 Welcome to the Week
Lent is not a season for the faint of heart, but neither is it a season for the proud. It’s a time to go deep, to strip away the noise and the pretense, and to stand honestly before the One who already knows us completely. We are now three weeks into this holy journey, and perhaps the initial resolve has begun to soften. Perhaps the busyness of life has crowded in. That’s precisely why we return to prayer this week: not because we’ve performed well, but because we belong to the God who answers us in the deeps. Come as you are. Come with your weariness, your questions, your half-kept intentions. The God who holds the new creation in his hands, the One who promises that weeping and distress shall be no more, this same God bends his ear to you this week. He’s not waiting for your eloquence. He’s waiting for you. “God always answers us in the deeps, never in the shallows of our soul.” (Amy Carmichael) This Week’s Scripture
Adoration Psalm 118:28-29 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! We Believe in One True God (verse 1) We believe in one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, ever present help in need, praised by all the heavenly host; by whose mighty power alone all is made and wrought and done. (Tobias Clausnitzer) Take time now to offer God your praise and worship. Confession 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit. Amen. (The United Methodist Book of Worship) As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thanksgiving Sovereign Father, Creator of all things, we give you praise that even now you are preparing a place for your children, that one day you will bring us to be where you now are. You will one day bring forth the new heavens and a new earth. The thought of such a perfect place overwhelms us, and yet we still cry out to you in praise and gratitude for who you are and what awaits those who know and love you. Let us be marked as those who are glad and rejoice in you forever. We humbly thank you that one day weeping and the cries of distress will be no more. We will eternally live with you and others in perfect fellowship, harmony, and peace. Indeed, the wolf and lamb shall graze together. In your loving power, we ask you to enable us to begin to realize such a promise of future days in our own day. For it is in the name of the Prince of Peace we pray. Amen. (based on Isaiah 65:17-25) Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life. Prayer Prompts Use the following prayer prompts to encourage you to pray beyond your usual prayer requests. These prompts are included here to help get your own creative juices flowing and not to be regarded as strict and legalistic requirements. Use them or do not use them according to your need. May the Lord bless you as you go deeper with him in the holy communion of prayer. Petition – prayers for yourself
Intercession – prayers for others
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices kindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24) A Word as You Go The deeps you entered this week in prayer are not empty spaces, they are the very places where God meets his people. You came with your weariness, and he was there. You came with your confession, and he was faithful. You came with your thanksgiving, however small, and he received it. You met with the living God, and it was holy and grace-filled. As you carry this week’s scriptures with you into the days ahead, let the promise of Isaiah linger in your heart: that the same God who is fashioning a new creation has not forgotten this one, or you in it. He is still making things new, including you. Do not grow weary in doing good. The road is long, but the One who walks it with you is faithful to the end. Go in his peace. Want to go deeper? 📖 Devotions & Bible Studies → daletedder.substack.com 🎙️ Practical Christianity Podcast → Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📚 Books & Publications → Browse the Bookstore
0 Comments
Welcome to the Week
We’re now well into the year, past the initial promises and into the proving ground of perseverance. This week, the prayers ahead invite you not to seek comfort, but capability - not easier circumstances, but stronger faith. Come honestly before the One who answers with awesome deeds, the God who knows both your limitations and his limitless power to work through them (and thank the Lord for that!). “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your task.” (Phillips Brooks) This Week’s Scripture
Adoration Psalm 65:5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; O Worship the King (verse 1) O worship the King, all glorious above, O gratefully sing God’s power and God’s love; our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise. (Robert Grant) Take time now to offer God your praise and worship. Confession He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14) Heavenly Father, blot out, we beseech thee, our past transgressions; forgive us our frequent negligence and ignorance; and lift us up to new energy of mind and devotion of heart, that we might have strength to persevere even to the end, through success and failure, through good report and evil report. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ and for his sake. Amen. (The Book of Worship for Church and Home, 1965) As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that he will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thanksgiving Gracious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for your promises. You promise you will never leave us nor forsake us. You will help us fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith. We know that were we to go one day without your sovereign grace and strength undergirding us, we would fail miserably. And so, O Lord, we give you our deepest thanks. You have promised that there is a crown of righteousness awaiting us for seeking you in this life and desiring your appearance. This isn’t something you owe us, but another expression of your grace in our lives. O Lord, for this and more, we give you our thanks. In Christ we pray, Amen. (based on 2 Timothy 4:6-8) Ask the Spirit to search your heart and mind and then spend some time thanking God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life. Prayer Prompts Use the following prayer prompts to encourage you to pray beyond your usual prayer requests. These prompts are included here to help get your own creative juices flowing and not to be regarded as strict and legalistic requirements. Use them or do not use them according to your need. May the Lord bless you as you go deeper with him in the holy communion of prayer. Petition – prayers for yourself
Intercession – prayers for others
The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Romans 14:17) A Word as You Go The tax collector’s prayer still echoes across the centuries: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This week, you’ve been reminded that strength comes not from self-sufficiency but from humble dependence on the One who answers with awesome deeds. As you return to your tasks and callings, carry this posture with you, the open hand, the honest heart, the recognition that every power you need flows from God’s grace. He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Go now in his strength, not your own. Welcome to the Week
The fifth week of a new year often arrives quietly, without fanfare or the weight of fresh resolutions. Yet here, in this ordinary (and cold) stretch of February days, God invites you into the extraordinary work of prayer not, as Andrew Murray puts it, bounded by what you think is possible, but opened wide to the limitless reach of God’s power and grace. This week, resist the temptation to pray small prayers to a big God. Come with your doubts and your certainties, your needs and your thanksgivings, and discover again that the One who hears you is far greater than anything you can ask or imagine. “Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what he can do.” (Andrew Murray) This Week’s Scripture
Adoration Psalm 66:1-4 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven (verse 1) Praise, my soul, the King of heaven, to the throne by tribute bring; ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, ever more God’s praises sing. Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise the everlasting King. (Henry F. Lyte) Take time now to offer God your praise and worship. Confession Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:8-13) Have mercy upon us, O God, according to your lovingkindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquities, and cleanse us from our sins. For we acknowledge our transgressions, and our sin is ever before us. Create in us clean hearts, O God, and renew a right spirit within us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (W.E. Orchard. The United Methodist Book of Worship) As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thanksgiving Mighty God of mercy, we thank you for the resurrection dawn bringing the glory of our risen Lord who makes every day new. Especially we thank you for the beauty of your creation, the new creation in Christ and all gifts of healing and forgiveness, the sustaining love of family and friends, and the fellowship of faith in your church. In Christ we pray, Amen. (from Daily Prayer) Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life. Prayer Prompts Use the following prayer prompts to encourage you to pray beyond your usual prayer requests. These prompts are included here to help get your own creative juices flowing and not to be regarded as strict and legalistic requirements. Use them or do not use them according to your need. May the Lord bless you as you go deeper with him in the holy communion of prayer. Petition – prayers for yourself
“Send me now, my God, to accomplish all you have assigned to me. Let me live and work without fear and timidity. Amen.” (Reuben Job) A Word as You Go The God who called you to pray this week is the same God who remains faithful even when we are faithless, who cannot deny himself, whose word is never bound. As you step back into the world with its demands and distractions, carry with you the courage to love the unlovely and the boldness to speak truth to those who need it most. You have been ransomed, healed, restored, and forgiven; now go and live like it. The One who sends you goes with you, and that changes everything. Welcome to the WeekThe fourth week of a new year is neither the breathless start nor the weary middle, it’s the place where resolve begins to meet reality. This week, let prayer be less about striving and more about communion. Come to the One who already knows your struggles and your faith, your strength and your weariness. Here, in the greatest depths, you will find that the most honest prayer is not eloquent speech about God, but simple conversation with him.
At the profoundest depths in life, men talk not about God but with him. (D. Elton Trueblood) This Week’s Scripture
Adoration Luke 17:5-6 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty (verse 1) Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee. Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity! Take time now to offer God your praise and worship. Confession Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. (2 Timothy 1:8-12) As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thanksgiving Accept, O Lord God, our Father, the sacrifices of our thanksgiving; this, of praise, for Thy greater mercies already afforded to us; and this, of prayer, for the continuance and enlargement of them; this, of penitence, for such only recompense as our sinful nature can endeavor; and this, of the love of our hearts, as the only gift Thou dos ask or desire; and all these, through the all-holy and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ Thy Son our Savior. (John Donne) Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life. Prayer Prompts Use the following prayer prompts to encourage you to pray beyond your usual prayer requests. These prompts are included here to help get your own creative juices flowing and not to be regarded as strict and legalistic requirements. Use them or do not use them according to your need. May the Lord bless you as you go deeper with him in the holy communion of prayer. Petition – prayers for yourself
Intercession – prayers for others
Almighty God, give us grace, that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, (in which thy son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility;) that in the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the holy ghost now and ever. Amen. (Thomas Cranmer) A Word as You Go The prayers you offer this week have been heard, not by a distant judge tallying your performance, but by the faithful One who guards what you’ve entrusted to him. As you return to the rhythms of your days, remember that faith the size of a mustard seed is enough. You don’t need more eloquence or more certainty; you need only to keep talking with him. He meets you in the ordinary, transforms your appointments into his purposes, and walks with you through whatever lies ahead. Go in his grace. Welcome to the Week
The rhythm of prayer is becoming familiar now, like well-worn paths we return to again and again. This week, Luther reminds us that prayer isn’t an occasional religious duty but the very business of our lives as Christians. As you move through these prayers and scriptures, remember that you’re engaged in the work you were made for: communion with the living God. Come with the confidence of one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, and let that holy refuge shape everything else. “As it is the business of tailors to make clothes and of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.” (Martin Luther) This Week’s Scripture
Adoration Psalm 91:1-2 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Come, Thou Almighty King (verse 1) Come, thou almighty King, help us thy name to sing, help us to praise! Father all glorious, o’er all victorious, come and reign over us, Ancient of Days! (Anonymous) Take time now to offer God your praise and worship. Confession But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:11-12) Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing thou has made, and doest forgive the sins of those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, truly lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wickedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Book of Worship for Church and Home, 1965) As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thanksgiving Help us to pray always and not to faint, in everything giving thanks, offering up the sacrifices of praise continually, possessing our souls in patience, and learning in whatsoever state we are therewith to be content; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord and Master. (Fielding Ould) Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life. Prayer Prompts Use the following prayer prompts to encourage you to pray beyond your usual prayer requests. These prompts are included here to help get your own creative juices flowing and not to be regarded as strict and legalistic requirements. Use them or do not use them according to your need. May the Lord bless you as you go deeper with him in the holy communion of prayer. Petition – prayers for yourself
Intercession – prayers for others
My God... Thou art all my good in times of peace, my only support in days of trouble, my one sufficiency when life shall end. Help me to see how good thy will is in all, and even when it crosses mine teach me to be pleased with it. Thou bottomless fountain of all good, I give myself to thee out of love, for all I have or own is thine, my goods, family, church, self, to do with as thou wilt. (from The Valley of Vision) A Word as You Go The shelter of the Most High is not a place you visit occasionally, it’s where you dwell. As you return to the demands and distractions of your week, remember that prayer is your true business, the work beneath all your other work. Let the steadfastness and gentleness Paul calls for shape your interactions, and trust that the God in whom you take refuge goes with you into every circumstance. Walk faithfully, knowing you are held by him. Welcome to the Week
As we enter this second week of the year, we come before the One who knows our hearts completely and meets us with both truth and mercy. Let the prayers and scriptures ahead guide you into deeper communion with the God who is both our Judge and our Deliverer, our Refuge and our Hope. Lord, we beseech thee, give ear to our prayers, and by thy gracious visitation lighten the darkness of our heart, by our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Thomas Cranmer) This Week’s Scripture
Adoration Psalm 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake! Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (verse 1) Immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light inaccessible hid from our eyes, most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise. (Walter Chalmers Smith) Take time now to offer God your praise and worship. Confession For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6) Loving and devoted God, we confess that, more often than not, we act like rebellious children in the face of your unconditional love, and fail miserably to treat you as the loving Father that you are. Forgive us, we pray, and make us sensitive and responsive at long last to your gracious initiatives. Make us worthy recipients and channels of love, and thus true brothers and sisters of Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. (Paul A. Laughlin) As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thanksgiving O Thou, Who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and on Whom the eyes of all do wait, Who crownest the year with Thy goodness, and openest Thine hand and fillest all things living with plenteousness: every day we give thanks unto Thee, and praise Thy Name for ever and ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (William A. Knight) Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life. Prayer Prompts Use the following prayer prompts to encourage you to pray beyond your usual prayer requests. These prompts are included here to help get your own creative juices flowing and not to be regarded as strict and legalistic requirements. Use them or do not use them according to your need. May the Lord bless you as you go deeper with him in the holy communion of prayer. Petition – prayers for yourself
Intercession – prayers for others
A Word as You GoO sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth: for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. (Psalm 96:1, 13) Go now with confidence in the One who has ransomed you, carrying the hope of his coming Kingdom into the hours and days ahead. Welcome to the Week
A new year stretches before us, filled with the mercy of unmarked days and the quiet promise of God’s faithfulness. This week, as you begin this journey of prayer, resist the urge to rush. Let these ancient words and sacred rhythms shape not just your mornings, but your entire week. Come slowly, come honestly, and come expectant, for the God who invites you here is already at work in your heart. Let God have your first awaking thoughts; lift up your thoughts to Him reverently and thankfully for the rest enjoyed the night before and cast yourself upon Him for the day which follows.” (Richard Baxter) Adoration Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. John 17:3 - And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.) Confession “Almighty and most merciful Father, We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But in thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou those who are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 1552) (As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that he will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).) Thanksgiving We give you hearty thanks for the rest of the past night and for the gift of a new day, with its opportunities of pleasing you. Grant that we may so pass its hours in the perfect freedom of your service, that at eventide we may again give thanks unto you. Amen. (Eastern Orthodox Prayer; The United Methodist Hymnal, #676) (Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life.) Prayer Prompts Use the following prayer prompts to encourage you to pray beyond your usual prayer requests. These prompts are included here to help get your own creative juices flowing and not to be regarded as strict and legalistic requirements. Use them or do not use them according to your need. May the Lord bless you as you go deeper with him in the holy communion of prayer. Petitions – prayers for yourself
Intercession – prayers for others
So help us to live life in love, in service, and in fidelity, that we may come to the end in peace, and enter into blessedness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (William Barclay) A Word as You Go You have begun well. The prayers you’ve offered this week aren’t lost to the air, they’ve been heard by the One who knows your name and loves you perfectly. As you step back into the rhythm of your daily life, carry this posture of prayer with you. Let adoration tune your eyes to beauty, confession keep your heart tender, thanksgiving guard you against cynicism, and supplication remind you that you do not walk alone. The Lord who met you here will meet you there. Go in peace. |
RSS Feed
Practical ChristianityPractical Christianity equips Christians with biblical wisdom, spiritual encouragement, and practical discipleship tools to help them know Christ more deeply, follow him more faithfully, and represent him more fully in every sphere of life. |
|
Contact UsSubscribe Today!Click here to visit my Substack page for weekly resources to help you faithfully follow Christ in every sphere of your life.
|