Start with Prayer

250 Prayers for Hope and Strength

Max Lucado

• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9781401606466
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Personal Success

Reinvigorate your prayer life and transform your relationship with God with these simple prayers for every situation and season of life.

Do you find it difficult to turn to prayer when you need it most? Do you have trouble finding the words to capture exactly how you're feeling? Start with Prayer, by pastor and New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado, will give you the tools you need to feel more comfortable when you communicate with God.

When struggles and anxieties come up in our lives, we invite God into our world, watching our fears surface and then depart. But how do we help prayer become a tried-and-true practice in our daily lives? Finding the right words to pray can be challenging, but Max is here to help.

Whether you're learning to pray for the first time or you're hoping to reinvigorate your prayer life, Start with Prayer will change the way you think about your relationship with God.

Pairing timeless scripture with thoughtful prayers, Start with Prayer is a special collection of 250 prayers that will help you develop the strength and hope you need to turn to prayer first in any situation you're facing.

Adapted from Max's series of Pocket Prayers with brand new prayers added, Start with Prayer is divided into categories designed to foster prayers that impact every aspect of life, including prayers centered around:

• Clarity and creativity
• Healing and safety
• Inspiration and encouragement
• Preservation and endurance
• Wisdom and leadership

 

Start with Prayer is a trustworthy resource that you can turn to no matter what season of life you're in right now, reminding you that starting with prayer is always the right answer.

PRAYERS for FRIENDSHIP

36

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:9–11

Father, my relationship with you is the most important one in my life. You matter more than anyone or anything else. But I am tempted to put my earthly relationships before you, God. Forgive me. Remind me to put you first in my life always.

Help me set aside the things of the world that pull me away from you, Lord. Thank you for your Word and for all the ways I hear your voice when I read your holy Word.

Thank you for creating me and wanting a relationship with me.

In your name I pray, amen.

37

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. . . . If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

1 PETER 4:10–11 NIV

Almighty God, I praise you for your good heart toward your children. Even when I fail, your love never does. You are worthy to be praised.

Help me to be mindful of my motives. When I serve others, let it be out of genuine kindness and not selfishness, giving you all the glory. I want to set an example and encourage others toward good works. Help me show my friends true love and humility.

Please be with my friends as they strive to live for you. Help them stir one another toward good things. Let their hearts be focused on you alone.

Thank you that your love for me doesn’t depend on my works but on your grace alone. Thank you for my friends, who remind me with their wisdom and joy of your many blessings. I’m so grateful we can work together and bring you glory.

In your holy and precious Son’s name, amen.

38

He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

PROVERBS 13:20

Almighty God, you sent your Son as an example of love, holiness, and wisdom. I praise you for that.

Help me reflect your love and embrace the wisdom you offer. I ask you to bring healthy friendships into my life and to protect me from relationships that would pull me away from you.

Bring positive influences into the lives of my friends. Equip them to sharpen one another to become more like you every day.

Thank you for caring about every aspect of my life, especially the people in it. And thank you for continuing to open doors to relationships that honor you.

In the name of Jesus, amen.

39

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

1 CORINTHIANS 15:33

Heavenly Father, I praise you for your constant involvement in my life. You never fail to meet all my needs and to lead me in truth.

I need discernment today regarding the friendships I allow in my life. Give me wisdom to know which relationships to embrace and which ones to pass by.

I ask you to guide my friends in this too. Protect them from negative influences that might draw them away from your presence.

Thank you for being a constant friend. Even in temporary seasons of loneliness, you’re with me. I’m so grateful for your presence when other relationships are in transition.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

40

He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 NIV

Dear Lord, you alone are worthy. You’re the only one who can meet me exactly where I am. Your grace is all I truly need.

Some days I struggle to embrace that truth even though I believe it. I need help holding on to you when circumstances try to convince me otherwise. Give me wisdom to understand your power, grace, and provision in the days they feel out of reach.

Help my friends recognize your provision even in the hard times. Let them always sense your presence, support, and love. Pour your grace into their lives, and make them strong.

Thank you for always meeting my needs, just as your Word promises. On the days when my patience runs thin and my heart breaks, your grace is still enough to cover all the messes of life.

In the name of your powerful Son, Jesus, amen.

41

I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

ACTS 20:32

Dear Father God, I praise you for who you are. You are generous and compassionate to your children.

Some days I feel lost and unsure. Help me go to your Word and understand its truth. Use your Word to build me up and strengthen me every day.

Prompt my friends to read your Word and to commit it to memory so they will always have access to your promises. Give them a desire to study the Bible together and to strengthen one another with your instructions.

Thank you for the Bible. Thank you for the friendships that encourage me to be a student of the Word and to be committed to you.

In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.

42

Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.

PROVERBS 15:22 NLT

Father God, I praise you for who you are and what you mean to me. You are so good in all your ways, and your Word tells me that you are my wonderful Counselor.

I ask you for wisdom today. Let it flow out of me and into my friendships. Help me not only to seek wise counsel but also to heed it.

Please guide my friends on their journeys today. Help them seek you always. Let their paths be made straight and sure.

Thank you for being a constant presence in my life. Your advice is trustworthy, and I can rest in it, realizing you want the best for me. I am grateful for friends who encourage me with your wisdom and truth.

In your Son’s name I pray, amen.

43

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

ECCLESIASTES 4:9–10 NLT

Gracious Father, every good and perfect gift comes from you, especially the friendships you’ve given me. I praise you for your attention to every detail of my life, including relationships.

I want to be strong for my friends when they go through trials and storms. Help me pick them up and point them toward you in every situation. Enable me to laugh with them as they rejoice and cry beside them as they struggle.

My friends have been such blessings to me. I ask that you give them strength for their days, whatever season they’re in, and guard their steps. If they falter, don’t let them fall.

Thank you for the gift of friendship. I’m so grateful for the joy and companionship my friends bring. You never fail to provide just what I need—like people who draw me closer to you.

In your gracious name, amen.

44

Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.

PROVERBS 27:9

Dear Lord, your presence is like a sweet perfume drifting over my life. I praise you for your goodness and provision! You are worthy to be praised.

I ask you t...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Clarity and Creativity
• Conviction
• Courage
• Friendship
• Grace and Forgiveness
• Guidance
• Healing and Safety
• Home and Family
• Inspiration and Encouragement
• Integrity
• Love and Marriage
• My Future
• Parenthood
• Patience and Balance
• Peace and Protection
• Perseverance and Endurance
• Relationship with God
• Rest
• Wisdom and Leadership