May these prayers encourage you to know God is present in your struggle and wants to hear from you. May they encourage you to rest from the pressure of wanting to know it all and say it all, resting in the Lord who does know all and who hears each prayer, whether we think we’ve prayed it well or not. And may these prayers comfort you with one simple, profound truth about who God is and how he meets you in each struggle.
February 17, 2025
A Prayer for Those Stuck in Introspection
O Lord, whose love is based not on my righteousness but on your own, quiet my incessant, obsessive introspection and turn my eyes outward and upward, that by gazing at you I may find rest in your works, rather than anxiously scrutinizing my own. In the name of the One who is my all-sufficient merit. Amen.
February 17, 2025
A Prayer for Those Afraid of Separation from God
O Lord, who loves his people with a steadfast love, comfort my heart now with the truth that neither uncertainty nor lack of assurance, nor anxiety nor intrusive thoughts, nor obsessions nor compulsions, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from your love in Christ Jesus. In the name of the God who keeps his covenant. Amen.
February 17, 2025
A Prayer for Those Afraid of Apostasy
O Lord, you who promise to keep your people, I am afraid of slipping—whether through the willful chasing of sin or the slow backsliding of daily decisions. Make me ever more aware of your firm grip and steady strength, which is true even in my greatest weakness and inability. In the name of the One who will not lose any of his own. Amen.
February 17, 2025
A Prayer Before Taking Communion
O Lord, you who made this meal before me, I am afraid that I come unworthy and thus will eat and drink condemnation on myself. Give me the courage to partake of this meal, not because I’ve earned it but because it was your body broken and your blood poured out. In the name of the One who alone prepares the meal and invites us to feast. Amen.
February 17, 2025
A Prayer When Obsessing Over a Theological Question
O Lord, whose ways are unsearchable, remind me that I am finite and a creature. Even though I do not know the answer to this question, I know you, and you are infinitely trustworthy. You do not require me to have all the answers, but only to follow you; help me do so humbly and trustingly. In the name of the One who alone is all-knowing. Amen.
February 17, 2025
A Prayer for Daily Bread
O Lord, whose power is made known in my weakness, teach me the goodness of daily bread, sustaining me through today’s trials. Though I ultimately desire relief from my sufferings, may I find your strength sweeter when my weakness is loud. In the name of the One who is better than any relief or cure. Amen.
February 17, 2025
A Prayer for When the Suffering Is Long
O Lord, you who are acquainted with grief, encourage my faint heart when the suffering is long, that I may take courage in your presence in it, cherishing how it makes me like you rather than only seeking relief. In the name of the Man of Sorrows himself. Amen.
February 17, 2025
A Prayer When Comparing Your Story with Another’s Story
O Lord, you who are the author of many diverse stories, help me not look at another’s life and wish it were mine, but rather embrace what you have given me—all its joys and trials, knowing you have given to each person what they are called to bear. In the name of the One who makes every story beautiful by its proximity to you. Amen.
Grace Abounding in OCD 