Sunday Morning Prayers

Sunday Morning Prayers 2022

May 26

Today, I pray your heart will be tethered to the truth of who God is. 

It’s easy to get distracted on who you perceive God to be based on your circumstances. But, he is who he is. Period. 

Are you walking through a hard season? Are you weary? Are you lonely? Are you angry? 

Take a moment to remember and tell God who you know him to be- even if it’s said through some unbelief or doubts or clenched fists. 

Let remember God together and be encouraged. God, you are:
Faithful
Wise
Good
Powerful
All-knowing

Patient.
 
My friend, take these truths and wrap them around and around and around your heart.
 
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3 NASB

May 22

Are you weary? Overwhelmed? Feeling blah? I pray that you will step into God’s strength today. 


Be careful not to get fixated on all the things you haven’t done or needs to be done. Be careful not to start the start the day with a sense of insufficiency. 

I haven’t done this…
I’ve got to do that…
Oh boy, I’ve put it off for weeks. I’m a loser. 

Instead, step into your church today in confidence and sufficiency because God the mighty warrior is with you. Flip the mental narrative to: 


I haven’t done this…but it will get done at some point.
I’ve got to do that…and maybe it’s not that important for me to do.
I’ve put that off for weeks…Lord, give me your strength. Help me get it done today.

Remember…you are not alone. You are not wimpy. You are empowered by God whose strength never runs out.

 
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. Zephaniah‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

May 15

I pray that you will stand firm in your gospel identity today and not allow someone else’s rude or opinionated words or sideways glance to tell you who you are. 


You are not who someone says you are. You are not who you think others perceive you to be. 

You are everything you need to be – beautiful, broken, messy, and unique – because Jesus says so. 

Can you receive and rest in that, sweet sister? 

Freedom waits for you there. 
 
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians‬ ‭3:17-19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

May 8

Today, I pray that you will be able to shake off any awkward conversations you’ve had. 


Lets face it…awkward conversations are inevitable especially with the amount of talking that you do and people you interact with. Sometimes, they don’t go very well. 

You aren’t the only one. 

I pray you won’t beat yourself up for laughing too loud or saying something that was confusing. 

I pray that you won’t obsess about saying too much or saying too little. You can’t always be “on.”

Breath. Shake it off. We all have stories of awkwardness. 

Jesus is bigger than your feeble words and loves you more than any spot on performance. 
 
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:58‬ ‭NIV

May 1

This Sunday morning, I’m praying that you will be able to step outside of the give-to-get mentality and sink into God’s grace. 

I can very quickly:
 
  • give a smile to get admiration. 
  • give a word of encouragement to get a kind word back. 
  • give a prayer to get spiritual platform. 
 
And especially with our husbands in positions of leadership, I feel it from others. Some people can:
 
  • give a conversation to get a social position.
  • give advice to get power.
  • give a kind word to get information.
 
Goodness, hard but true. We all can get caught up in it. I sure do.
 
Not today. Today, I pray you won’t be impacted by someone else’s give-to-get-ness… or even your own. 
 
I’m so grateful that God doesn’t operate with this give-to-get mentality. Instead, he sees you, loves you, listens to you because of who he is not for what you give to him or what he can get from you. Sink into God’s grace.
“His love for you is never a result of your character; it is a clear demonstration of his.” (New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp, April 21)
 
May we be rooted in Jesus, strong and stable, while we weave in and out of the brokenness in our churches today. He is the one that we serve. 
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives IN HIM, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7

April 24

Today, I pray that you will have an overwhelming sense of being deeply loved by God.
 
In ministry, it’s easy to feel like your value is in what you do FOR God. I often find value in that. But, God values you simply for you being you. He loves you despite what you do for him. He loves you in your brokenness, in your weakness, and in your not-enough. Soak that up.
 
And so we know and rely on the LOVE God has for us. God is love. 1 John 4:16
 
You are loved.
 
The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

April 17

Happy Easter Morning! God is at work! What a privilege it is to gather together and worship him!
 
I pray that you feel strengthened and satisfied today. It may have been A WEEK for you! You may feel weary and tired and dissatisfied. I get it. Me, too. As you hear the songs this morning, may the truths wash over you and water your thirsty heart. May they be just what you need to hear.
It’s easy as ministry wives to always look outward:
 
who needs to be encouraged,
who needs help,
who needs someone to sit with,
who needs a casserole this week,
who needs prayer.
 
It may feel uncomfortable or selfish to look inward to what you need from others and from God. But, it’s ok. Let’s face it: you need things, too. We all do. It’s ok to sit in the service and ask God to teach you something, to move in your heart, to satisfy your needs. It’s ok to cry out to him those burdens and wounds you bear. It’s ok to cry tears of grief, doubt, joy, and gratefulness. After all, we can only serve others from the resource and love we’ve received from God.
 
Take some time this morning to approach the throne of your Father God, the risen Christ, and open up your heart to him.
 
The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

April 10

I pray for you this morning, sister, for your eyes to see all that God IS doing in your church.
 
It’s easy to get fixated (and become dissatisfied) with everything that needs to be fixed/changed (especially when you are married to the man whose job is to fix and change things). It’s also easy to only see what God isn’t doing. But on this day as you walk into your church, ask him to give you eyes to see his activity and movement. Go on a secret treasure hunt today and find 3 evidences of God’s activity.
 
He is always working. Broken people can’t thwart his plan or ruin his work. He is bigger.
 
Jesus said to them, My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working. John 5:17 NIV

April 3

This morning, I’m praying that you will not bear the burden of thinking you are called to be all things to all people.
 
I’ve carried this burden at various points in ministry and have worn many hats for many people as: friend, mother, babysitter, accountability partner, truth teller, teacher, encourager, confidant.
 
But listen, sister. You don’t have to be all things to all people. You just can’t be. Let that go. Don’t fill the space that only God can fill in someone else’s life. Step into God’s strength and assignment for you for this day. Be committed to saying yes when he asks and go when he says to go. Be obedient for today. Our job is to love others, point others to him, and let him do the work. He is the one who holds all things together.
 
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17 NIV

March 27

I’m praying for you today to own what only you need to own.
 
So much of ministry is helping people with their problems: listening, praying, following-up, sharing scripture, and getting into their messy lives. BUT…you aren’t responsible to fix them, to change them, to pull them out of their junk. The final result is not dependent on you. Yes, be sensitive to the Spirit and go when he says go. Say what he says to say. But, don’t carry more than what you need to. You can’t be someone’s Holy Spirit, and you don’t have the power to change them. Only God does, and he is the best at what he does.
 
Rest in that, sweet sister.
 
[Oh and this verse which puts the full responsibility of the one in a pit on how they got there in the first place. To me, this isn’t mean. Instead, it’s a relief that the person who is struggling in the only one who can choose to make a life change, to get/receive help.]
 
Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. Psalm 7:15

March 20

I recently came across this verse:
 
I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. Isaiah 42:6-7
 
Isn’t that such a sweet picture of the Lord? He will “take hold of your hand.”
Whenever my husband takes hold of my hand at church or the mall or walking down the street, it means something to me. I feel chosen. I feel loved. I feel taken care of. I feel protected. I don’t feel alone. I am confident that he is with me.
So today on this Sunday, the Lord takes hold of your hand:
…as you get your kids to church alone.
…as you walk into the doors of your church.
…as you teach your Sunday School class or bible study or keep the nursery or play the piano or sit on the front row or smile and meet people.
…as you feed your family and get in your comfy clothes for the day.
…as you love and encourage your husband.
 
The Lord takes hold of your hand. I pray for you today to feel that love and support from your heavenly Father who loves you dearly and gives you strength.

March 13

It’s easy to get swept up in the B U S Y of life and ministry. It’s easy to turn on the “autopilot” and just do “the thing.” Then, the next. Then, the next. In all the busy, I can quickly draw my confidence from what I do. But that is flimsy ground. As a follower of Jesus and a daughter of the King when your confidence grows from him, the roots go deep because he is strong, love, peace, powerful, gracious, and joy. We can stand in confidence because of the the confidence we have with him.
 
So when you walk through the doors of your church today, don’t shrink back in insecurity, questioning who you are in Jesus. Believe he is who he says he is and you are who he says you are. Hold your head high. Lean into his spirit and love others from the deep well of his love for you.
 
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be rightly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Hebrews 10:35-36

March 6

I love that God is always working, always growing, always moving! Do you need to be reminded this morning that He is powerful and engaged in your life, your community, and in your church?
 
  • Sit in the truth that God works wonders and will overcome.
  • Fix your eyes on him and not on the complexities of relationships within your church.
  • Be infused with his constant love for you as his child instead of your position in ministry. He loves you regardless of what you do for him.
I will bow down towards your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your constant love and truth…On the day I called, you answered me; you increased strength within me. Psalm 138:2-3
 
Sit in that this morning, sister. You are loved, strengthen, and empowered by the Lord. Period. No strings attached.

February 27

This is another Sunday. Another Sunday to go to God’s house and worship him. What a privilege! But…it could also be another Sunday that you go through the motions. Get dressed. Put on the face. The smile. The Christian talk and position. It’s so easy to do. I’ve done it a bazillion times.
 
Today, I pray for your mushy heart. For your heart to open up to God’s word and to hear his truth preached with a fresh, receptive, just-for-you interest. As you sit with Bible in lap and eyes to the stage, may your sweet heart seek an audience of ONE: the very One who loves you completely, with no strings attached.
 
My heart says of you, “Seek His face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Psalm 27:8

February 20

Today, I’m praying for you and how you see yourself. As you step into your church family, be careful not to look around and evaluate yourself based on other people or your perception of what others might be thinking:
 
  • Why did she ignore me in the hallway? I guess I’m expendable to her. 
  • What was that face? I must have made her mad (or my minister-husband did). 
  • She’s more put together than I am. How can her hair always look so good?
  • I wish I could be more outgoing like her. I feel so mousy. She seems to be so admired. 
  • I wish I was softer and more gracious. I’m so loud and I don’t know if others know how to handle me.
Please rest by knowing that God has created and gifted you exactly how you need to be. Settle into that. Allow him to shape and mold you as he sees fit. Lean into the truth that God knows what he is doing, and he is perfect at doing what he does.
 
Each one would use whatever gift he has received to serve other, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10-11

February 13

I’m praying for you this morning as you step into another Sunday carrying all the things that you carry. You are not alone. You don’t need to do this in your own strength. God tells us to go and he will help us to speak and teach us what to say. Even in the mess. Invite him in.
 
Now go, I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. Exodus 4:12

February 6

As you get ready today to step into your church and into the lives of messy people, remember that what YOU do matters. Even if you are met with disregard or disinterest. Stand firm. Give yourself fully to the work of the Lord. We do it for him. He is working. You are loved.
 
Therefore, my dear bothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

January 30

I’m praying this scripture over you today, sweet ministry wife, as you step into the broken, messy, loved-by-God people in your church.
 
Help me, O God my Savior, for the glory of your name. Psalm 79:9
 
Sure, you can put on a smile and go through the motions in your own strength. You’ve done it before. And, it’s exhausting.
But today, I encourage you to invite God in. Before you step foot into your church building,
  • Ask him to help you see people as he sees them and to love them as he loves. 
  • Ask him to help you serve others for “the glory of his name.” Not for your name or your husband’s reputation but for his name and glory. 
When we readjust our sights to the very reason why we do ministry in the first place, we take the pressure off ourselves to make it all happen. His glory. His name. His power and strength. Thank you for loving Jesus.

January 23

Praying for you today, sweet ministry wife, as you wake up and get yourself ready for church. As you smile and love and stand with your man. As you listen and serve and bite your tongue and lean into Jesus. May you feel refreshed by God’s truth.