Gifted by the Spirit: Lenten Prayers: 2014
Day 9:
Friday: March 14, 2014
Romans
8:14-17
God of grace, we rejoice that You have
made us your children and that You have given us your Spirit to lead us in
faithfulness. We rejoice that your
Spirit does not make us fearful slaves, but adopted children who are given
voice to call You “Father.” We rejoice
that your Spirit speaks to us and assures us that we are your children so that
we may live boldly in the confidence of your love. Thank You for making us your heirs in all
things, co-inheritors with Christ Jesus our
Brother, Savior, and Friend. May
your Spirit enable us to suffer with Christ and share in Christ’s glory.
Forgive us when we forget who we are, when
we forget that we are yours. Forgive us
when we respond to You like fearful slaves rather than as deeply loved
children. Forgive us when we fail to
trust your Spirit’s guidance and fail to believe the Spirit’s testimony. Forgive us when we refuse to suffer with
Christ and find no joy in Christ’s glory.
Overcome our forgetfulness, our doubt,
fear, and timidity. May your Spirit
assure and energize us beyond our expectations and in spite of our feeble
faith. Amen.
Day 10:
Saturday: March 15, 2014
Romans
8:18-25
Creator God, we rejoice in You. We praise and adore You. We thank You for the work of transformation
that You have begun within us through the presence of your Spirit. We yearn for the completion of your work of
adoption, for we long to be wholly yours.
We long for our bodies to be fully redeemed, so that there is no
disconnect between our desire to serve You and the response of our entire being
in doing so.
Maker of all, we rejoice that your healing
intention is not limited to us, or to a few people, but that You intend to heal
all creation and that You are responsive to the waiting and groaning of creation
that we have barely begun to comprehend.
We rejoice in your redeeming work in our
lives even as we hope for your purpose to be achieved on earth as in
heaven. Amen.
Second
Sunday: March 16, 2014
1
Corinthians 12:1-31
Do you see
something there that you identify as your spiritual gift (or one of your
spiritual gifts)?
If not, what
gift or gifts have you been given?
Which gifts
have been most evident in your life this week?
What
opportunities did you have to utilize those gifts this week?
If you are
unsure about your gifts, in what ways were you able to help others this week?
Which ways
of helping others seemed most true to you?
Day 11:
Monday: March 17, 2014
Romans
8:26-30
God of compassion, we rejoice that You
have not left us to live out our faith alone.
You have not forced us to trust simply in our own initiative, our own
ingenuity, or our own energy. How
graciously You have given us your own Spirit!
We thank You!
Even when we pray your Spirit helps
us. Your Spirit compensates for our
weakness and lack of discernment to make the yearning of our hearts known. You know the condition of our hearts as well,
and your Spirit intercedes for us so that your will may be done in and through
us. We praise You!
Thank You for assuring us of your good
intention and action on our behalf.
Thank You for choosing that our lives would be transformed in the
likeness of Jesus, your Beloved and Obedient One. Thank You for freeing us from our guilt and
preparing us to receive your glory.
We praise You with glad hearts today! Amen.
Day 12:
Tuesday: March 18, 2014
Romans 9:1-5
God of truth, we rejoice in the presence
of your Spirit. We rejoice that when we
speak and act in truth your Spirit confirms the truth in our conscience. We thank You, too, that when we speak and act
in distorted and deceitful ways, your Spirit confronts our conscience with the
true quality of our behavior, convicting us when we sin, guiding us toward responses
that more fully reflect your truth.
God, we thank You that your Spirit speaks
continuously to our spirit through consciences that are becoming more attuned
to your word. Forgive us when we ignore
the Spirit’s voice of guidance and go our own way. Forgive us when we settle for less that the
true and the good for which you have created us.
Enable us to open ourselves more fully,
and remain fully open to your Spirit’s work within our conscience, so that we
may serve You in obedience and delight.
Amen.
Day 13:
Wednesday: March 19, 2014
Romans
13:1-14:7
God our Creator, we rejoice that your
Spirit has bound us together in your love.
We rejoice that your Spirit has given us many gifts with which to
nurture each other and grow together in maturity as we minister to the world
around us.
By your Spirit, give us discernment of the
things that are crucial to our lives together.
Enable us to see clearly where specific obedience is commanded and to
act with patience toward each other in matters where conscience guides us
differently.
Forgive us when we look down on some
brothers and sisters. Forgive us when we
judge one another. Forgive us when we
fail to act in love by acting in ways that undermine the faith of others, cause
them to stumble, and cause good things to be called “evil.”
Enable us to experience the righteousness,
peace and joy the Holy Spirit gives by being sensitive and loving to one
another, even in the midst of disagreement.
Let our first impulse be to please You in all things, to live and die as
yours. Amen.
Day 14:
Thursday: March 20, 2014
Romans
15:7-13
God of hope, we rejoice that in your
wisdom You have invited us to share in the promises of your people, Israel, and
to glorify You for your mercy to us. We
delight to sing your praise! We rejoice
in You with gladness!
We thank You for the peace and joy You
have given us. We thank You for the
presence of your Spirit who fills us so full of hope that hope overflows even
in the midst of circumstances that seem grim and hopeless to others.
We hope for the fullness of your
salvation.
We hope for an end of injustice among us.
We hope for a fuller expression of unity
among us.
We hope for your healing to touch every
dimension of creation.
We hope that your Spirit will continuously
energize and enliven us for robust obedience, witness, and loving service in
the world.
We hope because these things have not been
fully experienced among us and because we trust in your unwavering ability to
bring them to pass.
You are our hope! Always You!
Only You! Amen.
Day 15: Friday: March 21, 2014
Romans
15:14-22
God of all, we rejoice that your Spirit
has empowered the witness of your disciples for many centuries. We thank You for the signs and wonders that
have sometimes accompanied that witness.
We thank You that through your Spirit, people of every nation have
responded to You by believing in Jesus, and have received a share in your
promises to Israel by being purified and set apart as your people for your
purpose.
We rejoice in You, for we have been
beneficiaries of the faithful witness your Spirit energized. We rejoice because we have been included in
the scope of your promise. We rejoice
because your Spirit enables us to do good, gives us knowledge, and guides us as
we teach one another. We rejoice because
your Spirit enables us to tell and re-tell the story of Jesus so that others
might turn to You, share in your abundant blessing, and worship You with
joy. Amen.
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