Welcome to the daily prayer guide for the month of September! Today is Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Morning

Words of praise can be found in the writings of the prophets, too. Pray these words from Isaiah, understanding that Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection usher in “that day.”

Isaiah 12
On that day you will say:
“I will praise You, Lord,
although You were angry with me.
Your anger has turned away,
and You have had compassion on me.
Indeed, God is my salvation;
I will trust Him and not be afraid,
for Yah, the Lord,
is my strength and my song.
He has become my salvation.”
You will joyfully draw water
from the springs of salvation,
and on that day you will say:
“Give thanks to Yahweh; proclaim His name!
Celebrate His works among the peoples.
Declare that His name is exalted.
Sing to Yahweh, for He has done glorious things.
Let this be known throughout the earth.
Cry out and sing, citizen of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel is among you
in His greatness.”

As we usually do, take time to prayerfully consider and confess where sin has crept into your life, but know the cross makes forgiveness possible. Intercede in prayer for others and yourself, something you can continue to do throughout the day.

See if you can take today’s Bible verses and pray around them. Consider each theme, what that theme means to your life, and what all of that inspires you to lift up to God: Jeremiah 10:23-24; Luke 20:45-21:4.

Give yourself a few minutes of silence before resuming your day.

Noon

Pray the Lord’s Prayer, turning each part of it over in your mind before moving to the next. Again, spend a little more time in silence than you have previously. Try using some of the breathing exercises recommended for evening prayer.

Night

We continue with meditative prayer. Again, it may be useful to write down or record in some way the impressions you receive.

Here’s a prayer you can speak out loud, too:

“As the evening settles upon me, keep me mindful of how you control the spinning of the universe—the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars—to the benefit of your glorious creation. May I rest in the embrace of all you have made, at the same time knowing there is so much more. Thank you for your grace, which saves us all and gives us peace. Amen.”

Sleep deeply and peacefully tonight.

Welcome to the daily prayer guide for the month of September! Today is Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Morning

As you might have noticed yesterday, we will be using Scripture a little more heavily to guide us through prayer this week. In many ways, such a choice powerfully enhances our prayer lives. By turning directly to the Bible for guidance when we pray, our prayers are made stronger because they are clearly aligned with the will of God. Let’s again begin by lifting a psalm of praise as a prayer.

Psalm 98
Sing a new song to the Lord,
for He has performed wonders;
His right hand and holy arm
have won Him victory.
The Lord has made His victory known;
He has revealed His righteousness
in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered His love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth
have seen our God’s victory.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth;
be jubilant, shout for joy, and sing.
Sing to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and melodious song.
With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn
shout triumphantly
in the presence of the Lord, our King.

Let the sea and all that fills it,
the world and those who live in it, resound.
Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the mountains shout together for joy
before the Lord,
for He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world righteously
and the peoples fairly.

As we usually do, take time to prayerfully consider and confess where sin has crept into your life, but know the cross makes forgiveness possible. Intercede in prayer for others, something you can continue to do throughout the day. If your church publishes a prayer list online or in a bulletin, now would be a good time to consult that list.

Today’s Bible verses are also prayers. After reading them, consider how you might reconstruct or rephrase them as prayers of your own: John 17; Ephesians 3:16-21.

Give yourself a few minutes of silence before resuming your day.

Noon

Pray the Lord’s Prayer, and spend a little more time in silence than you have previously. How might stilling yourself change the direction of your day?

Night

We continue with meditative prayer. Again, it may be useful to write down or record in some way the impressions you receive.

Here’s a prayer you can speak out loud, too:

“Heavenly Father, Your mercies were new this morning, and they did not fail me through the day. Praise and thanks be to You for being faithful to Your promises and unwavering in Your steadfastness. I am not worthy, Lord, for today I have been unfaithful and have wavered from the past of righteousness. Forgive me for the sake of the bitter suffering and death of my Savior, Jesus Christ.

“As night closes in on me, surround me with Your protective strength and almighty care. Keep me steadfast in my faith, and preserve me unto Your heavenly kingdom. Amen.” ~ Borrowed from “My Prayer Book,” Concordia Publishing House, 1957.

May your dreams resonate with the reality of God.

Welcome to the daily prayer guide for the month of September! Today is Monday, Sept. 19.

Morning

Let’s again use a psalm of praise (Psalm 147):

Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing to our God,
for praise is pleasant and lovely.

The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;
He gathers Israel’s exiled people.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.
Our Lord is great, vast in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The Lord helps the afflicted
but brings the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
play the lyre to our God,
who covers the sky with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
and causes grass to grow on the hills.
He provides the animals with their food,
and the young ravens, what they cry for.

He is not impressed by the strength of a horse;
He does not value the power of a man.
The Lord values those who fear Him,
those who put their hope in His faithful love.

Exalt the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion!
For He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your children within you.
He endows your territory with prosperity;
He satisfies you with the finest wheat.

He sends His command throughout the earth;
His word runs swiftly.
He spreads snow like wool;
He scatters frost like ashes;
He throws His hailstones like crumbs.
Who can withstand His cold?
He sends His word and melts them;
He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.

He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and judgments to Israel.
He has not done this for any nation;
they do not know His judgments.
Hallelujah!

Take time to prayerfully consider and confess your sins, knowing they are forgiven. And again, pray from a global perspective down to a personal perspective.

Today’s Bible verses are also prayers. After reading them, consider how you might reconstruct or rephrase them as prayers of your own: Ephesians 1:17-21; Philippians 1:9-11.

Give yourself a few minutes of silence before resuming your day.

Noon

Pray the Lord’s Prayer.

Let’s also consider another of Paul’s prayers in Scripture: Colossians 1:9-12. And be sure to get in a few minutes of silence before resuming the busy day.

Night

We continue to try to understand and immerse ourselves in meditative prayer, as described earlier. We are hoping to find deep discernment at these times, but don’t worry if you’re not overwhelmed with clarity just yet. It may be helpful to review Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 19. God meets the prophet while he is struggling, and the message from God is pretty straightforward: Keep going.

May your dreams provide you answers, too.