and knows all things. If my heart does not condemn me, I have confidence before God and receive from Him whatever I ask, because I keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. (1 John 3:18–22)
Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
Purify my mind and my heart;
For Your lovingkindness is ever before me,
And I have walked in Your truth. (Psalm 26:2–3)
Pause to add your own prayers for personal renewal.
Petition
Father, using Your word as a guide, I offer You my prayers concerning my spiritual walk.
Since I live in the Spirit, may I also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)
May God fill me with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that I may walk worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power according to His glorious might, so that I may have great endurance and patience; joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. (Colossians 1:9–12)
The Lord my God, the Lord is one. May I love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4–5)
May I have no other gods before You.
May I not make for myself an idol in any form.
May I not take the name of the Lord my God in vain, for the
Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.
May I honor my father and my mother.
May I not murder.
May I not commit adultery.
May I not steal.
May I not bear false witness against my neighbor.
May I not covet my neighbor’s house, my neighbor’s wife, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to my neighbor. (Exodus 20:3–17; Deuteronomy 5:7–21)
My struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, I will put on the full armor of God, so that I may be able to resist in the day of evil, and having done all, to stand. I will stand firm, having girded my waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod my feet with the readiness of the gospel of peace; above all, taking up the shield of faith with which I will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. I will take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition, I will pray always in the Spirit, and to this end I will be watchful with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:13–18)
May my love abound more and more in full knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ—having been filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9–11)
As one who has been chosen of God, holy and beloved, may I put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with others and forgiving others even as the Lord forgave me; and above all these things, may I put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Let the peace of Christ rule in my heart, to which I was called as a member of one body, and let me be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in me richly as I teach and admonish others with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in my heart to God. And whatever I do, whether in word or in deed, may I do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:12–17)
Since I have a great cloud of witnesses surrounding me, may I lay aside every impediment and the sin that so easily entangles, and run with endurance the race that is set before me, fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. May I consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that I will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1–3)
May I consider all things loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. (Philippians 3:8–10)
I have not been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. I do not consider myself yet to have attained it, but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and stretching forward to what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12–14)
May the proving of my faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, even though refined by fire, be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:7)
Pause here to express any additional requests, especially these personal concerns:Spiritual warfare The world The flesh The devil Growth in character Personal disciplines Physical health and strength
My activities for this day
Special concerns
Intercession
Lord, I now prepare my heart for intercessory prayer for world affairs.
Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9–10)
The end of all things is near; therefore we should be clear minded and self-controlled for prayer. (1 Peter 4:7)
In the spirit of these passages, I pray for:The poor and hungry The oppressed and persecuted Those in authority Peace among nations Current events and concerns
Affirmation
Feed my mind and heart, O Lord, as I affirm these timeless truths from Your word:
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)
Your grace is sufficient for me, for Your power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I can be content in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)
No temptation has overtaken me except what is common to man. And God is faithful, who will not let me be tempted beyond what I am able, but with the temptation will also provide a way out, so that I may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
If I cry for discernment
And lift up my voice for understanding,
If I seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures,
Then I will understand the fear of the Lord
And find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
Guarding the paths of justice
And protecting the way of His saints. (Proverbs 2:3–8)
Pause to reflect upon these biblical affirmations.
Thanksgiving
For who You are and for what You have done, accept my thanks, O Lord:
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever;
With my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations.
I will declare that Your lovingkindness will be built up forever,
That You will establish Your faithfulness in the heavens. (Psalm 89:1–2)
Lovingkindness and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring forth from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven. (Psalm 85:10–11)
I will watch in hope for the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me. (Micah 7:7)
Blessed be the Lord,
For He has heard the voice of my prayers.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.
My heart greatly rejoices,
And I will give thanks to Him in song. (Psalm 28:6–7)
Pause to offer your own expressions of thanksgiving.
Closing Prayer
May we rejoice, become complete, be of good comfort, be of one mind, and live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with us. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us. (2 Corinthians 13:11, 14)
Blessing and glory and wisdom
And thanksgiving and honor and power and strength
Be to our God for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 7:12)
May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and has given us eternal consolation and good hope by grace, comfort our hearts and strengthen us in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17)
Boa, K. (1993). Handbook to prayer: praying scripture back to God. Atlanta: Trinity House.
MATTHEW HENRY’S “METHOD FOR PRAYER”
Bewail your Sins of the Tongue and Spiritual Sloth
Confession 2.11 | ESV
Our tongue sins.
When words are many, transgression is not lacking; Proverbs 10:19(ESV) nor can a man full of talk be judged right. Job 11:2(ESV)
While the lips of the righteous feed many, Proverbs 10:21(ESV) my lips have poured out folly, Proverbs 15:2(ESV) and known what is perverse. Proverbs 10:32(ESV)
Much corrupt talk has come out of my mouth; that foolish talking and crude joking, which are out of place, Ephesians 5:4(ESV) and little of that which is good and to the use of building up, and which might give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29(ESV)
If people will give account for every careless word they speak, and if by my words I will be justified and by my words I will be condemned, Matthew 12:36-37(ESV) woe is me! For I am lost; for I am of unclean lips and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. Isaiah 6:5(ESV)
What would become of me, if God should make my own tongue turn against me? Psalm 64:8(ESV)
Our spiritual slothfulness and decay.
I have been slothful in zeal for religion and not fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11(ESV)
The things which remain are about to die, and my works have not been found complete in the sight of God. Revelation 3:2(ESV)
I have observed the winds, and therefore have not sown; have regarded the clouds, and therefore have not reaped; Ecclesiastes 11:4(ESV) and with the sluggard have frightened myself with the fancy of a lion in the road, a lion in the streets, and have turned on my bed as a door on its hinges, Proverbs 26:13-14(ESV) still crying, “A little sleep, a little slumber.” Proverbs 6:10(ESV)
I have lost my first love, Revelation 2:4(ESV) and what then has become of the blessing I felt? Galatians 4:15(ESV)
My love has been like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. Hosea 6:4(ESV)
And that which is at the bottom of all is the evil, unbelieving heart in me, which inclines me to fall away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12(ESV)
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