366 Prayers for All Seasons

By Herbert Crawford

The world in which we are living now is certainly different from the world of say forty years ago. Life has become so busy for all of us, and as a result, the things we once held dear such as the family, sharing, and caring have become things of the past.

Families the world over are going through difficult and challenging times. The divorce rate has never been so high, and many children suffer as a result of broken families and relationships.

The pressures of life force many to commit crimes and become involved with the use and misuse of drugs and alcohol and as a result many people find themselves in prisons. Technology has taken over from face-to-face communication and many find it difficult to cope without it.

Diseases and other chronic illnesses have been attacking millions of people and many are dying because there is no cure for some. Unfortunately, the world has been experiencing one of if not the worst pandemic ever, and thousands of lives have been snatched away and millions infected, leaving many families in a state of shock and depression.

These prayers were written to bring some comfort and assurance to those who are going through the various seasons in their lives and to declare that no matter what the issues are, God is in control of everything.

If you are experiencing sickness, separation, being incarcerated, loss of jobs, loss of property, family issues, concerns for children and young people, seeking a companion or for just giving thanks to God for prosperity, this book of prayers is the ideal book for you.

I trust that as you read this book of prayers, you will find it a blessing to you and your families and trust that you will pass from simply reading these prayers to praying. It is my hope that through these prayers, you will be led to make prayer a daily part of your lives and that the Lord will receive all the praise and glory.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098099107

Book preview

Love Is the Answer

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering forbearing one another in love.

—Ephesians 4:2

Our gracious and most loving Heavenly Father, we pause to give You thanks for this the first day of a new year. We thank You, Father, for all the many blessings You bestowed on all of us and for the way You demonstrated Your ever-abiding love for us.

Thank You for giving to the world Your greatest gift—Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Because of Your unconditional love for us, You did not keep Jesus for Yourself alone, but rather You gave Him to the entire world.

Lord, we know that You want us to love others even as You have loved us and has given us the best of all that You possess. We pray that in this new year, You will enable us to love others including our families, friends, neighbors, strangers, and even our enemies as we have never loved before.

Help us to really try our best to make this new year the most loving and forgiving year so that the world will be a better place where all people can live in unity, peace, and love, because love is truly the answer to all our problems. May Your love continue to abide in our hearts, and may we Your people demonstrate in our daily lives, the love that You really want us to have for others.

Amen.

Thanks for Another Chance

I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you, I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

—Ezekiel 36:26

Lord Jesus, as we have entered another new year, we want to thank You for having given us a second chance to be reborn in You again and to leave our old selves behind.

Father God, help us to abandon all the things that we did that caused much pain and hurt to others and to seek to live a more balanced and Christ-like life in which we demonstrate more love and compassion rather than hatred and bitterness toward others.

The past year, Father, has found us falling short because we failed to have lived up to our Christian values and as such our lives did not reflect the love and compassion of Christ to those around us. Please help us, Dear Father, to make amends for all our shortcomings and thank You for giving us a second chance to do so.

May this new year, Lord, be a year of jubilee for all those who serve and worship You. May we learn to forgive others even as we seek their forgiveness, and may we demonstrate that we are Christians by the love we show to each and every one with whom we come in contact.

Amen.

For a Fruitful Year

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

—John 15:5

Everlasting Father God, we have just started another year and the months seem to be passing by so quickly. This year has already had its share of tragedies and natural disasters, including earthquakes, failed economies, terrorism, as well as the deadly diseases, which have infected and affected the lives of thousands of people the world over.

Lord, despite all these events, we thank You for all the good things that are taking place and for the successes and triumphs of peoples the world over. More and more people continue to find jobs, economies are booming and there is the optimism that the world is a much better place in which to live now, due to advancement in science and technology.

We pray, Lord, that this year will be a very fruitful one for all the countries of the world in one way or another. May there be an outright effort, Lord, for the rich to help the poor and the strong to help the weak and we pray that poverty will become a thing of the past for many.

We commit to You, Father God, all the leaders of the world and grant them the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding they need to lead and to govern wisely so that all of humanity will have an abundant and productive year.

Amen.

God’s Loving-Kindness

Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean and in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You.

—Psalm 143:8

Lord, we thank You that Your love for us is new every morning. Thank You for having brought us safely through another night and for having spared our lives to see this bright and beautiful day, which You have made, and for which we are glad and rejoice for this moment in time.

We thank You, Father, for Your loving-kindness and tender mercies and for the bountiful blessings You have poured down upon us, Your unworthy children. Thank You, Father, that Your love for us spans all time and eternity and we are secured being with You.

Help us we pray, Heavenly Father, to share the blessings You have blessed us with especially with those who are less fortunate than we are and who feel unloved and uncared for. Teach us, O Father, to love others too, even as You have first loved us.

In the same way You have loved us, Father, and have given to us more than we can manage, help us never to hesitate in helping those who are really desperately in need of love and the basic necessities of life. Cause us, Lord, to know the way wherein we should walk as we lift up our innermost being to You.

Amen.

Holding Us Together

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

—Colossians 3:14

Father, we thank You for holding us together today. Thank You that when we needed You most You were always there for us. For Your love and mercy, we thank You, Lord, and we pray that You will help us to develop a daily prayer regime so that we can be drawn closer to You.

You know, Lord, that we are not always consistent in our prayer life and we thank You for not holding it against us and for continuing to intervene on our behalf. You are indeed a special Father who is forgiving and merciful and for all that You do for us we want to thank You.

Thank You for loving us even when we disobey You and for doing things our way. Help us, Lord, to trust and love You more and more and to endeavor always to love You with all our heart, soul, and mind. We ask You to challenge us, Father, to live our lives in such a way that all that we do will be pleasing in Your sight.

Thank You for being a great, loving, and awesome Father who is always willing to forgive and to restore us to a loving relationship with You. We love You, Lord, and we ask that You continue to hold us close to You so that we may never stray far away from You.

Amen.

Loving Others

Love one another with brotherly affection (as members of one family), giving precedence and showing honor to one another.

—Romans 12:10

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your deep love toward us, Your people. We thank You for sending Your only Son, Jesus Christ our Savior to suffer on the cross for our sake. Lord, may You help us to love one another even as You first loved us.

Lord, we know that we do not warrant Your love for us and yet You have lavished on us Your unconditional love, grace, and mercy to set us free. Thank You, Father, that through Jesus we can have full access to You because You and Your Son are one.

We know, Lord, that You require us Your unworthy children to love others even as You have loved us, but our love for others has been poor and sometimes unkind and is far removed from all that You desire of us. Forgive us, Lord, for having failed You so many times and help us to make amends for all the wrongs we have done.

Fill us we pray, Lord, with the love of Jesus so that we may love others in the same way that Jesus loves us so that as Your love is poured into our very being, we may be used as conduits for Jesus’s love to flow out to those with whom we come in contact.

Amen.

Intimate Love

How beautiful is your love, my sister, my (promised) bride! How much better is your love than wine! And the fragrance of your ointments than all spices!

—Song of Solomon 4:10

Dear Father, thank You for the gift of marriage and for husbands and wives. We know, Father, that You have given to us the marriage relationship to enjoy but also to refine us. May You, Lord, pour out Your blessings on all those who are married and continue to bind them together.

Help us, Dear Lord, that as husbands and wives we would so love one another especially through the hard seasons, the challenges, the trials, the many temptations and tensions that we will encounter throughout our relationships.

Father, we pray that Your power will lift us up and may Your Holy Spirit, our Comforter, guide and give us the self-control and the love to lavish on our spouses. Help us, Father, that when challenges arise, love will always prevail.

Give us, Lord, eyes to see when each other is hurting and the love and compassion to comfort each other. As husbands and wives, we pray that You will fill our lives with peace and joy regardless of the circumstances. Father God, may Your will be done, and may we glorify Your name always.

Amen.

Love Is the Greatest

And so, faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

—1 Corinthians 13:13

Loving and Living Heavenly Father, we thank You that the greatest thing You have given to us in life is the ability to love. You have taught us not only to love You first and foremost but also to love others even as we love ourselves.

We realize, Father, that we have not always loved others as we should. We have acted unkind, harsh, and unloving to others even to our own flesh and blood. We are sorry, Father, for all the hurt we may have caused to others and we ask You to forgive us and cleanse us from all our sinfulness.

Help us, Dear Lord, that as we journey through this new year we will rediscover once again what it really means to love. We know so often we say that we love but our actions are so far, far away from how we should truly demonstrate our love in action and in deed.

Forgive us, Lord, for the times when we have been insensitive to the needs of others by just turning a blind eye and pretending that we do not know about the needs and sufferings of those who live in the very community and neighborhood in which we live.

May we learn from You how to love others even as You have shown us to. Thank You for Your great love for us. You sent Your only Son to live with us and show us how to love. He gave His very life for us and resurrected on that third day so that we could also be with You in eternity.

Amen.

Love Matters

Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.

—1 Peter 4:8

Most Holy and Righteous Father, You who forgive us of all our sins and iniquities, we thank You for Your never unfailing love for us despite our multitude of sins. Thank You for still loving us even when we sin so much against You.

We know, Lord, that oftentimes we have castigated others for their dirty habits and attitudes when we ourselves are very guilty of the same things. We oftentimes try to cover up our sins by masking them and pretending that we are better and more righteous than others. Forgive us, Father, because our sin is weighing us down.

Help us, Father, to recognize that we all have sinned and have fallen short and we need to repent and to seek Your forgiveness. Your word beckons us to have intense and unfailing love for one another but instead we exhibit hatred and bitterness toward others causing hurt, pain and injury to them.

If we truly and sincerely love others as we ought to, then we will begin to look beyond the faults and failures of others and to love them even as You have commanded us to. Your love indeed is the greatest love of all and we should never fail in extending that love to others.

Amen.

Be Joyful Always

Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer.

—Romans 12:12

Father, we thank You for all the lessons You have taught us on how to be strong and joyful in this life. Thank You for the lives of those early Christians who lived joyful and meaningful lives by even rejoicing during times of great trials and tribulations. Help us to learn from their examples and be bold enough to stand up and defend the cause of Christ.

You have commanded us to be joyful always, but You do not expect us to be able to figure out how to attain or retain that joy ourselves. We thank You, Lord, for giving to us Your Son Jesus to show us what it means to live a joy filled life. Thank You, Father, for the blessed examples He left us to follow.

Loving Jesus, our lives without You would be dull and dreary and devoid of the joy that only You alone can provide us. Help us, Father, to turn to You always, no matter what the situations might be, and to seek Your joy at all times.

May our lives be patterned after that of Christ so that the joy that we exude from day to day will in turn impact the lives of others. Help us, Father, that others will see Jesus being reflected in our lives and may their lives be touched in a positive way.

Amen.

Rejoice in the Lord

The Lord Your God is in the midst of You, a mighty One, a Savior! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest and in His love He will be silent and make no mention; He will exult over you with singing.

—Zephaniah 3:17

Heavenly Father, there is certainly nothing that affects our lives more than how we think about You. The more we read about You in Your Holy Word is the more we understand why You alone are worthy to be praised, adored, and magnified. You will ever be the Lord of our lives all the years You will allow us to be on earth.

We thank You, Lord, for the joy You give to us as You rule the world with love and righteousness. It really gives us peace and hope, even when everything seems to be so hopeless. Thank You, Father, that You hate the sins that we commit and the wicked things that we do, but You still love us as Your children.

Lord, we thank You for caring about our joy and as our joy is refreshed and increased, may it be the very thing we need for doing justly, loving mercy, and walking in humility with You and our fellow men. May Your gladness encourage us when we grow weary in doing good and when we are tempted to throw in the towel.

Grant us today, Lord, the desire to keep on laboring for You because we know that our labors will not be in vain. Your throne will last forever and ever, Your kingdom will never end, and Your joy will always be with us in this life and the next.

Amen.

Overcoming Adversity

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

—James 1:2–3

Our Father, we know that while we are on this earth, we realize adversities will come our way. We ask You, Father, to help us to rest in You as we acknowledge that You are always in control. You have promised that no one will be able to pluck us from You because You have formed a hedge around us to protect us.

Lord, help us to have the joy and peace in our lives so that we will be able to endure any storm or adversity in confidence knowing that we will come out stronger for it. May we remain steadfast in our faith and depend on Your divine guidance to see us through any situation that will overwhelm us.

Help us, Father, not to focus too much on our adversities but rather to focus more directly on You, because You are always in control of our lives and all that we do. Heavenly Father, we know that You will never give us more than we can bear so help us to keep on trusting You no matter what.

Thank You for the encouragement given to us through Your holy word, in that the testing of our faith develops perseverance, which enables us to face all the trials, tribulations, and challenges we usually face in this life.

Amen.

Real Joy in the Lord

For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may endure for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

—Psalm 30:5

Loving Father, we pray that You will fill us with the joy of the Lord, which is so overwhelming. To experience Your joy is unlike anything this world has to offer. Thank You that we can always rely on You and be assured that the joy of the Lord is truly our strength.

Your joy brings us a sense of peace, trust, hope, and confidence and with that we have nothing to worry about, because we know that You are in total control. Gracious Lord, we thank You for the assurance You give to us time and time again that You will never leave us nor forsake us.

Thank You, Lord, for the reminder Nehemiah 8:10 gives to us that the joy of the Lord is our strength and because You are our strength, we know that in our times of weakness You do make us strong. Father, please help us to keep leaning on You and not on our own understanding.

Help us, Dear Lord, to lift up our eyes to the hills because we know that our joy and peace comes from You and You alone. Give us the confidence, Father, to always seek after You because true joy comes only from following and serving You.

Amen.

Joyful Shouts

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me. At His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

—Psalm 27:6

Heavenly Father, You know how depressed we can become after making certain life-changing decisions that often give us the feeling of not having any direction or calling in our lives. Thank You, Father, that You are our compass and if we follow You, we will never stray from Your presence.

Lord, many times we have sought You, but somehow, we cannot feel Your presence nor Your leading as to what path to take or next steps to take. We pray, Father, that when we are feeling this way, You will reveal Yourself to us through Your Holy Spirit who is our Comforter and Friend.

Dear Lord, we want to grow stronger in You and we ask You to fulfill Your purpose in us and through us in order to experience the joy that You give to all those who put their faith and trust in You. We know, Lord, that You will always be there for us and so we ask You to strengthen our faith in You.

Father, please give us the breakthrough we need and the desire to gain Your wisdom for what we need to do next in our lives. Give us the foresight and insights into how we can be drawn closer to You as we seek to experience Your peace and joy. Thank You, Lord, for all that You are going to do for us this year and beyond.

Amen.

God’s Peace in Troublesome Times

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night, even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you."

—Psalm 139:11–12

Loving Lord and Heavenly Father, we thank You for the joy and peace You give to those who trust in You. Today, Lord, we lift up those who are going through difficult and trying times of feeling lonely or discouraged. May they learn to hold on to You, Father, knowing that You will come to their rescue.

Father God, we pray that Your love would fill the hearts of all those who are suffering and that Your peace would flood their inner being and that they may be filled and overflowing with the joy and peace that only You can give. Help us, Dear Lord, to always put our hope and faith in You.

Help those who are really suffering across the world, Lord, to enter into a deeper dependence on You and to be drawn into a closer relationship with You, Our Father. Lord, there is no other on whom we can call in times of distress and trouble, but You.

We pray, God, that Your peace, which passes all understanding, will guard their hearts and their minds and that they would find abundant joy and peace in You, knowing that the joy of the Lord is indeed our strength and only You alone, Lord, can fill us.

Amen.

God Our Refuge

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

—Psalm 46:1

Heavenly Father, we rejoice in Your great wisdom and strength and thank You for being an ever-present help in times of need and distress. We thank you, Father, that we do not have to worry even when we are going through difficult and challenging times because You have promised to be with us through it all.

We ask You, Lord God, that You would send us out in this new year with a joyful expectation of what You are going to accomplish through each of us and we ask that You would remain dear and close to each and every one who call upon Your name.

Lord, we ask that You would bless and keep us as we draw closer to You and to Jesus Your Son. Fill our hearts with love and joy and keep us rejoicing in You and in the power of Your might so that we will be strengthened and equipped to do Your will.

Draw us closer to You, Lord, day-by-day as You are indeed the joy of our salvation. Father, let nothing separate us from Your love and help us to remain steadfast in our faith so that we can overcome all the hurdles that may be in our way. Thank You for really being our refuge and strength at all times.

Amen.

The Joy of Relationship

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

—1 Peter 4:8

Thank You, Lord, for the joy of companionship and thank You that You have placed dear friends and Christian companions in each of our lives—and what a joy it is to meet and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We thank You also, Lord, that we have such a wonderful, faithful friend in Jesus—who is our never-failing companion and who has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Thank You that He is with us in every season of life and will never fail us nor turn His back on us even during those times when we are forgetful or foolish.

Thank You, Father, for the daily comfort and precious companionship of the One who will never let us down and who has proven time and time again His faithfulness to all those who call upon Him. We are certainly blessed, Father, to have Jesus as our friend and companion.

Thank You that in Christ we have received newness of life and have become a new creation in Him. We thank You, Lord, for the friend we have in Jesus and for all the joys He brings to our lives. May we learn to continually praise and adore Him forever and ever.

Amen.

Time with the Lord

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

—Matthew 18:20

Most Loving and Righteous Father, we, Your humble children, thank You for this time, which we have spent together, and we pray that Your joy and peace would be upon us and all those whom we love. Grant us, Heavenly Father, that we would be filled and over flowing with Your Holy Spirit during this time together.

Thank You, Lord, that where two or three of us are gathered together in Your name to glorify and adore You, You are right in the midst of us and so we pray that the time spent together with You would be productive and honoring to Your name.

We ask, Father God, that You would enable us to increase our love for one another and for You and