Have you ever felt stuck in your prayer life?
Sometimes the simplest way to regain momentum is to have a prompt—or a few—you bring to God each day.
Prayer prompts can also help renew your mind with the truth and hope of the gospel (cf. Romans 12:2).
Below are eight prompts (prayers or affirmations) that have bolstered my faith and deepened my joy and intimacy with God. Most days, I aim to recite between one and five of the prompts below. (I’d recommend starting with one.)
May the Lord use these prayers to bless you and deepen your relationship with Him!
~Blake
1. Morning Prayer (John Stott)
Read and pray the following out loud (you may adjust the greeting based on the time of day):
Unto You, O Lord, I offer my heart—promptly and sincerely.
Good morning, Heavenly Father;
Good morning, Lord Jesus;
Good morning, Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I worship you as the creator and sustainer of the universe.
Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world.
Holy Spirit, I worship you, sanctifier of the people of God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence and please you more and more.
Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity—three persons in one God—have mercy upon me. Amen.
2. Daily Affirmations (Richard Lovelace)
We can benefit from deeply fixing in our hearts this fourfold description of what we inherit through faith in the Messiah. At the outset of each day, we should hear God saying the following statements (read aloud):
• You are accepted, because the guilt of sin is covered by the righteousness of Christ;
• You are free from bondage to sin through the power of Jesus in your life;
• You are not alone, but accompanied by the Counselor, the Spirit of the Messiah;
• You are in command, with the freedom to resist and expel the powers of darkness.
3. A Prayer of Recommitment (Handley Moule, Thoughts on Union with Christ)
Affirm what you believe by reading aloud:
I believe on the name of the Son of God.
Therefore I am in Him, having redemption through His blood, and life by His Spirit.
And He is in me, and all fullness is in Him.
To Him I belong, by purchase, conquest, and self-surrender.
To me He belongs, for all my hourly need.
There is no cloud between my Lord and me.
There is no difficulty, inward or outward, which He is not ready to meet in me today.
The Lord is my Keeper. Amen.
4. The Lord’s Prayer
Read and pray the following aloud, expanding on each phrase (examples below):
Our Father, You are in heaven,
hallowed be Your name;
Let Your kingdom come;
Let Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
→ We can benefit from expanding on each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer, coinciding with the needs of the day. For instance:
“Our Father… Thank you for being a Father—one who knows me, loves me, directs me, and protects me. I need your guidance today in [insert situation]. Thank you for being our Father—reminding me that I am not alone, but have brothers and sisters walking with me. Be with my dear friends today, especially [name] and [name] as they [insert circumstance]….”
“Hallowed be your name… Make your name great to me and through me today. May my life praise your name today. May others cherish you more through my presence and love, especially as I go to [insert where you’re going today]…”
“Let your kingdom come… May I demonstrate the attributes of a kingdom citizen today, especially those beatitudes that our Lord outlined in Matthew 5:3–10; that I would be poor in spirit, mourning over evil, displaying meekness, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, having a merciful heart to those around me, living with purity and peace before you and others, and being willing and ready to suffer for righteousness’ sake. May I seek first your kingdom, trusting that you will supply everything else I need. King Jesus, we long for you to come again, to bring a world where righteousness reigns…”
5. Praying the Psalms and Other Scriptures
Read any Psalm (or Bible passage) aloud, and personalize it to your experience. One of my favorite psalms to pray is Psalm 143:6–12:
I stretch out my hands to you;
My soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Answer me quickly, LORD, for my spirit fails.
Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
Let me hear today of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Deliver me from my enemies, O God; I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life!
In your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble.
And in your steadfast love, you will cut off all my enemies.
You will destroy all the adversaries of my soul;
For I am your servant.
Other Psalms I’d recommend praying: Psalm 6, Psalm 8, Psalm 13, Psalm 16, Psalm 23, Psalm 25, Psalm 28, Psalm 42, Psalm 51, Psalm 63, Psalm 69, Psalm 71, Psalm 139, Psalm 145
6. The Apostles’ Creed
Affirm what you believe—and what the Christian Church has affirmed for millennia—by reading aloud:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
7. The Nicene Creed
Affirm what you believe—and what the Christian Church has affirmed for millennia—by reading aloud:
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
8. Two Awesome Book Recommendations (with Prayer Prompts)
- Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship (Jonathan Gibson)
- Daily Liturgy Devotional: 40 Days of Worship and Prayer (Douglas Sean O’Donnell)
Here are three of my other articles related to prayer:
- An Answer to Prayer Even Better than Clarity
- Why Does God Say No to Good Things?
- How to Pray with a Hurting Loved One
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A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of preaching on “Hope for Our Past, Present, and Future,” which feels fitting as we head into the New Year. You can watch or listen to that message HERE.
Blake Glosson (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is an assistant campus pastor at Chapelstreet Church in Geneva, Illinois. He has been published and/or republished or referred by:
- The Gospel Coalition
- Life Bible
- Crosswalk
- Eternal Perspective Ministries (Randy Alcorn)
- Challies.com/Tim Challies (here, here, here, and here)
- Moody Radio (here, here, and here)
- The JOY FM (here and here)
- DashHouse/Darryl Dash (here and here)
- The Aquila Report (here, here, and here)
- ChurchLeaders.com
- Monergism.com
Previously, Blake served as the director of young adults at New Covenant Bible Church in St. Charles, Illinois.
Watch “The Promise of Emmanuel” here.
Read “Why Does God Say No to Good Things?” here.
Watch or listen to more of Blake’s sermons here.
Feel free to drop a comment below with thoughts or questions!