Dear Lord,
Be close to us, Father.
I come to you right now and ask for prayer for my friend…
For the one who is paralyzed with a daunting decision.
For the one who desperately wants to know the future, but cannot see past the fog of tomorrow.
For the one who is crippled by debt and financial concerns.
For the one struggling with deep fear.
For the one starting something brand new, terrified of messing up.
For the one who is scared to let others down and fearful to disappoint You.
For the one who is overwhelmed with the chaos of the current season.
For the one who wonders when things will ever feel “normal” again.
For my friend who wants peace but cannot imagine what that would even feel like…
Be close to us, Father.
Light the path.
Take our anxious hearts in Your hands and bring calm.
You are the God who sees us– help us to know that. You know every single detail of our lives, Lord– from the number of hairs on our head to the deepest longings of our hearts. And You are the God who loves us with a deep, wide, everlasting, unconditional love. Be close to us, Father.
Help us to breathe deep the incense of Your presence with us, in the midst of the unknowns and the fear.
Increase our trust in you, God. Help us to know in our minds and our hearts that You are a good father and a gentle shepherd. Help us to believe that You will make the way clear, and that You want our best.
Be close to us, Father.
Light the path.
Lord, when we cannot seem to move in any direction because we don’t know the right decision, help us to remember to take things one step at a time. Help us to reflect on something small and manageable right in front of us, rather than fixating on the whole big picture.
When we cannot see through the fog, help us to cling to You; be our guide. Light the path, one step at a time.
Lord, when we don’t know how we will pay the bills or pay off the debt or provide for the big things right over the horizon, help us to trust and know that You are our provider. Help us to remember, Lord, your faithfulness. Remind us what we can control for now, and in the meantime, be close to us.
When fear is loud and daunting, quiet our racing thoughts of the unknowns and our imagination of the “what ifs.” Strip away the layers of fear built around our hearts, and bring us to a place of resting in Your protection. You are our shield. Lord, let Your Truth be the loudest thing, over the enemy’s lies and our deepest insecurities and the fears that threaten to overtake our sanity. God, quiet our racing thoughts and bring peace.
Help us to remember that You care for us. Wash Your peace over us, from the tops of our heads to the tips of our toes, and to every aching part in between.
Breathe Your peace into our exhausted bodies, tired minds, and these weary hearts. Lavish Your love on your sweet child.
Be close to us. Light the path.
Lord, when we cannot see the goodness in the midst of the hard, train our eyes to see You. You are good, even when we’ve lost sight of that. Lord, we ask Your guidance in seeking out the blessings, focusing on the gifts, and noticing the sweet moments that are from You. Be close to us.
Father, more than anything else, show us how we can glorify and praise You, even in the midst of our pain and anxiety. Bring us closer to You, and remind us that You are close to the broken-hearted. We love You Lord.
Amen.
Some additional resources to encourage you today:
Psalm 34 (v. 18 is my favorite: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”)
When you just don’t know how to ‘be still’
Stand firm when your life is in chaos
Learning to let go of shame spirals and self-condemnation
Printable Scripture cards- “11 Powerful Truths for when the lies get loud”
*NEW: The Peaceful Playlist (20 songs chosen by me, just for you. Open up this free Spotify playlist on those hard days.)
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P.S. Special thanks to Ben White of the Unsplash community for the photo to accompany this post.
