Almighty God,

You changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning ‘father of many,’ and promised him an enduring lineage for all time. Abraham had great faith in the covenant You made with him and was a righteous man, walking the path You set before him and giving glory to You. Jesus fulfilled the covenant You made with our ancestors in the faith, showing righteousness to all and giving glory to You, His Father.

LORD, how can this be an example for us? After all, we aren’t perfect like Jesus, and sometimes our faith is unsteady in the face of challenges. Please help us push through our doubts and questions, knowing You provide the answers in Scripture and through the Holy Spirit. Help us remember Your promises and listen for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

In Jesus’ name. AMEN.


Rev. Julie Wright

Most Glorious God,

We who love you praise your name in this moment and for all eternity. God, your glory manifests in your love for us, and we desire to draw closer to you. Please help us during this Lenten season to train our hearts and minds to remove the obstacles we place between us. We who struggle with sin seek to emulate your holiness, and then we catch glimpses of your glory. Those moments fill us with peace and cause our hearts to well up with your love. Empower us to turn to you every moment of every day and be delivered from our weakness.

Lord, speak to us so we can know which way to turn. Sometimes, our desires and the path forward are not clear. We know you desire to bless us. Please help us to see you are active in our lives. Enable us to put our faith in you. Let us recognize your voice in the scriptures we read. Let us realize that the eternal truths you communicate to us apply to all generations. Please give us the courage to put your eternal truths into practice with all humility.

Lord, once we come to trust in you, empower us to publicly proclaim your true identity to the whole world. Your church is built on this expression of faith. We hope to proclaim your glory loudly through our words and actions. Give us the clarity of mind and heart to see who you are, and encourage us by the power of your Holy Spirit to set our path toward reflecting your righteousness into the world.

In Jesus Christ’s name, we pray, Amen.


Rev. Geoff Beakley

Loving God,

You are gracious and kind to everyone. You desire to bless and not curse humankind.

Today, we are reminded that we cannot earn Your favor. You have loved us from the very beginning, and You desire for us to love You. There is nothing we can do to earn Your approval and blessings. Our right relationship with You is not dependent upon our deeds but upon Your grace.

Lead us, O Lord, to follow Your guidance, not to earn Your approval but because we know that is what puts us in right relationship with You. Even as Abraham believed You, trusted You, and followed the path as You led him, so help us follow faithfully. Help us to discover where You are leading and to follow knowing that we can trust You.

Where You lead us, O Lord, we will follow, for we know that You will go with us all the way!

This prayer is offered in the loving and powerful name of Jesus, Amen.


Rev. Jamie Jenkins

Loving God,

We praise you for we know your grace is abundant and your love is never failing. We acknowledge we are sinful and fall short of your glory all too often. Forgive us, O God. Free us for joyful obedience as we seek to do no harm, to do good, and to love you faithfully.

Help us this day as we read these words from one of our familiar hymns find courage and strength to live as forgiving and loving people.

Amen.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
All who are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!*

*Grace Greater Than Our Sin, Julia H. Johnston (1910)

Rev. Elizabeth Byrd

Dear God,

Sometimes, our lives feel so heavy. We feel the burden of our day’s work and the work of our days, and it seems like our faith is tested at every turn. Meet us today in our weary place(s), God. Remind us of who you are, what you have done, and what you will do on our behalf. When we don’t even know what to say as we pray, search our spirits, and hear our every groan. Redeem us, just as you have done for our ancestors in the faith. Show us your wonders anew. We trust that you are mighty to save.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Rev. Josh Miles

Gracious and Loving God,

We give thanks that we can rely on your grace and goodness. With
everything going on in this world and in our lives, we desperately need you. We turn on the TV only to hear reports of destruction and war. The scenes are filled with graphic, horrifying images. Then, we have to decide: are we drawn into watching the suffering of others, or do we turn the TV off? We pick up the newspaper, log in to our computers, only to see more tragic stories, more sadness, more hurting, more despair. Do we skip the article, gaze past the horror, divert our attention to happier, lighter topics, perhaps a funny meme?

Gracious and Loving God,

All the suffering is simply too much. It is terrible and confounding. Inevitably, we decide the problems are too great; the suffering is too deep, the solutions are too amorphous. We wring our hands in despair. The world’s ubiquitous problems are compounded by our own suffering — our first-hand suffering…the difficulties we endure in our own lives. We are distraught. Bad news from the doctor, insecure finances, paralyzing loneliness, broken relationships… It’s all too much. Where are you, God, in all of this suffering? We need you. We utterly and completely yearn for your assurances and promises to be true.

Gracious and Loving God,

Deep in our hearts and souls, we earnestly believe that you love us with a love more abundant and powerful than our human minds can comprehend or imagine. You have given us so much. You have given us life and all that is precious and worthwhile. You have given us people to love who, in turn, love us, which engenders a precious sense of belonging. Help us to see it, feel it, lean into it, as our salve while suffering continues to abound.

Gracious and Loving God,

We must confess that we don’t entirely understand why you don’t make all the trauma and hurt magically disappear. We can’t imagine a world where no suffering exists, despite hoping and praying that the day will come when all of us, in every facet and corner of this world, will one day be made whole — suffering will cease to exist. So, Precious God, we pray for guidance in mending this world. We pray to be a part of ending tragedy and suffering. We long to be catalysts for healing and peace. As we turn to you, strengthen our faith and our resolve that we may rest our weary souls in the hope of your assurances and promises that one day, all will be at peace, suffering will be no more, all will be made whole by your amazing grace and healing love.

In Your Holy Name We Pray, Amen

Rev. Mace Hall

Holy and Loving God,

We confess that we hate to wait, especially when we are uncomfortable. We cry out to you for help when we are facing uncertainty, but when you call us to wait, we sometimes begin to doubt. Forgive us, we pray. Help us to remember how much you have done for us in the past, even before we knew our need for your grace. While we were yet sinners, your love found a way to save us through your Son, Jesus Christ. Your love is trustworthy and true. You never let us down. Remind us to count our many blessings and give you thanks. We know our failings. We know our limitations. You have proven over and over that your wisdom brings life from whatever it is that threatens to undo us. You are more powerful than anything of this world. Give us patience as we wait on you and courage to face this day and its challenges, trusting you to guide us safely through.

In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Rev. Leslie Watkins

Gracious God,

We give you thanks that you remember your promises. You are not a God who makes promises and forgets them, but throughout your word, we are reminded that you are a promise maker and a promise keeper. Forgive us for the times that we fail to remember your faithfulness and all the ways that you provide for us. Help us remember that we can trust in you because you have shown us time and time again that there is nothing you won’t do to keep your promises to us.

In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Rev. Daniel Ogle

Gracious and Loving God,

We lift up our hearts in praise to You. Remember us this day and every day in Your constant love and mercy. Show us Your paths and guide our steps so that we may follow You in faith and obedience. Strengthen our resolve even as You soften our spirit so that we may learn and accept Your teaching with humility and trust. Keep us from imposing our own presumptions on Your will. In the words of the psalmist, remind us, and those who lead us, that all Your ways are marked by steadfast love and faithfulness.

As we begin our Lenten journey to the Cross, we give thanks for Your Son who was sent to offer forgiveness for our sins against You and Your kingdom. During this season of introspection and reflection draw us into the tender yet firm awareness that in naming our transgressions in acknowledging our failings, we need not conceal ourselves in fear or shame. For You pardon our guilt as uttered in our sincere confession. You invite us to lay down the burden of our sins so that we may walk with You in confident assurance that You are our God and we are Your children.

Through the Holy Spirit, may we continue to grow in the likeness of Christ. As we have been forgiven, let us, too, forgive one another. Let our thoughts and actions testify to Your never-ending goodness—the source of our hope, whatever we may face.

In Jesus’ holy and precious name we pray, Amen.

Rev. Darren Hensley