God, sometimes when we’re feeling frustrated with life, we find ourselves asking, “What’s the point?! Does anything I do really matter?” And I think you answer us and say, “None of it matters and all of it matters.” The things that we toil at and pour our own blood, sweat and tears into usually have no eternal value. It’s only when we work at it with a heart of worship that our daily work has Kingdom value. God, fill our hearts with a renewed passion for you and to see the world around us as you see it. Let the things that matter to you burn in our hearts and give us the courage to give the rest of it to you in obedience. Worry is an act of vanity. Give us courage to give it all to you, God. This world is not our home. Some day soon, we’ll all be dancing with you, Jesus, and our bills, our illness, and our drama will all be things of the past, but until then, we choose to walk in joy and peace, and to dance with you anyway! Hallelujah!

God, from the very beginning, you set us as humans about tending your creation. Thank you for giving each and every one of us work to do. We may not have the job that we want, but we will continue to be about your business. Everything we do, we will do as though we are working directly for you (Colossians 3:22-24). After all, God, we are yours. You purchased us with your blood, Jesus. Thank you for the jobs that you have given those of us who are employed, and for those who are searching for work, we thank you for the work that you do give us, be it work around the house or helping around church. Even in our job search, Lord, we only want you to be glorified. We trust you, Father. We love you!

Lord, we sometimes find ourselves walking through life with kind of an “I got this,” kind of attitude. Or we think that we’re on our own. The truth is, on our own, we’re lost. We have sinned, and the penalty is death; eternal separation from you (Romans 6:23). But that doesn’t mean that the conviction we feel needs to be a crushing guilt complex that hangs heavy around our necks. We are free! Jesus, you set us free from sin! You have given us the free gift of salvation! You didn’t die for us with the expectation that we would wallow in guilt and condemnation for the rest of our lives. You died so that we can have an abundant life (John 10:10)! You died so that we, your followers, can lead changed lives of confidence, power, and love. You are so good, God! It is so good to be free!

Lord, we lift up this prayer request from Jilian:

Lord, we want to live our lives in the Word. To us, the Bible is not just a rule book, but your living word. We want it to soak in deep into our hearts and to exude through our pores. We want the light that your word brings to us to emanate from our being. This can only happen if we make you and your word the center of our lives. God, we want to fall in love all over again with you and your word. Holy Spirit, bring scriptures to our minds throughout the day. Speak to us through scripture, Lord. We want to start thinking in terms of your word and not in terms of the word of the world which is selfish logic. We want Kingdom logic to be our brains’ new operating system. Transform and renew our minds with your word, God. Thank you, Lord. We love you.

Father, just as you breathed life into us in the very beginning, we want every word that we utter to be filled with the life of your word; the life that your love brings to our spirits. Lord, let our words be edifying to even non-believers. Let them be drawn to us because we speak truth and freedom into them. Let hope spring up from the seeds of life that are in our words, and let our words, which are really your words, Holy Spirit, bring about the salvation of our lost brothers and sisters! Thank you, Father, for your breath of life! We love you.

Father, some of us are hurting right now, while others are in a really good place in life. Whatever our circumstances, God, we call out to you and say that you are good and faithful. Thank you for the power of prayer. The world thinks of prayer as a feeble, last-ditch effort when all else has failed. But we know better, Lord. You are our source. You give us joy and provide for our needs. You have a plan for our life- YOU, almighty God! So, why would we do anything but call out to you for help, and to give you thanks for everything in our lives. It’s not by our power that we succeed, and it’s not by medicine alone that we are healed. It’s you, God! There is no one like you! We love you, Lord.

Lord, you are not against people being wealthy. You are against people who mistreat people in order to gain wealth. Fill our storehouses, God, so that we can be a financial blessing to those around us. Prepare us for wealthy by giving us more and more opportunities to be obedient in the little things. Test our hearts, God, and reveal any greed or any inclination that we would put our faith in money or in our own abilities before you. If you find those things, Lord, change us and mold us into people who will always trust you above all else and who will always put your will and your glory first. Protect our heart. Don’t let financial wealth cause us to stumble and become spiritually impoverished.

God, we pray that you would be glorified in the Occupy movement across the world. There are people on both sides of the issue that desperately need you. There are rich oppressors that have enraged their workers. There are people who are out of work that are desperate in just about every sense of the word. There are people who are tied up in fear so tightly that they can barely breathe. There are people that are just angry at life and are using these protests as a means of expressing that anger. God, we just ask that you be God. You are sovereign over Wall Street. The government is on your shoulders (Isaiah 9:6), Jesus. Be glorified, God!

Thank you. We love you, Lord.

Would all the gold in the world really satisfy you, or is there a deeper need...something that only God can satisfy?

Lord, we don’t want to deceive ourselves into thinking that just because we hear a word that speaks to us that we’re conforming to your will. Make us courageous doers of your word, Lord. Give us ears to hear and the spiritual chutzpa to live out your word, no matter what those around us may think of us. Jesus, you are the ultimate example of this. The Father spoke your destiny into your heart and you were obedient to the very end. That’s our goal! We want to be just like you, Jesus, and we will be audacious in our obedience of your word – no matter what. No matter what our feelings “think” of our actions, we will obey. We may stumble along the way. We may do things that have outcomes that don’t make sense even to us, but the important thing is that our faith will grow and grow and grow. We hear your voice. Your holy written Word is alive and speaks to our hearts. We will listen, and we will do, God. Thank you. We love you!

Father, in 2 Chronicles 1, we see that when you approached Solomon and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you,” he responded in a selfless way, thinking only of others and of how to glorify you. We want that same humble desire to be at the core of each and every one of us. Give us a hunger, Holy Spirit, to live lives of worship. Give us sincere selflessness and humility. We want to honor you with each breath and to glorify your name with every step. Thank you for filling us with your all-consuming love, God. We receive it. We need it because your love is what gives us our identity and direction in life. When we have allowed your love to consume us, we see our calling: to share your love with everyone around us, and in doing to, be a blessing to you. Thank you, Lord. We love you!

Lord, as Kawika Cornelius of Freedom and Joy Ministries would say, “Thank you for the finished work of the Cross.” Thank you for our new identity in you! Holy Spirit, reveal to us the “old yeast” that is in us that is preventing us from entering into our true identity in Christ. It is finished! You made the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus, and you defeated death and sin! God, here we come. We’re running to you; running to the battle line. We are courageous in you. We are mighty in your power. We have authority in your name. We are soldiers in Christ, sons and daughters of the most high. Sin has no hold on us but what we give it in our lives. We receive your freedom, Father. Thank you, Jesus. We love you!