Page 55 – Guideposts Articles

4 Prayers to Keep You Healthy

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

We pray for the sick. We pray for ourselves when we’re sick too. But how many of us pray for health when we’re healthy? For continued health? For increasing health?

One of my favorite prayers is the “Lorica” (or “breastplate”) attributed to Saint Patrick. It’s a wonderful prayer of power and protection and a great guide for how we might pray for health even when we’re not ill. He prayed “against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul,” including “against poison, against burning, against drowning, against wounding.”

So, why don’t we follow his example and pray for ourselves and others when we’re healthy? Here are a few suggested prayers for the healthy. Each will be phrased for oneself but can easily be revised or adapted into a prayer for someone else:

1) Thanks for Health

Heavenly Father, thank You for the health and vitality I enjoy today.
Thank you for functioning organs, working joints, strong muscles and sharp senses.
Let Your vitality flow into every cell in my body,
driving far from me all sickness and disease,
and remind me to give You praise and thanks for the health I enjoy. Amen.

2) Protection for Continued Health

God, grant that I may continue in health today.
Wherever I go, protect me from germs and viruses and bacteria.
Keep me safe from injury of body, mind or soul,
and bring me to this day’s end filled with health and energy,
that I may enjoy good health and that all may go well with me (3 John 2). Amen.

3) Petition for Increase in Health

Holy Spirit, my body is Your temple (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19)
and my desire is to keep it healthy
and to increase in health and strength.
Help me to be a good steward of the health and strength you give,
in what I eat and drink and how I conduct myself each day.
Protect me from sickness, disease and injury,
granting me mobility, flexibility and strength. Amen.

4) Appeal for Healthy Functions

Gracious God, You knit me together in my mother’s womb;
I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14).
My body is a wonder—and at times a mystery—to me.
Please keep it functioning well.
Keep my heart strong and my lungs healthy.
Keep my blood pressure and cholesterol in a healthy range.
Protect my memory and preserve my senses.
Oversee all the functions of my body that promote health and well-being. Amen.

I offer the above in the hope that these prayers will suggest others, and that regularly giving thanks and offering petitions for health and strength—for ourselves and for others.

4 Prayers of Hope for the New Year

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

For many of us, these past few years have been a year like no other—so much has been disruptive, stressful, disturbing and even traumatic. It seems as though we’ve been through one disappointment, derailment and disaster after another. We never asked for such a stormy year, but we weathered it. Now we turn a page, a corner. We may even turn over a new leaf.

So, what should we pray as we say goodbye—perhaps good riddance—to the old year? Here are four suggestions. You can fill in your own petitions and names to tailor these prayers to your life and needs.

1) Pray to Process the Past
For many of us, these past 12 months came at us so fast that we had no time to think or recover before the next crisis hit. So, it may be wise here, at year’s end, to breathe a bit more deeply and think reflectively. A prayer such as the following may help:

God, clear my mind and help me to process all I’ve been through in 2020.
Give me wisdom. Enlighten me.
Help me, especially, to see Your hand in _______.
What were the moments when I drew closer to You?
When I strayed from You?
When I forgot that You were there, that You are always there?
What did I learn? What do I still need to learn in order to move on from 2020?

2) Pray to Remember…and Forget
There are, of course, many things about this past year that we would like to forget. But let’s not be too hasty. Perhaps a prayer like the following may help make peace with regrets and nurture hope for a fresh start:

God, this has been a year filled with loss and pain.
Hold my hand as I grieve the losses and bear the pain, especially _______.
Hear my prayer as I confess my sins and surrender my regrets, especially _______.
Wipe from my memory the things that aren’t worth carrying into 2021, especially _______.
Help me to hold onto 2020’s lessons, blessings and victories, especially _______.

3) Pray to Look Ahead in Newness, Hope, Faith and Love
Many of us saw our plans for the year demolished as 2020 got underway. But that doesn’t mean we can’t create new dreams for 2021:

God, I’m sure You understand my trepidation as I anticipate the new year. So little in 2020 went according to plan.
But those were my plans, I admit, and a new year unfolds before me.
Let this new year mark the beginning of newness of life for me and mine.
Let this year dawn in hope and proceed in hope; let the “deferred” hope of 2020 blossom into fruitful fulfillment in 2021 (see Proverbs 13:12). Give me hope especially for _______.
Let this year deepen and strengthen my faith in You, especially as concerns _______.
And let 2021 be a year in which Your love is shed abroad in my heart and the hearts of those around me, especially _______.

4) Pray to Begin Anew
And with new plans and dreams on the horizon, here’s a prayer to open your heart to receiving God’s love and guidance as you begin to put them in place:

God, let this new year mark a new beginning for me and those I love.
Grant us, and especially _______, a new sense of Your closeness and care.
Give new strength and vitality, especially for _______.
Send a new level of hopeful trust to me, a new sense of your closeness and care, especially when _______.
Fill 2021 with new love, new joy and new peace;
with new outpourings of patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness;
with new infillings of gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:22).
Let this coming year be ruled by whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise (see Philippians 4:8).

Let those prayers be only a starting point for the end of 2020 and the year to come. Pray that 365 days from now, you’ll look back with praise and thanksgiving on all of the ways God answered, even beyond what you thought to ask (see Ephesians 3:20).

4 Keys to Guilt-Free Praying

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

I’ve always known I “should” pray more. Determined to follow Jesus as a teenager, I tried to imitate such men as English missionary Hudson Taylor and Salvation Army Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle, both who prayed long and hard and effectively. My efforts to be like them soon fizzled, however, and all I had to show for my labors was a healthy dose of guilt.

Later, as I trained for ministry, many of my instructors and some of my classmates displayed the fruits of strong, healthy prayer lives. I enjoyed occasional spurts of prayer myself, but again the greater harvest was feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

Even over years of ministry in the church, my prayers usually felt too far and few between. I prayed often–in the hospital, funeral home or church service. But I never felt like I had arrived where I wanted to be in my prayer journey.

I am not a lazy person. I get things done. But for many reasons, my prayer efforts for many years produced mostly disappointment and guilt. Maybe you can identify. Maybe, like me, you’ve been tempted to conclude that you’re just not cut from the same cloth as so-called “prayer warriors.” Maybe you’ve resigned yourself to an ineffectual and unrewarding prayer life. Maybe you have given up altogether. Don’t.

Ask the OurPrayer team to pray for you!

You can enjoy the benefits and blessings of a rich prayer life while escaping feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

Here are a few keys I have discovered in recent years that have opened the door to guilt-free praying for me:

1) Pray according to your rhythms, not someone else’s.
You’ve heard or read the stories of people throughout history who rose at 4 a.m. and prayed for hours before breakfast, just as I have. But I had to learn that forcing myself to imitate someone else’s rhythms hurt far more than it helped.

So I spent some time experimenting, and figured out that (to quote the hymn) “When morning gilds the skies, my heart awakening cries, I just want to sleep for five more minutes, okay?” I do pray in the morning, usually, but not until I’m on my second (or third) cup of coffee.

2) You don’t have to pray for a long time.
I used to measure the “quality” of my prayer time according to “quantity.” I wanted to discipline myself to pray for a half hour or an hour, because that’s what “good” pray-ers do, right?

But then I noticed that some of the most effective prayers in the Bible were pretty brief. Even the prayer Jesus taught His disciples takes no more than a half-minute to pray. So it’s not how long you pray that matters most, but simply that you pray.

3) Your prayer doesn’t have to be fancy.
I was inspired at an early age by numerous people who prayed powerful, eloquent prayers. Turns out, it messed me up a little bit. I wanted to pray like that. And then I realized that Jesus depicted prayer as something like a child approaching a loving parent (or grandparent).

My prayers can be as primitive as one of my grandkids writing a birthday card for me; the words may be simple, even painfully so. But God treasures every one. As theologian Richard Foster wrote, “In the same way that a child cannot draw a bad picture so a child of God cannot offer a bad prayer.”

4) Always remember that God loves you before or beyond anything you can do or say.
I used to obsess over “praying well.” I kept track of my prayers and answers to my prayers, wanting to pray in such a way that God would answer more and more. I wanted to become “a man of prayer,” so it felt important that I get it right, so to speak.

But one day something clicked, and I realized that God loves me, not my prayers. And He wants me to want Him more than answers to my prayers. And it has since been enough for me to enjoy my status as a “child of God” without fretting over becoming “a man of God.”

The point of my prayers ever since has not been accomplishment or answers, but relationship—intimacy with the God who loves me and invites me to love Him back!

Guilt and prayer are like oil and water. One will always repel the other. So try these keys to guilt-free praying and see if they do for you what they did for me.

4 Good Reasons to Pray Aloud

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

It’s happened to you. Please say it has. Please tell me I’m not the only one.

You’re spending a few moments in prayer. You close your eyes. Scrunch down a little in your seat. Fold your hands. You start praying, silently. And then, before long, without even realizing it, you’re thinking about the comment your coworker made yesterday.

What was that about? Did she realize how it sounded? Does she think I’m stupid? You remember, you’re supposed to be praying. You shake your head. Where was I? Oh yes… You get back on track, but your head sure is heavy. Moments later you open your eyes. Did I just fall asleep?

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m the only one who is often distracted, even somnolent, in times of private prayer. If that’s the case, then…well, never mind. But if you’re anything like me, please accept my sympathies–and also consider praying aloud.

That’s right, aloud. In times of personal prayer, when it’s just you and God.

Why would you do that? I can think of four good reasons to pray aloud:

1. Praying aloud helps you focus.
Sure, God hears your silent prayers. He examines your heart; He knows your thoughts no matter where you are (see Psalm 139:1-2). Praying aloud doesn’t affect His hearing, one way or the other. But it does affect your thinking.

It is much easier to stay focused when you pray aloud; the act of speaking aloud helps you stay on track. And, while it is still possible to fall asleep while you’re speaking (my wife does it all the time), it is less likely.

2. Praying aloud helps you express yourself
I don’t know about you, but most of my silent thoughts and prayers have only one volume: Silence. But when I pray aloud, my prayers express my emotions and hopes and dreams with much more passion and variety.

I can’t imagine the prophet Jeremiah praying silently in the prayer session that inspired these words:

I called on your name, Lord,

from deep within the pit.

You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading!

Hear my cry for help!”

Yes, you came when I called;

you told me, “Do not fear.” (Lamentations 3:55-57, NLT)

Sometimes, like the prophet, I call and cry my prayers. Sometimes I whisper, sometimes I “shout unto God with the voice of triumph” (Psalm 47:1, KJV). Sometimes my voice trembles. Sometimes it whines.

3. Praying aloud reinforces your memory.
Why do teachers and preachers often make people say things aloud? Why do we remember songs we sing better than songs we merely hear? Because vocalization reinforces memory. It aids retention.

So it is with praying aloud. I find it much easier to remember things I have prayed aloud–whether confession, thanks, petition or praise–than to remember my silent prayers.

4. Praying aloud combines heart, soul, mind, and body
The greatest commandment, Jesus said, is “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (Mark 12:30, NLT).

Praying aloud is an act that engages the heart, soul, mind and body. It involves motion and action, if only of the tongue (though if you’re like me, you can’t speak without also moving your arms and hands).

There is nothing wrong with praying silently, of course. Abraham’s servant did it (Genesis 24:45). So did Hannah (1 Samuel 1:12-13). And their prayers were answered.

But there are also good reasons to pray aloud. In fact, I’m sure I’ve just scratched the surface. If you’ve been helped by praying aloud please leave a comment that will encourage others. Feel free to add your reasons to the list, as well as any tips you wish to share.

4 Emergency Prayers

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

Disaster strikes. An emergency looms. A crisis threatens.

Sometimes there is no time to stop and pray. Events are moving too fast, and we can barely form a cohesive thought, let alone pause to bow our heads or fold our hands.

What do we do at such times? How can we pray? In moments like those, it pays to have a few go-to prayers readily available, in our memories and vocabularies. Here are a handful of “911 prayers” that may help when panic threatens to set in and words seem to escape us:

1) Help (Psalm 12:1)
Anne Lamott, in her short book, Help, Thanks, Wow, boils down prayer to three essentials, one of which is “Help.” It is the most basic of prayers. We may get fancier or wordier, but God’s ears seem to be tuned in to “Help,” perhaps as much as or more than any other prayer.

2) Lord, have mercy (Matthew 20:31)
So many cries and groans come to our minds and hearts in the course of a day or week, and many of them are urgent. “Lord, have mercy” is among my most frequent and heartfelt prayers at such times. I don’t have to know the details of an emergency, nor do I have to get more specific. God knows, so I simply cry out, like the blind men described in Matthew’s Gospel, “Lord, have mercy,” and trust Him to answer according to His sovereign insight, wisdom and power.

3) Our help is in the name of the Lord (Psalm 124:8)
Sometimes all we can do is to remind ourselves that “when other helpers fail and comforts flee,” God abides with us still—and He, after all, is the source of any help we may receive. At such times the biblical prayer, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth,” makes a great 911 prayer.

4) We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (2 Chronicles 20:12)
When a foreign army threatened Israel’s capital, the king prayed to God, “We do not know what to do but our eyes are on you.” It is a confession, affirmation and petition rolled into one.

It helps to keep these four biblical prayers in mind when emergencies arise, but they can be a valuable resource, applicable to virtually any situation—especially when the need is deepest.

4 Bible Verses to Help You Cast Out Fear

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Rick Hamlin

“Fear not. Just believe.” You don’t have to take it from me. Take it from Jesus. When word came back that Jairus’s daughter, whom He had promised to heal, had died, people were understandably upset. “Do not be afraid any longer,” He said. “Only believe.” (Matthew 5:36)

Evidently “Fear not” or “Do not be afraid” is one of the most frequent refrains in the Bible. Jesus says it, God says it, the angels proclaim it. Why? Because people back then, like people today (me, for instance!) get caught up in waves of fear.

Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.

/* FORM STYLES */

#nf-form-5-cont {
background-color:#ffffff;
border-radius:35px;
-webkit-border-radius:35px; }

/* FIELDS STYLES */

.nf-form-content .nf-field-container #nf-field-27-wrap {
margin:0;
border-radius: 25px;
-webkit-border-radius: 25px; }
.nf-form-content .nf-field-container #nf-field-27-wrap .nf-field-element .ninja-forms-field {
background-color:#ffffff;
border-color:#ffffff;
margin-bottom:0;
border-radius: 25px;
-webkit-border-radius: 25px; }
.nf-form-content .nf-field-container #nf-field-28-wrap {
width:120px;
}
.nf-form-content .nf-field-container #nf-field-28-wrap .nf-field-element .ninja-forms-field {
background-color:#00ab84;
width:120px;
}
.nf-form-content .nf-field-container #nf-field-28-wrap .nf-field-element .ninja-forms-field:hover {
background-color:#00ab84;
}

We desperately need that heavenly assurance. How do we get it? See what the Good Book says:

1) When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. (Psalm 56:3). The Psalmist has it right. The Psalmist knows what it is to be afraid and what to do about it. Sometimes I’ll just repeat that key word here. Trust, trust, trust. Trust God, not all those naysayers.

Avoid the news for a day or two. What’s the best way to get someone to log on and read about the latest developments? Scare them. That seems to work pretty well for digital traffic numbers. Guess what? The Good News is not like that at all. Put your trust in that.

2) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6-7). Let God know about those fears. Don’t edit them out of your prayers. And then add that extra element that Paul suggests here: thanksgiving.

Try writing down those things you’re grateful for. Don’t stop. Keep writing. Once when a fit of depression had gotten the worst of me, I took out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote a list of things I was grateful for. By the time I got to 20 or 30, I was in a better frame of mind.

It’s called praying with a pencil. Or pen. Even better than typing on your computer.

3) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18). What is the opposite of fear? Love. It doesn’t help me much to tell myself, “Stop worrying, Rick. Fear not.” I need to add this extra element, something to replace the fretting, fearful mind.

That’s exactly what Jesus seems to urge when He tells the people, “Only believe.” He’s giving us a key to banish the fears. Belief. Faith. Love. Contemplating God’s love. Let it embrace you.

Seem too abstract? Look at the good people God has put in your life to show you love. To give you love. To model love. Hold that love in your heart. It can help you cast out fear.

4) Be strong and courageous. Do not fear…for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6). There is something bigger than your fears. God isn’t far away in the clouds. The Lord your God is right here by your side.

And everyone who reads these Bible verses, we are by each others’ side. Never alone.

3 Ways to Pray for Healing from the Bible

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

We pray for healing. For ourselves. For those we love. For people we barely know, and even for strangers whose needs come to our attention.

Sometimes we cry out in desperation. At other times we simply present the need for healing before God and wait in hope and expectation. In every case, though, the prayer itself is a confession, an admission of need and a statement of faith—and God hears every one.

Still, it can be helpful to know that some prayers for healing not only won the attention of the Great Physician but also resulted in miraculous answers. Here are three such prayers that can shape how we pray:

1) “Just say the word.”
A Roman centurion once sent messengers to Jesus on behalf of a servant who had fallen ill. Jesus responded by heading for the centurion’s home. As Jesus approached, the man sent more messengers, who conveyed his message: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Luke 7:6-8 NIV).

Jesus commended the man for his faith in believing that He could heal without a bedside visit or physical touch but with just a word, from a distance. The servant was healed.

It’s a frequent prayer of mine: “Just say the word.” Sometimes I’ll specify, “Just say the word, and I will be healed” or “Just say the word, and [name] will be healed.”

2) “Crumbs from your table”
On another occasion, a non-Jewish woman begged Jesus to heal her daughter, who was “suffering terribly” from demon-possession (Matthew 15:22 NIV). He didn’t respond immediately to her cries, so she came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He rebuffed her, though we might infer a gentle tone as He said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

She countered, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table,” at which he said, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted” (Matthew 15:26-28 NIV). The woman may have hoped for Jesus to go with her, to visit her home and touch her daughter, but instead she made the return trip alone and found that her daughter was healed.

The incident was an early indication that the healing and salvation Jesus brought extended beyond “the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24 NIV), and it reminds me that His power is available even to me and mine. So, I sometimes pray for healing, asking Him for “crumbs from your table,” as a way of reminding myself that He can use even my humble prayer and my little faith to work a miracle.

3) “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.”
Once, upon coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus had conferred with Moses and Elijah, with Peter, James and John as witnesses, He was confronted with a desperate father. The man explained to Jesus, “I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not” (Mark 9:17-18 NIV).

Jesus engaged the man in conversation and said, “Everything is possible for one who believes,” to which the man answered, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NIV). Moments later, the boy was healed, and even Jesus’ closest followers were amazed.

As often as I’ve seen God work, even miraculously at times, to heal me and those I love, I still need that prayer: “I believe; help my unbelief.” It’s an honest prayer, reminding me that I believe, but still need a lot of help to overcome whatever doubts may remain or return.

These three prayers aren’t the only prayers for healing we find in scripture, but they’ve sure made a difference for me. I hope they help you to pray for yourself, for those you love and even those you barely—or don’t—know.

3 Ways to Pray a Prayer of Mortality

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

You may consider the words morbid. They may sound strange to your ears. That’s all right. You’re not supposed to like them. But you are supposed to take them to heart.

Not all followers of Jesus observe Ash Wednesday, and not all observe it in the same way.

But for centuries now, the imposition of ashes on that first day of Lent has been accompanied by the reminder, based on Genesis 3:19, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (An alternative phrase–“Repent and believe in the Gospel”–is sometimes used).

To some, of course, it can be an invitation to depression. But theologically speaking, it is an invitation to prayerful awareness. That our lives are fragile and fleeting. That we are not guaranteed tomorrow. That those around us–those we love, those we like and those we don’t–are also quite temporary. And it is an invitation to forgive quickly and to live gratefully, humbly and mindfully.

By now, of course, if you received the ashes, they’ve worn or washed off. But you can nonetheless continue wearing them throughout Lent by praying, at every opportunity, a prayer of mortality.

1) You might preface each prayer with the imposition formula: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” and follow it with “Nevertheless ‘I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.’” (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

2) Or you may say, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” and follow it with “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21, ESV)

3) Or, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” followed by “Yet ‘we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.’”(2 Corinthians 5:6-9, ESV)

Or you may decide on another “prayer of mortality” to pray through the season of Lent. In any case, let me suggest four occasions to do so:

1) Anytime you pass or view a cemetery.

2) When you see or hear the popular acronym, “YOLO” (You Only Live Once).

3) As a funeral procession passes.

4) When you see a newspaper obituary or hear news of someone’s passing.

It may be no stretch for you to pray a prayer of mortality. Or it may be a totally new experience. It may even seem more than a little gloomy to you. But if it helps you to forgive someone or to be kind to someone or to live more gratefully yourself, it can be a wonderful way to pray…and to observe Lent.

How do you react to this suggestion? Does it seem strange to you? Or are you willing to try it? Or do you plan a different prayer practice this Lenten season? Please take a moment to share in the comment section below.

3 Prayers That God Answers Immediately

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

In recent years, many big amusement theme parks have introduced a perk for some visitors. They call it “Express Pass” or “FastPass,” and those customers who are willing to pay the extra fee bypass the long lines for the most popular rides. For many, it’s worth it to avoid the wait and squeeze more thrills and excitement into their visit.

It’s easy to see the benefit of a “no wait” option. But did you know that some prayers offer immediate results—with no additional cost? I can think of three prayers that God answers instantly.

1) Forgive me.
Author F. B. Meyer wrote, “God does sometimes keep us waiting for an answer to other prayers, but He never keeps us waiting one single second for an answer to our prayer for forgiveness.” It may take time for us to believe and own our forgiveness, but the promise of God is that “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

2) Take my life.
Another prayer that God delights in answering immediately is the prayer of surrender and consecration. When we sincerely pray, like the hymnwriter, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee,” we receive a speedy answer from the One who promised, “whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37 NIV). Like the prayer for forgiveness, it may take us time to believe that the Lord has done in us what He promised to us, but we can trust that the answer comes without delay.

3) Be glorified.
On the first Palm Sunday, after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus prayed aloud, “‘Father, glorify your name!’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him” (John 12:28-29 NIV). The answer took apparently no time at all. Similarly, when we prayerfully invite God’s glory, He will immediately set His answer in motion.

Perhaps you’ve prayed these prayers. If so, you’ve experienced the power of “no-wait praying.” If not, why wait? Try them today.

3 Biblical Words to Help You Pray

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Rick Hamlin

Ever sit there, ready to pray and wonder what can help you get that connection to God? In the morning, munching my oatmeal, I read three Psalms and a chapter from the Gospels—better to start the day with the Good News rather than all that dreary and/or scary stuff in the newspaper.

Certain words pop up over and over again in Scripture. They might mean one thing in everyday speech but in a Biblical context—and prayer context—they offer so much power. Try them out as you pray. A single word that you can hold on to or pray all day long.

1) Mercy
You don’t hear this word much. Maybe my mom would say it, exclaiming, “Mercy me!” But see what an important word and concept it was to Jesus. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” He says in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:7).

Remember the parable of the publican and the Pharisee praying on their way to the temple (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee bragging, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers or even this tax collector.”

Whereas the tax collector is standing far off, beating his breast. He can barely look up to heaven. “God be merciful to me, a sinner,” he prays. He is the one Jesus calls out. The simplest prayer in the world: “Lord, have mercy.” It puts you in the right relationship with God.

2) Delight
We don’t normally think of delight connected to faith. But there it is, again and again, especially in the Psalms. “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4) or “But their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).

God wants us to delight in His presence. We can delight in the creation as it brings us closer to the Creator. We delight in the godly people we meet and see. Make your prayers with delight.

3) Peace
The word “peace” I generally think of as it relates to the resolution of some global conflict or the good work people do in the Peace Corps. But as Jesus uses the word, it is a message directed straight to the world and our fears.

When the disciples are in their boat and a great storm comes up, waves crashing against the sides, Jesus is asleep in their midst. When they wake Him up, He says to the wind and sea: “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 2:39).

Or when the woman suffering from a terrible hemorrhage just touches His robe and is healed instantly, Jesus feels the power that had gone out of Him. He turns to find her, and she comes to Him in fear and trembling. “Daughter, your faith has made you well,” He says. “Go in peace.”

Three words to help give you peace in these times.

3 Bible Verses to Help Us Pray for Others

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Rick Hamlin

Not a day goes by that I don’t pray for others. Don’t think I’m so holy for doing it. Truth to tell, I don’t do it just for them, I also do it for myself. It’s a way of restoring a right relationship with God and the world, one day at a time. Here are three Bible verses that help me do that:

1) Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. (James 5:16) To share in someone else’s pain is often a chance to acknowledge your own. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in your own misery. If you’re like me you have an inner voice talking to you, offering both self-congratulations and mental flogging. “Why did I do that? Why do I feel this way? Why can’t I be nicer?”

Then I’ll think of someone else who’s going through troubles. Loss, sorrow, sickness, despair. Pray for them. Feel compassion for them. I find that in doing so I can access God’s love for me, feeling God’s compassion for me. “Pray for one another,” as James says, “so that you may be healed.”

2) First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone. (1Timothy 2:1) I find that sending a text or an email, even making a phone call, are perfect adjuncts to intercessory prayer. It’s what a friend used to tell me was “putting shoe leather on prayer.” An action to reinforce a prayer.

I remember what my father used to say when he heard of some trial a friend was facing: “I’ll hold a good thought for you.” Some people will picture the need and use that imagery to make a prayer. For me, feeling the expanse of compassion and understanding where there might have been none is very much the prayer. Holding that good thought.

3) And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends… (Job 42:10) God willing, none of us should have to suffer the way Job did. In quick and monstrous succession, he lost everything: his children, his wealth, his health. All he had left was his life. He might have cried out in anguish, but he did not reject God. Did not curse God.

And after his trials were over, all that he lost was restored, more than restored (although I’ve never understood how the lost children could simply be replaced). But first he had to pray for his friends—friends who had blamed the blameless Job for all his misfortunes.

Like I said, to pray for others is to claim and restore a right relationship with the world and God. In the process, may we never have to suffer as Job did.

30 Ways to Move Forward in Faith

Posted on March 11, 2026April 10, 2026 by Rick Hamlin

Many of us—if not most of us—can find the prospect of daily prayer and meditation daunting. There are so many challenges, not the least of which is our own fears of failure. Fret not. Humility about the process can be your greatest friend. Your own insecurity is fertile ground. All it takes is a seed, that mustard seed. Here are a few ways you can plant those seeds in a 30-day journey of self-nurture and delight.

Day 1: Listen. As a kid I used to wonder how those people in the Bible were able to listen to God. How did they do that? Then I’d hear my mom say, “You have to stop talking all the time and listen to me.” Be quiet. Get silent. Schedule a time when you will get silent with God. Even if it’s just a few minutes. Then throughout the day, notice how the silence rings true.

Day 2: Find a place. God can find you anywhere. But it’s easier to pray if you go back to the same place again and again, making it your holy place, even it’s just an old easy chair or a corner of your bedroom. It’s your sacred space. Choose it. Bless it with a prayer or two. Then sit there—or lie there—and make it your own. All the external stimuli will be your call to worship.

Day 3: Try a word, one word. It might be something from Scripture. God, love, mercy, hope, Jesus, sin, forgiveness. Use it to focus your mind. There’s a lot going on in your head. So much noise. Silence has revealed that to you. The word you choose will be a way to bring you back to the heavenly from your worldly concerns and fears. Find the power in a word.

Day 4: Be in comfortable silence. Loved ones can communicate without saying a word. Just by being in each other’s presence. The same for you. God is present, and you’re making yourself present for God. There might be a thousand thoughts going through your head, but you don’t have to say a thing. The shared silence is a mutual blessing. Think of how much it must mean to God.

Day 5: Notice the distractions. You’ve been doing this for five days now, and it bothers you how easily distracted you are. Not just the noise outside your window but the stuff that flies through your brain. Hear it, see it, notice it. Then let it go. In prayer. If you resist the distraction, it will only get bigger. If you pay attention to it, you can do something about it. Give it over to God.

Day 6: Turn to a Psalm. The Psalms are a rich resource. Too often I find myself simply reading them rather than praying them. Your prayer time is a chance. Take just one line of a psalm and meditate on that. Or make it shorter each time you say it. “Be still and know that I am God.” “Be still and know that I am…” “Be still and know…” Till you get to “Be…” With God.

Day 7: Rejoice in your humility. Jesus tells the story of the publican and the Pharisee, the latter full of self-congratulatory prayers, the publican feeling inadequate, asking for God’s mercy as he approaches the temple. Who does Jesus single out? The latter. “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus said. The poor in spirit. That’s a place where you are much blessed. Go with it.

Day 8: Breathe a prayer. God gave us humans the breath of life. Using your breath in a prayer is a way to re-connect with that. Breathe in the love of God. Breathe out those negative emotions: fear, anger, frustration, worry. Hold on to the love of God with each breath. Then let it go as you let go of those things that get in the way of that love. You can breathe such little prayers all day.

Day 9: Give to others. Let your meditations open you up to the opportunities. A need will pop into your head, a concern, a way to help. A phone call you can make, an email to send, an encouraging word to pass along, a check to write. We express our faith both vertically and horizontally, looking to the heavens and giving to our neighbors. Both are forms of prayer.

Day 10: Let go of the self-criticism. My head can be full of words of self-congratulation and just as full of niggling critiques. Sometimes I wonder if the former is an attempt to make up for the latter. Prayer is an opportunity to reset. If God can forgive me for my failures, why can’t I? We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. As ourselves. “Forgive me, God,” I pray.

Day 11: Praise God. Praise is rich, fulfilling and good for the soul. It’s a chance to give credit and thanks to God for all the good things that have come your way. Come up with five things that you are especially grateful for. Write them down. Hold them in your head. Then praise God. As we used to say at church camp: “Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub, yeah God!’

Day 12: Don’t look at the clock. You might start worrying about how much time this is taking. That yearning to open your eyes and check the clock. To look at your phone. Or your watch. Two options: set a timer to keep track of the time so you don’t have to. And set your phone on “do not disturb” for that time. You’re going into a place beyond time and space. And your phone.

Day 13: Pray through anger. It’s perfectly natural to have moments of anger when you pray. Don’t run away from them. You might replay some perceived injustice—from yesterday or long ago. It might still infuriate you. Don’t bury it. Notice it. Express your anger, even if it might be addressed to God. God can take it. Then experience His infinite forgiveness and love.

Day 14: Keep at it. We often call it the practice of prayer. Practice, the operative word. Sometimes you’ll wonder if you’re getting anywhere, growing at all… It seems like so much work. Why bother? Remind yourself: trying to do it is doing it. In prayer, the trying is the doing. You cannot fail. Practice makes perfect because the practice is perfect.

Day 15: Let your light shine. “You are the light of the world,” Jesus said. Let it shine. No light shines without being hooked up to electricity. Guess what? That’s what you’re doing. Every day. Plugging yourself into the power source. Picture that source. God’s light is there, waiting to illuminate you as you linger in prayer. Plugged in.

Day 16: Pray without ceasing. The Apostle Paul’s admonition to “pray without ceasing” can feel intimidating. How to do that? How to pray in the middle of a busy day? Getting into the habit is what sets you there. The words you use, the powerful silence you have given yourself, can be called upon in little bits and bursts throughout a day. God’s love is without ceasing.

Day 17: Pray for others. “Hold a good thought” is how my father put it. Holding a good thought is enough. More than enough. Your compassion for whatever someone might be going through—a scary surgery, marital troubles, financial losses—is part of that prayer. Your compassion will stay with you long after your prayer time is over. Those good thoughts will be passed along.

Day 18: Change the world. Did you not realize that’s what you’re doing? We change the world by changing ourselves, by growing. Each day of prayer is a step towards that. Picture all the other people who are doing the same thing as you are. Countless souls. We might not see each other or hear each other but God hears all of us. Together.

Day 19: Go for a walk. Go for a prayer walk. Get in touch with the Creator by taking a meditative walk in the Creation. Stare at the sky, the clouds, the trees, the grass. Breathe the air. Don’t listen to a podcast. Don’t make this a time to call a friend. Just walk. And feel the wonder of the Creation. Let yourself be transformed and inspired by that.

Day 20: Acknowledge any pains. You are sitting quietly in a meditative moment—and all at once you can feel that ping in your back, something you’ve been ignoring for a while. For too long. Notice it now. Ask God to be part of your healing. Maybe it’s something you need to see a doctor for. Or a physical therapist. They are collaborators in your healing. With God.

Day 21: Go without words. Can’t even find the words to pray? Not even sure what to put before God? As Paul reminds us, “The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). Being wordless is a powerful place to be when you let the Holy Spirit do the work. That’s what prayer is. Letting God take charge.

Day 22: Notice the noise. Every morning when I sit on the sofa, trying to get quiet, I can hear all sorts of noises. Birds chirping, cars going past, a dog barking, a distant siren. We talked about how distractions can get only bigger if you ignore them. Same with those noises. You hear the birds? Think of what Jesus said about them. Hear that siren? Pray for any souls in distress.

Day 23: Hear the world’s suffering. It can be overwhelming at times. But I’m reminded of how the women who stayed to the end, watching the Crucifixion (how awful that must have been), were the first to see the empty tomb, that sign of the Resurrection. When sadness and mourning interrupts your prayers, know that we worship One who suffered and suffers with us.

Day 24: Repeat your prayers. A concern, a need, a difficulty, a challenge can linger and force us to come back to God over and over again with the same desires, the same request. That’s not bad. Persistence is everything. Be like the importunate widow in Jesus’s parable (Luke 18:1-8). Stick with it. The asking is what brings us to this godly place. Again and again.

Day 25: Lose your life for God. “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it,” Jesus said (Mark 8:35). Losing track of your agenda, your long list of things to do? Good. The list will be there when you’re finished with this time. You’re in the prayerful daily practice of losing yourself.

Day 26: Think about death. You didn’t really want to, but death popped into your head. Your own death. The death of a loved one. The mortality we all face. Take this as an opportunity to make each day count, each day matter. “Make each day your masterpiece,” said legendary basketball coach John Wooden. Facing your mortality is a gift to be found in prayer.

Day 27: Love the Lord your God. The first and greatest commandment, to love the Lord our God “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind…” Luke 10:27). It’s so simple and so great. How do you show someone your love? You spend time with them. You listen to them. You do what they say. You enjoy their presence. Like this.

Day 28: Don’t give up. The pleasures of doing this are never over. As are the challenges. When and if you stumble into what is called the dark night of the soul, know that it’s an opportunity, not a dead end. Because God will reveal what’s beyond that dark night, the sunrise that’s happening already. As you let go of what is finite, you uncover what is eternal. In prayer.

Day 29: Tap a prayer. In your silence, with your eyes closed, you might try this. Using the fingers of one hand, tapping at your heart, tapping at your free hand, tapping at a knee, tapping your cheek. External expressions of an inner prayer. To feel God’s love (the heart), to find your strength (the hand), the let go (the knee), to forgive (turning that other cheek). Quiet expressions.

Day 30: Be bold. As the old expression goes, “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” Be bold in love, be bold in service, be bold in creativity, be bold in prayer. The impossible is only possible with God. That’s what you’re finding out. We are all co-laborers with God. And God can do the most for us when we step out in faith. Make that your prayer.

OUTREACH & PARNTERSHIPS

Shop

Seasonal sale

Spring’s promise begins here

Articles

Featured Article

‘The Star Thrower’ and the Difference You Can Make

Abide

Featured Abide Article

Soundscapes for Restorative Sleep and Mindfulness

4 Prayers to Keep You Healthy

4 Prayers of Hope for the New Year

4 Keys to Guilt-Free Praying

4 Good Reasons to Pray Aloud

4 Emergency Prayers

4 Bible Verses to Help You Cast Out Fear

Community Newsletter

Get More Inspiration Delivered to Your Inbox

3 Ways to Pray for Healing from the Bible

3 Ways to Pray a Prayer of Mortality

3 Prayers That God Answers Immediately

3 Biblical Words to Help You Pray

3 Bible Verses to Help Us Pray for Others

30 Ways to Move Forward in Faith