Monday - Don't Lose Heart (Faith)
Welcome to Daily Prayer. We are in in a three-week series called "Don't Lose Heart," focused on cultivating a life of faith, hope, and love.
This week, we choose to fix our gaze on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.
As we begin our time together, let's quiet our hearts and minds before the Lord.
Lord, thank you for this day. Because of all that you've done for me, I present my body to you as a living sacrifice for this day. I want to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, affirming your will for me is good, acceptable, and perfect. Oh Lord, I want to seek first your kingdom and righteousness.
Open my eyes to see, my ears to hear, and open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
A Scripture reading from Hebrews 12:1–3:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
A Prayer of Adoration:
Father, I thank you for the gift of life that we have in Jesus. I thank you that there is a race marked out for us, a purpose for us, and that you've given us grace to run with perseverance.
Oh God, thank you for giving us eyes to see Jesus.
You deserve all the honor and glory. You bring renewal to our inner lives and you give us the strength to overcome difficulty. And for that, I adore you.
A Prayer of Confession:
Lord, I confess that I've given my attention to other things. I have allowed the worries of this life and the desire for other things to weigh me down, to hinder me, to cause me to become entangled in civilian affairs (2 Tim 2).
Lord, forgive me.
Renew a right spirit within me.
I fix my gaze on you.
A Prayer of Trust:
Lord, I trust that you will see me through.
You will uphold me.
I set my gaze on you today.
I want you to remove anything in me that would hinder me—anything around me that would that would steal my joy in you, that would weigh me down, would entangle me, and trip me up.
I trust that you will provide all that I need.
A Prayer of Intercession:
Father, I pray for all the families fasting this week, setting aside other things because they want to hunger for you.
Would you give them clarity. Would you give them a hunger for the things that matter.
We pray for those that are going through difficulty in this season.
Would you uphold them and strengthen them.
Lord, for families that are about to go back to school, that are making decisions and choices about what they're going to prioritize, give them a vision to seek first your kingdom, to prioritize your values, your name, what will strengthen their faith.
A Moment of Reflection:
Let's ask the Lord this question: Lord, is there anything that is currently hindering me that I need to set aside?
Show us, Lord.
As we listen to the passage again, let's listen for a word or phrase that the Holy Spirit may want to say to us from today's verses:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
A Closing Prayer
Lord, we say yes to throwing off anything that hinders, setting aside and rejecting the sin that so easily entangles. And we say yes to running with perseverance the purpose, the race that you have for us.
We fix our gaze on you today, Lord.
Do your work in us, we pray.
May all we say and do bring honor and glory to you.