Daily Blessing Prayers through Lent have been created by Rev. Dr. Cynthia Davis, who has dedicated her life to serving others. She spent 24 years in nursing as a clinician, educator, and leader in trauma, surgical, and cardiovascular care. She later supported students as a college counselor, faculty member, and admissions manager.
Following a call to ministry, Dr. Davis pastored both local United Methodist congregations and served as district superintendent. She retired in 2022 to focus on home care ministry.
Dr. Davis holds a BSN from the University of Mississippi, an MS in Counseling from the University of Memphis, and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary, where she focused on public health in the Black Church. A sought-after speaker and award recipient, she serves on multiple boards.
She and her husband, Dr. Elvernice “Sonny” Davis, have four children and three grandchildren.
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April 20, 2025
Luke 24:1-12
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning,
the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were wondering about this,
suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning
stood beside them.
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground,
but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you,
while he was still with you in Galilee:
‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners,
be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”
Then they remembered his words.
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things
to the Eleven and to all the others.
It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James,
and the others with them who told this to the apostles.
But they did not believe the women,
because their words seemed to them like nonsense.
Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb.
Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves,
and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
He is risen. The tomb is empty.
Glory to God in the highest!
No grave could hold him.
Death could not keep him by the power of God.
The grave cloths were left behind.
The blood and warmth of life
came back into the body of the Savior of the world.
Because he lives,
we will live also!
Because he was raised,
we will be raised, too,
because of his glory and majesty!
The Holy One knows our names and calls us to himself.
May the power that raised Jesus from the dead
be the power that keeps us lifted,
so that we may run on and see what the end will be.
May the power that conquered death and the grave
give us an everlasting hope and assurance
that we are the children of God!
And may the power of Almighty God
always be a shelter, a refuge, and the place we run to—
for every single soul needs the empty tomb and a risen Savior.
Hallelujah to the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world!
Glory be to God!
Amen.
April 19, 2025
Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
What a sacrifice made for us!
You, O Lord, carried our sicknesses:
those from the past, even those of our ancestors,
to those of the future of our children and our grandchildren.
Thank you for being a generational kind of God!
In your precious body you bore our weaknesses and our sufferings.
You bore our hurts, our hang ups, and our humiliations.
Because of your sacrifice, we are made well and whole.
All our rebellions and crimes have been forgiven.
Hallelujah!
We are free from those things that bound us
and kept us in bondage.
We are healed from past pains and grievances,
our sorrows,
and all of those things that weighed us down.
Thank you for the blessings of hope in this world!
That all is already well, and in your name
we rejoice and we are glad in the promises of your word.
It is done!
Thank you for the gracious provisions
of a peace that the world can't give,
and the world can't take away.
It is in Jesus' mighty and awesome name
that we pray and we give thanks.
Amen.
April 18, 2025
Matthew 25:34-36
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Gracious and loving God,
thank you for the provision of feeding us heavenly manna
when we have been hungry, both in body and in spirit.
Thank you for covering us with physical clothing
and with the anointing of your Holy Spirit.
Thank you for giving us living water for our deep thirst,
from your well that never runs dry.
Thank you for always looking out
for our spiritual, physical and emotional needs.
When we don't know where to turn,
the abundance of your welcoming spirit invites us
to a seat at your table of grace.
When we have been strangers and life absolutely overwhelms us,
we forever give our whole selves to you.
Thank you for your sweet peace that rests on us
like a gentle rainfall from heaven.
You have been so good to us!
And we pause this day to say thank you.
Amen.
April 17, 2025
Matthew 18:10-14
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones.
For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away,
will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills
and go to look for the one that wandered off?
And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep
than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.
In the same way your Father in heaven
is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Lord Jesus,
I thank you that our angels in heaven
are always looking into the face of God on behalf of your children.
I thank you that Jesus, the Righteous One, sits at your right hand
making intercession for us
for the blessing of your great protection and provision,
your power and your anointing in our lives.
We give thanks, Lord—
we thank you that you see us as so very significant,
so very precious, and so enormously valuable
that you would come looking for us
as a shepherd looks for our lost sheep.
My hope and my peace are in the name of the Lord.
Thank you for the blessings of your radiant glory
that forever light our path.
We will walk in your goodness with the assurance of your guidance
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
always and forever.
Amen.
April 16, 2025
Isaiah 12
In that day you will say: “I will praise you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.”
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
O Lord, I am filled with the hope of your comfort and peace.
Thank you for being my strength and my shield.
For the gift of being able to draw fresh, clear, cool water
from your deep well of love and forgiveness,
I give thanks.
You have done glorious things
in my life and my friends and my family, and for all of your people.
And so we sing from the depths of our soul!
A melody of amens and hallelujahs.
Your greatness and awesomeness overwhelm us.
We exalt your name
because you are so worthy of all of our praises
and all of our thanksgivings.
Thank you for looking down from heaven,
for seeing us and having such great compassion for us.
Thank you for the assurance of strength, salvation,
wholeness and dignity
that come from belonging to you.
We love you with all that we have,
with all that we are and all that we ever hope to be.
Thank you for reigning down your spirit
of peace, tenderness, and gentleness in our lives.
And we pray in the name of Jesus,
Amen.
April 15, 2025
John 12:1-7
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived,
whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor.
Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume.
She poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,
“Why wasn’t this perfume sold, and the money given to the poor?
It was worth a year’s wages.”
He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief;
as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume
for the day of my burial.”
How fragrant are your promises to us, Lord Jesus!
May the fragrance of your love inundate us
as ambassadors of your grace.
May the extraordinary forgiveness of your precious blood
be a reminder to us
that forgiveness is a gift of your grace.
May we find hope and encouragement, like Mary,
pouring out our all
and emptying ourselves before your throne of grace.
May you always be a welcome guest at our tables,
in our homes, and the places we work and play.
May we find ourselves reclined
in your bosom of never-ending joy and peace.
May your holy presence order our steps
so that we are always in lockstep with the Prince of Peace.
May the aroma of your goodness
always permeate our being
as grace overflows our hearts
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
April 14, 2025
Hebrews 10:19-24
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence
to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart
and with the full assurance that faith brings,
having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…
Lord Jesus, we thank you for the certainty of your love.
As we reflect on your suffering from Calvary's cross,
you could have come down, but you didn't.
You could have called on twelve legions of angels to rescue you,
but you didn't.
You opened the way to the Father for us through your blood.
Your suffering and sacrifice tore the temple curtain
from the top to the bottom,
so that we could have unfettered access.
Our Heavenly Father,
thank you that nothing can separate us from you.
Our Heavenly Father,
thank you for allowing us the privilege of telling the world
that you are our hope and our joy!
Thank you for cleansing us from the inside out.
All your promises to us are yes and amen!
We lift our hands confidently in praise and thanksgiving
to the One whose sacrifice of love made it all possible:
Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Amen.
April 13, 2025
Luke 11:9-10
[Jesus said] “So I say to you:
Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives;
the one who seeks finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Lord Jesus, as I bow down in my spirit
before your throne of grace and mercy,
I remember that I can call on you for help.
I remember that I can ask in your name,
believing that I will receive and it will be done.
I am reminded that no door is too difficult to open or close,
depending on which way you want it to swing.
When seeking you with my whole heart,
I know you can be found.
I know that you are a rewarder of those who diligently seek you
and seek to do your will.
And we so earnestly want to do that.
We want to please you.
What joy to know your mercy!
Your grace, love and forgiveness are from everlasting to everlasting.
What a blessing to look back over our lives
and see all the ways and all the times you answered,
even the smallest prayer.
Our souls overflow with gratitude
when we recall your awesome presence
overshadowing our lives from its very beginning.
Thank you, Jesus, for responding to our every ask,
for responding to our every knock,
and for our ever seeking of your face
and your glory and your presence,
your power and your healing.
We give thanks!
We love you and we trust you.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
April 12, 2025
Luke 9:12-17
Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”
He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.”
(About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everyone sat down.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them.
Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people.
They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Feed us, Lord, until we want no more.
No more fast food, quick prayers and praise.
No more “microwave” worship.
No more stagnant, flat water in our baptismal font.
Lord, give us fresh bread.
Give us a fresh word from on high.
Feed us heavenly manna
that has been made by the hand of God.
Fill our spiritually empty bellies with spiritual food that will not spoil.
Fill us with a bottomless anointing!
May your Spirit multiply our meager expectations
with lavish abundance
of a joy-filled hope in your hands, O God.
There is always more than enough in your hands.
God, there is never a lack or scarcity in your hands.
God, there is always a full pot with plenty left over in your hands.
God, there are always more loaves.
Thank you that even when we can't figure it out,
you have already worked it out.
Help us to remember to always look to heaven,
to the one who is the author and the finisher of our faith:
Jesus Christ, the righteous one.
Thank you, God, for the infilling of your Spirit.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
April 11, 2025
Luke 1:7-15
But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood,
to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.”
You are an amazing prayer and serene God!
We are so very grateful when we look back,
and we see the prayers of our ancestors and grandparents being answered
because of your faithfulness.
As we read your word and we read about Zechariah and Elizabeth,
who prayed in their youth,
but it was in their old age that you answered in your perfect timing.
Thank you for “Kairos” time, which is God’s divine timing.
Thank you that you know our beginning and our ending,
and you know the time and place of all of our blessings.
Thank you for the birth of John, born to parents in old age.
Thank you for the joy of parenthood and the gift of children.
Thank you for those who were never biological parents,
but who “parented” countless children over the ages.
Some of us have been the recipients
of those blessings and that love.
Thank you for your word: to not be afraid,
even when we don't understand!
Thank you for sending ministering angels on earth,
some of whom walk among us each day
to give us words of encouragement and hope.
Thank you for all those who walk by faith and not by sight,
Even in the midst of what they cannot see.
Bless your people, O God,
with an overwhelming expectation
that joy will indeed come in the morning.
It is the joy of the Lord that is our strength
and we praise you today.
We worship you, we adore you,
and we bless you
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
April 10, 2025
Revelation 21:1-7
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’
or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.
Those who are victorious will inherit all this,
and I will be their God and they will be my children.”
Lord, we thank you for the promise of glory.
We thank you
that we can read the end of the Book
and know beyond a shadow of doubt, that all will be well.
We know you will always be our God.
And the things that cause so much pain and distress
will one day all be gone.
All old things will be no more.
One day all things will be new.
All of our past will be in the distance.
And God will wipe all tears from our eyes.
Our God promises
there will be no more mourning or crying or pain.
Hallelujah!
What’s our good news?
The Alpha and Omega will give water
from a life-giving spring,
where there will be no more thirst.
All things will be made
Brand-spanking new!
We are not defeated.
We are more than conquerors.
We are the sons and daughters of him who lives forever.
We are the children of the Most High God.
Lord, thank you for dwelling within us
and giving us your Spirit.
Thank you for a new home in glory.
Thank you for a new life, a new beginning and a new ending.
Thank you that it's not over, God,
until you say it's over!
My hope is in the everlasting God,
the God of all creation…
The God who is, who was,
and who will always be,
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
April 9, 2025
Luke 9:28-36
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.
As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed,
and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.
They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him,
“Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—
one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them,
and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying,
“This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone.
The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
Lord God,
overshadow us with your presence.
When Jesus went up to the mountain,
he took Peter, James, and John,
and they were enveloped in the cloud of your goodness.
They were enveloped in the cloud of your holiness.
They were enveloped
in the awesome and almighty presence of the great God of heaven.
They saw Elijah, and they saw Moses,
and they didn't know what to say…
but God, they were changed
as a result of hearing your voice say,
“This is my son, hear what he has to say.”
And so, God,
I pray that we will hear the voice of Jesus,
that we will follow the words
as we are enveloped into the cloud of your goodness
each and every day.
Lord, let us listen to Jesus.
Let the words that he speaks in our hearts,
let us follow those words faithfully.
Let the words of Jesus abide in our hearts
so that we will not sin against you.
God, envelop us in the cloud,
envelop us in the cloud
of forgiveness and hope and joy and peace.
O God, that others would want to come into the cloud
because they see the transformation
that has taken place within our own lives:
envelop us into the cloud.
O God, that all of the things of the world
would drop away, that they would fall away.
That they would no longer hold us bound.
Envelop us into the cloud!
Oh, God, that we might be faithful disciples
and that we would follow you wholeheartedly.
Envelop us into the cloud….
O God, that we would be more like you.
That we would be light and salt in the world.
And that people would come running to you
because we have been in the cloud.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
April 8, 2025
Matthew 18:19-20
[Jesus said] “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for,
it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Lord, your word reminds us
that if two of us are gathered together in your name
and our hearts are one with the other,
that we can ask anything in your name
and that you would do it.
We recognize
that when we are gathered together in your name,
that you are in our very midst.
We can turn to you
knowing that not only do you hear the words from our lips,
but you also hear the unspoken request in our hearts.
We thank you that you hear us each and every day.
That whatever we prayed yesterday
or last week or last month or last year,
you have not forgotten,
and that in your perfect will and in your perfect time,
you will do what is best for us.
So we thank you, God,
that you are father to us.
We thank you, God,
that you are creator, that you are healer to us.
We thank you, Lord God,
that you are counselor and you are guide to us.
We thank you, God,
that when two of us are gathered, or three of us,
or gathered as five of us, or gathered in ten of us,
that you are the honored guest at our table,
you have the seat of honor.
Because there is no place
that we can go from your presence,
and we want to always acknowledge you.
Come and sit and sup with us, our God.
We lift up our petitions to you.
We thank you because you're so good
and that you hear us and that you bless us.
And that not only do you open doors of heaven
and windows of heaven,
that you open heaven itself on our behalf,
and for that we say thank you.
We bless you today, O God,
because you are so good.
You're so gracious and you're so kind and you're so forgiving.
Thank you for being our God.
And thank you for your son Jesus,
who is our healer and our company keeper.
We thank you, God,
for all that you do for us,
and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
April 7, 2025
Joshua 1:1-9
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide:
“Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River
into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.
I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—
all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life.
As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people
to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you;
do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Lord, what an awesome task before us:
You're telling us
to get ready to be brave and strong,
and to take possession.
What a promise of enlarging our territory
so we can claim more for the kingdom!
You will be with us, and we have no reason to fear.
Your word is buried deep in our hearts
and is always on our lips
so we won't sin against you.
Your encouragement is to read your word day and night
and meditate on your word
while our heads rest on our pillows.
This keeps us encouraged,
even in the most dire of circumstances.
You remind us
that we will accomplish all that you have before us
because you go with us.
May be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might!
May we never stop telling
of all all the beautiful, wonderful things
you, God, have done in our lives
so that we can encourage the next generation.
May we tell someone how you, God,
defeated our enemies,
pulled us out of places
where we didn’t realize you were close.
You have helped us close our mouths
before we said something we would regret.
You have healed our body
because we asked for mercy.
You are the God I will worship all the days of my life.
You are the God who sees me and knows me,
and has given me gifts
so that I may glorify God in the world.
There is no other God
except the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
the God of all creation.
And I worship God in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
April 6, 2025
Psalm 139:1-17
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me
were written in your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
O God, you knew me
before I was knit together
in my mother's womb.
Even there, you set me apart for your glory.
Though hidden away in the waters of the womb,
you brought me out to the light
to experience your goodness and mercy that endures forever.
Hallelujah!
You knew when I would take my first unsteady and wobbly steps.
You heard my cry, my unintelligible speech.
You heard my first words.
You knew when I would be mischievous and playful
and a delight to my parents.
Thank you for surrounding me on all sides.
What a gift: that you know
when we sit down and when we get up…
you know about our restless slumber.
Thank you for coming to lie down beside us
and laying your hands on us
so that we may sleep in peace.
If we climb to the heavens or descend to the deep,
you are there.
Thank you for the gift of your glorious presence
every day of our lives.
We rest in the assurance of your goodness!
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Amen.
April 5, 2025
Psalm 31:1-3
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
Lord, you are my hiding place.
You are the refuge for my soul.
You are my protector and guide
to shield me from shame.
From the evil devices of the wicked one,
I cling to you as moss clings to rock.
I hold on for dear life.
For my life is in your hands.
Lord, even when I don't know what to say or how to say it,
the Holy Spirit speaks in inexpressible groans on our behalf,
which helps us in our weakness.
Strengthen us where we are weak
and build us up brick by brick,
where we have been torn down.
When the enemy comes—and he will come—
rescue us by your strong, powerful, righteous right hand.
Be our tall, impenetrable fortress
that cannot be weakened or destroyed,
protecting us from all hurt, harm, and danger.
Lord, I surrender all to you.
I cannot run this race
without your sure and steady guidance.
Your love and forgiveness of me
is more than I could ever imagined.
Rebuke and rebuff the enemy.
When the enemy comes my way,
stand guard over my soul
so that it is pure and holy before you.
You are the God of my salvation.
It is in you that I place all of my trust.
I love you, Lord,
and it is in your name that I pray.
Amen.
April 4, 2025
Psalm 23:1-2
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Lord, I thank you that you're my shepherd,
that you lead me
so that I'm not trying to flounder out there today by myself.
I thank you, Lord, that I lack nothing.
There is nothing that I need that you don't have.
And all I have to do is ask.
I thank you for being my great, great provider.
Lord, I thank you so much
that in grassy meadows we can find rest.
Sometimes when I'll look out
and I see the beautiful green grass,
and thinking about lying there and looking up into the heavens,
my heart is filled with your peace and rest.
And then, God,
you keep the waters around me from being tumultuous.
That I can rest beside your waters
that are still and quiet and reflective.
You provide times of quiet for me
So that I can gather myself.
You provide times of rest
and rejuvenation and restoration
because you are our Shepherd.
You know what we need even before we ask.
You hold us over your shoulder
as you speak words of comfort and peace to us.
We follow your voice
because your voice is the only one we want to follow.
Thank you for providing everything that we lack.
Even if we don't have a job yet, we believe that a job is coming.
Whatever it is that we think that we need--?
We believe that it may not be here now, in the physical,
but we believe in the spiritual realm, God,
that it's coming—
because you are the Shepherd
who knows the needs of your sheep before they ever ask.
And sometimes, God, in the waiting,
you are working with our spirit and our mind
to get us prepared for the great gift you have in store for us.
So, in advance of the gift, we say thank you.
And thank you for being the Shepherd of all shepherds,
the leader, the one that we look to,
the one that we never tire of, following Jesus Christ the Savior.
Amen.
April 3,2025
Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
God, we have tasted how good your word is,
how good it is to be in your presence,
how good it is to worship you,
how good it is to lift holy hands in your presence.
God, we have seen you.
We have seen you in brothers and sisters
who have radiant faces
because they been in your presence.
We have seen how you have been a provider
for people who have needs,
and that includes me.
God, you are so very, very good.
The one who takes refuge in you is happy.
Where else can we go but to hide ourselves in you?
Hallelujah!
There is no place
except under the gentle wing of your arm.
Let us hide ourselves in you,
until we are ready, God,
to come out and face the world.
Thank you for your protective arm that keeps us safe.
Thank you for being a refuge
in times of distress and in times of confusion,
and in times of uneasiness.
Thank you, God, that we can run to you.
And we are safe. And we are truly safe!
And we bless your name, God,
because you're good, good, good, good.
And my eyes have seen your glory.
My eyes have seen your goodness.
My eyes have seen the wondrous working power
of a great and awesome God.
Your people bless you today
and we give you thanks in your precious name.
Amen.
April 2, 2025
Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord cause His face to shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His face to you,
And give you peace.
God, we're so grateful
that when we pray this prayer found in Numbers:
“The Lord bless us and keep us” –
that when pastors pray this for us,
when friends pray this for us,
when we pray this ourselves,
we believe that you are indeed going to bless us
and that you're going to keep us,
and that you keep us day in and day out.
We know that your face shines upon us, God,
the face of radiant glory and light.
That whatever is going on within us,
the light of your glory
will take away the shadows within our spirit.
And we thank you for your light.
We thank you that you are more gracious to us
than we could ever be to ourselves.
We thank you for brand new mercies every day.
We thank you that you turn your face from heaven
and that you turn toward us, no matter where we are.
No matter if we're hiding from you,
or if we're hiding from the world.
God, you turn your face and you find us.
And you let your glory shine in our hearts
and in our spirits, and even on our faces,
and that you give us peace.
So come, Lord Jesus.
Make your face shine upon us.
Be gracious to us all ways, every day, everywhere.
And let us always turn our faces up,
that we might meet your face in the glory of your presence.
And we give you thanks, because you are so good to us,
and we thank you.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
April 1, 2025
2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
God, I'm so grateful that in you we don't have a spirit of fear…
that we are not walking around “shaking in our boots,”
hearts racing, palms sweating, because we are afraid.
God, I thank you
that it is by your power and your love
that you give us the self-confidence
to put one foot in front of the other today, and to keep going.
We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
It is by your power.
It is by faith in your Name
that we believe that you will care for us
and that we don't have to worry.
We are not timid!
We don't have a spirit that walks around with us
as a shadow that keeps us in doubt
with our heads hanging down.
Thank you –
that you, God,
you did not give us that kind of spirit,
but rather, you give us power and love
and a sound mind and self-control.
And we're going to walk in the gifts that you give us,
because every good and perfect gift comes from above.
And we thank you for being so lavish with your gift,
that you give them to us abundantly ,
so we can walk and we can skip and we can run!
And because of this, today we are not afraid.
We trust you and thank you
for the ability and the gift to trust you,
and to shake off all of those things that would hold us down.
Blessed be your name, O God!
And we thank you and we praise you in Jesus’ name,
Amen.