Friday - The Gospel According To Mark

Welcome to Daily Prayer. This is week 6 of an 11-week journey through Mark’s account of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we begin our time together, let’s quiet our hearts and minds before the Lord.

A Scripture Reading from Mark 5:41-43

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

A Prayer of Adoration

Jesus, we adore You as the One who speaks life into still places. You do not shout at death — You call life forward. With a simple touch and a gentle word, You awaken what we thought was gone forever. You enter quiet rooms of grief and bring hope without spectacle. We praise You as Lord over death and decay, over endings and impossibilities. You hold resurrection power in Your hands, and You release it with compassion. You are not only the God of great crowds and public miracles — You are the God of private rooms and trembling hearts. We worship You as the One who restores life with tenderness and authority.

A Prayer of Confession

Jesus, we confess that sometimes we accept death as the final word. We assume some things are too far gone — relationships, dreams, callings, parts of our own hearts. We confess the numbness we carry when hope has been deferred too long. We stop expecting life. We protect ourselves from disappointment by lowering our expectations of You. We confess the subtle ways we agree with despair. We call things dead that You still call recoverable. We move on from places where You are inviting us to believe again. Forgive us for limiting Your power with our conclusions. Forgive us for settling into resignation instead of staying open to resurrection.

A Prayer of Trust

Jesus, we choose to trust Your resurrection power today. We trust that You can breathe life into what feels lifeless. We trust that You can awaken what has been dormant. We trust that You can restore what we thought was permanently lost. Just as You took her hand and told her to arise, we believe You still speak life with authority. We trust Your timing. We trust Your gentleness. We trust that when You call something to rise, it responds. We place before You the places in our lives that feel dead, stalled, or hopeless. We trust that Your voice still carries creative power. Speak life into us again.

A Prayer of Intercession

Jesus, we intercede for those who feel like something in them has died — hope that has faded, faith that has grown quiet, joy that feels distant, vision that has gone cold. We pray for relationships that feel beyond repair, for marriages that feel lifeless, for hearts that feel emotionally shut down. We pray for those grieving deep loss, for those who feel surrounded by reminders of what once was. Bring Your resurrection power into their grief. Call life back into weary souls. Call hope back into discouraged hearts. Call vision back into places of burnout. Let people experience

Your power not just as story, but as a present reality that revives what feels gone.

Read Again

As we read the passage again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

A Moment of Reflection

Jesus, we pause and reflect on the places in our lives that feel closed, lifeless, or beyond hope. What have we quietly labeled as “over”? What part of our heart have we stopped expecting You to touch? We bring those places into this room with You now. We open our hands. We open our hearts. We listen for Your gentle voice calling life again. Even if the room feels quiet, we trust that resurrection power is present with us.

A Weekly Verse to Memorize

Closing Prayer

During these last few moments, name the places in your life that feel dead or beyond hope. Picture Jesus taking you by the hand and saying, “Arise.” Sit with Him there — and let His resurrection power meet you.