Prayers for Forgiveness

I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now,
O Lord, please take away all my the iniquities, for I
have acted very foolishly. – 2 Samuel 24:10

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed:
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For You are my praise. – Jeremiah 17:14

Every test that I have experienced is
the kind that normally comes to people.
But God keeps his promise, and He will not
allow me to be tested beyond my power to
remain firm; at the time I am put to the test,
God will give me the strength to endure it, and
so provide me with a way out. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

If I say that I have no sin, I deceive myself,
and the truth is not in me. If I confess my sins, God
is faithful and just to forgive my sins and to cleanse
me from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:8-9

Prayers for Renewal

Incline my heart to Your testimonies,
And not to covetousness. Turn away
my eyes from looking at worthless things,
and revive me in Your way. – Psalm 119:36-37

Direct my steps in Your word, and
let no iniquity have dominion over me. – Psalm 119:133

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties. See
if there is any Wickedness in me, and
lead me in the way everlasting. – Psalm 139:23-24

I should avoid immorality.
Any other sin that I commit does not
affect my body; but when I am guilty of
sexual immorality; I sin against my own body.- 1 Corinthians 6:18

May I be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, may my
requests be made known to God. May God’s peace,
which surpasses all understanding, guard my heart
and mind forever. – Philippians 4:6-7

Prayers for Personal Needs

Jesus please turn Yourself to me, and have
mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring
me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction
and my pain, and forgive all my sins. – Psalm 25:16-18

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my
God; Your spirit is good . Lead me in the
land of uprightness. – Psalm 143:10

Prayers for Others

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for
one another, that your may be healed. the effective,
fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. – James 5:16

Dear Lord,

The days and years have sped so rapidly by, and now I find that not only am I no longer young. I’m past the years called middle age.

I also find that as I continue to grow older, I truly need Your help and stamina to keep me close to Your house of prayer. The Devil would have me think of my aching bones and worn muscles.

It is true that at times I am unable to get out to church, although You know, Lord, how much I really want to come. Yet, I pray that I may not give in to Satan by using my minor aches and pains as excuses to stay home from worship on Sunday and Wednesday nights, opting to follow the easy way by watching TV.

Lord, as I near heaven’s gate, may I be found more and more in prayer. Satan would try to deter me by whispering that I have prayed enough down through the years, and that since I am old, I do not need to spend as much time in that exercise. May I always remember that the Devil is a liar.

Lord, help me also with my Bible reading. You know how Satan tries to make us think that the stories recorded in Your Word are “old hat” by now. I have gone over them time and time again, but I know better than to believe I have learned everything there is to know about them. Take me back to the Book with a new zeal and a renewed ardor.

Help me to keep on serving by being faithful in my Sunday school class, by attending the monthly mission service downtown, by helping in the convalescent home outreach, by writing notes of cheer to others, by keeping myself joyfully active rather than becoming mousy and withdrawn, by being young at heart–even when my body tells me that old age is slowing me down.

Lord, the baits of Satan are a bit different for me now than they were when I was younger. I am no longer tempted by lustful pastimes or superficial pleasures. Yet I am tempted to boredom, even to monotony, and this spills over into my spiritual life.

Can I dare forget that it is still more blessed to give than to receive? Or that giving can be merely a cup of cold water in His name–a smile, a handshake, a call, a greeting card, a right attitude, an encouraging word, a pat on a child’s shoulder, an uplifting word to a teenager, an intercessory prayer. There is still a great deal that I can do of worth.

Lord, my hands are not pretty like they used to be. They are not smooth and muscled like they once were. But they still can clasp another hand in Christ’s love. They can make a pie for someone else. They can pick up a phone to call another person with the note of Christ’s love and encouragement.

Lord, my mind is not always as alert as it once was. But it still recalls past answers to prayer, the wonderful services I have experienced, the memories of bodily healings and spiritual touches from heaven. So remind me to share my faith in Christ with those who are younger. Help me to encourage and lift those who are starting out on the Christian walk.

Lord, I see the teens and remember when I was young. But don’t let me pass the youth by, myself contributing to the generation gap. Instead, help me to put my arm around their shoulders, to whisper in their ears that I am praying for them. It is easy to be critical. But, Lord, I want to love them.

Lord, I need You now as much as I’ve ever needed You. I am growing older. In the short time still allotted to me on earth, please make me more and more like You!

I knelt to pray but not for long.
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.

So I knelt and said a hurried prayer
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done.
My soul could rest at ease.

Now all day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends.
They’d laugh at me I’d fear.

“No time.  No time.  Too much to do.”
That was my constant cry.
No time to give to souls in need.
At last the time to die.

I went before the Lord, I came,
I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands God held a book.
It was the book of life.

God looked into his book and said,
“Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down
But never found the time.”