Bob Hostetler
As the dawn
mists
over the horizon
and the sun
closes
its evening shade,
it's with such
certainty
I know
You are always near.
(by June Cotner Graves, in the book Bedside Prayers, San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1997).
Prayer of W. H. Aitken
Bob Hostetler
Lord, take my lips and speak through them;
take my mind and think through it;
take my heart and set it on fire.
Amen.
Lord, take my lips and speak through them;
take my mind and think through it;
take my heart and set it on fire.
Amen.
Shine Your Light
Bob Hostetler
Lord, shine your light into my confusion.
Please show me what I need to see.
Save me from suspicion or misunderstanding,
and let me see with your eyes,
let me read whatever message you want me to read,
and make me discerning beyond my ability or insight,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Lord, shine your light into my confusion.
Please show me what I need to see.
Save me from suspicion or misunderstanding,
and let me see with your eyes,
let me read whatever message you want me to read,
and make me discerning beyond my ability or insight,
in Jesus' name, amen.
My Psalm 43
Bob Hostetler
Stick up for me, O God,
and be my hero, my defender,
from deceitful,
or unjust,
or ignorant people.
You are my safe place,
the One I run to for protection;
though sometimes you seem oblivious to my needs,
I know (on my best days)
that I don’t need to be afraid of my enemy.
Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me into your presence,
and into the mountain of your holiness.
Let me bow before you
as a priest at your altar,
God my exceeding joy.
Let me praise you with beautiful music,
O God, my God.
Moods will come and go, Lord,
but let me never be cast down in my heart
like those who have no hope.
I hope in you, Lord God;
I find renewal in praising you,
my salvation and my God.
Stick up for me, O God,
and be my hero, my defender,
from deceitful,
or unjust,
or ignorant people.
You are my safe place,
the One I run to for protection;
though sometimes you seem oblivious to my needs,
I know (on my best days)
that I don’t need to be afraid of my enemy.
Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me into your presence,
and into the mountain of your holiness.
Let me bow before you
as a priest at your altar,
God my exceeding joy.
Let me praise you with beautiful music,
O God, my God.
Moods will come and go, Lord,
but let me never be cast down in my heart
like those who have no hope.
I hope in you, Lord God;
I find renewal in praising you,
my salvation and my God.
I Fast
Bob Hostetler
Lord, I fast.
I fast to submit my will to yours.
I fast to tell you I acknowledge your primacy, your preeminence.
I fast to demonstrate--to myself, I suppose, more than you--
that there are things I value more than food,
more than my body,
more than myself,
and today (and for the duration of this fast)
I fast to intercede for the marriages of my friends and flock.
You know, Lord, how desperate and deep is our need.
You know we need not just one miracle, but many,
miracle upon miracle.
I know you hate divorce.
I know that, apart from you, our condition is hopeless.
So I fast to say, "Maranatha," come quickly, Lord Jesus;
come to our assistance, and make haste to help us, in Jesus' name, amen.
Lord, I fast.
I fast to submit my will to yours.
I fast to tell you I acknowledge your primacy, your preeminence.
I fast to demonstrate--to myself, I suppose, more than you--
that there are things I value more than food,
more than my body,
more than myself,
and today (and for the duration of this fast)
I fast to intercede for the marriages of my friends and flock.
You know, Lord, how desperate and deep is our need.
You know we need not just one miracle, but many,
miracle upon miracle.
I know you hate divorce.
I know that, apart from you, our condition is hopeless.
So I fast to say, "Maranatha," come quickly, Lord Jesus;
come to our assistance, and make haste to help us, in Jesus' name, amen.
Seek You
Bob Hostetler
God, you are my God,
and I seek you this morning;
let my prayers rise before you
like the morning sacrifice.
Please grant that I may seek you wholeheartedly,
which I confess I do not now.
Grant that I may seek you only,
which I do not now.
Grant that I may seek you moment-by-moment,
consistently, and constantly,
which I do not now,
for I confess my need of you
constantly and completely and only,
in Jesus' name, amen.
God, you are my God,
and I seek you this morning;
let my prayers rise before you
like the morning sacrifice.
Please grant that I may seek you wholeheartedly,
which I confess I do not now.
Grant that I may seek you only,
which I do not now.
Grant that I may seek you moment-by-moment,
consistently, and constantly,
which I do not now,
for I confess my need of you
constantly and completely and only,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Willing to Be Made Willing
Bob Hostetler
Lord God, I confess that I am not often willing
to make you my all, to seek you first...
but I am willing to be made willing.
Please, Father, transform me to seek you first,
to content myself in you,
to make you my all,
to concentrate my hopes,
desires,
aims,
and aspirations,
on you,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Lord God, I confess that I am not often willing
to make you my all, to seek you first...
but I am willing to be made willing.
Please, Father, transform me to seek you first,
to content myself in you,
to make you my all,
to concentrate my hopes,
desires,
aims,
and aspirations,
on you,
in Jesus' name, amen.
In this New Year, 2007
Lord God Adonai,
in this new year, 2007, I pray,
give me grace to experience more of you,
to learn your ways,
to drink more deeply of your presence and power.
Make me more fully your man,
increase my devotion to you,
make me more prayerful still,
and more a man of your Word.
Please give me victory over the sin of faithlessness,
that habitually leads me to lust, gluttony, worry, and stress.
Please help me to walk through 2007 in faith,
calmly and confidently seeking you
and trusting you,
making wise decisions,
holding on to the right things,
letting go of the right things,
delegating the right things,
ignoring the right things,
taking a stand on the right things,
and giving in on the right things.
Help me to care, and not to care.
Please make 2007 a year of blessing for Robin,
a year in which she more fully owns and believes
in her own beauty, intelligence, and capability.
Please grant her success in her studies;
honor and empower her plans to finish classes in December,
and please set in motion the machinery
that will open to her a multitude of first-job options after graduation.
Prosper the work of her hands and mind and heart, Lord.
Please help us to pay our debts,
and avoid new ones.
Help us this year to live within our means,
and to do better than that once Robin graduates.
Continue to draw my children to you
with cords of lovingkindness.
Please let 2007 be a year in which
a fresh and powerful passion for you is ignited
within Aaron and Aubrey, Nina, and Kevin.
Please bring my first grandchild safely into this world.
Please enable Aaron and Nina to buy a home this year.
Please give Aaron and Aubrey both new jobs,
jobs that fulfill their dreams and “float their boats.”
Provide for Nina as the baby’s arrival approaches;
provide work for Aaron that makes a lengthy—even permanent—
maternity leave possible for Nina.
Prosper my children financially,
and may their souls prosper and be in health
even as I also ask you to keep their bodies healthy.
Please make 2007 truly a year of breaking new ground for Cobblestone.
Please help us early in the year to structure for effectiveness and efficiency
as we go through the rest of the year.
Please bring together the financing,
the construction,
and everything else in such a way
that we will once again say, in late 2007 or early 2008,
when we occupy “The Loft,”
“Wow! Look what God has done.”
While all that is going on, Lord,
please keep us focused on pleasing you,
worshiping you wholeheartedly,
reaching out effectively,
loving people into life-changing encounters with God.
Make Cobblestone, as a church,
and me as a leader,
more like what we say we are.
For my writing, Lord, I hardly know what to pray.
If it pleases you for me to keep writing,
then prosper that part of my ministry.
Bring to me projects that please you;
please grant that I may stop writing for money in 2007,
and reject all projects that fail to capture my imagination
and reflect your will.
You have been so kind and so gracious to me, Father.
Please keep me (and mine) as the apple of your eye,
and hide us all under the shadow of your wings,
in Jesus’ name, amen.
in this new year, 2007, I pray,
give me grace to experience more of you,
to learn your ways,
to drink more deeply of your presence and power.
Make me more fully your man,
increase my devotion to you,
make me more prayerful still,
and more a man of your Word.
Please give me victory over the sin of faithlessness,
that habitually leads me to lust, gluttony, worry, and stress.
Please help me to walk through 2007 in faith,
calmly and confidently seeking you
and trusting you,
making wise decisions,
holding on to the right things,
letting go of the right things,
delegating the right things,
ignoring the right things,
taking a stand on the right things,
and giving in on the right things.
Help me to care, and not to care.
Please make 2007 a year of blessing for Robin,
a year in which she more fully owns and believes
in her own beauty, intelligence, and capability.
Please grant her success in her studies;
honor and empower her plans to finish classes in December,
and please set in motion the machinery
that will open to her a multitude of first-job options after graduation.
Prosper the work of her hands and mind and heart, Lord.
Please help us to pay our debts,
and avoid new ones.
Help us this year to live within our means,
and to do better than that once Robin graduates.
Continue to draw my children to you
with cords of lovingkindness.
Please let 2007 be a year in which
a fresh and powerful passion for you is ignited
within Aaron and Aubrey, Nina, and Kevin.
Please bring my first grandchild safely into this world.
Please enable Aaron and Nina to buy a home this year.
Please give Aaron and Aubrey both new jobs,
jobs that fulfill their dreams and “float their boats.”
Provide for Nina as the baby’s arrival approaches;
provide work for Aaron that makes a lengthy—even permanent—
maternity leave possible for Nina.
Prosper my children financially,
and may their souls prosper and be in health
even as I also ask you to keep their bodies healthy.
Please make 2007 truly a year of breaking new ground for Cobblestone.
Please help us early in the year to structure for effectiveness and efficiency
as we go through the rest of the year.
Please bring together the financing,
the construction,
and everything else in such a way
that we will once again say, in late 2007 or early 2008,
when we occupy “The Loft,”
“Wow! Look what God has done.”
While all that is going on, Lord,
please keep us focused on pleasing you,
worshiping you wholeheartedly,
reaching out effectively,
loving people into life-changing encounters with God.
Make Cobblestone, as a church,
and me as a leader,
more like what we say we are.
For my writing, Lord, I hardly know what to pray.
If it pleases you for me to keep writing,
then prosper that part of my ministry.
Bring to me projects that please you;
please grant that I may stop writing for money in 2007,
and reject all projects that fail to capture my imagination
and reflect your will.
You have been so kind and so gracious to me, Father.
Please keep me (and mine) as the apple of your eye,
and hide us all under the shadow of your wings,
in Jesus’ name, amen.
From the Apple of Your Eye
Bob Hostetler
Abba, one prayer (among others) that I have prayed
roughly 365 times in 2006:
Keep me as the apple of your eye,
and hide me under the shadow of your wings.
Hallelujah, Lord! You have answered.
In spite of my frequent waywardness,
my stubbornness,
my habitual insensitivity to you,
you have answered;
you keep me as the apple of your eye,
you have hid me under the shadow of your wings.
Thank you, faithful God,
Abba Father,
thank you, in Jesus' name, amen.
Abba, one prayer (among others) that I have prayed
roughly 365 times in 2006:
Keep me as the apple of your eye,
and hide me under the shadow of your wings.
Hallelujah, Lord! You have answered.
In spite of my frequent waywardness,
my stubbornness,
my habitual insensitivity to you,
you have answered;
you keep me as the apple of your eye,
you have hid me under the shadow of your wings.
Thank you, faithful God,
Abba Father,
thank you, in Jesus' name, amen.
Give Me Yourself
Bob Hostetler
God, give me yourself--nothing less
than your salvation,
your holiness,
your mercy,
your kindness,
your magnanimity,
your love,
your goodness,
your purity,
your integrity,
your grace,
your glory will do for me.
I confess, Lord, that I sin,
and in so doing
I say that you are not enough for me,
that you can't be trusted,
that I must have something other than you...
but that's a lie,
and I beg your forgiveness for how often I tell it,
in Jesus' name, amen.
God, give me yourself--nothing less
than your salvation,
your holiness,
your mercy,
your kindness,
your magnanimity,
your love,
your goodness,
your purity,
your integrity,
your grace,
your glory will do for me.
I confess, Lord, that I sin,
and in so doing
I say that you are not enough for me,
that you can't be trusted,
that I must have something other than you...
but that's a lie,
and I beg your forgiveness for how often I tell it,
in Jesus' name, amen.
My Psalm 42
Like a deer panting for streams of water,
so my soul yearns for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for you, my God, living God, Abba Father.
I long to plunge into you,
to thrust my head into the cool waters of your presence.
Tears are my diet, Lord,
while those around me are ignoring you
and doubting you.
But I pour out my soul to you,
remembering better days,
chapels filled with your praises,
concert halls filled with shouts of joy and thanksgiving,
prayer meetings that touched angels' wings.
Why do I get so downcast?
Why am I so easily disturbed?
My hope is in you, God,
no less than ever.
You are my Savior and my God.
When my spirits spiral downward,
point my memory to your victories,
to the wonderful places you've taken me, Lord.
Let your "deep" reach into my depths,
thunder in my heart like a mighty waterfall,
sweep over me like waves and breakers of the sea.
By day, LORD, you send your love to me,
at night your song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
God my Rock, I know you have not forgotten me.
I know you will not let my enemies triumph over me.
Whatever momentary agony I suffer,
whatever taunts I endure,
whatever doubts surround me,
I put my hope in you, God,
and I will praise you,
with my shouts,
with my songs,
with my whispers,
with my silence,
my Savior and my God.
so my soul yearns for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for you, my God, living God, Abba Father.
I long to plunge into you,
to thrust my head into the cool waters of your presence.
Tears are my diet, Lord,
while those around me are ignoring you
and doubting you.
But I pour out my soul to you,
remembering better days,
chapels filled with your praises,
concert halls filled with shouts of joy and thanksgiving,
prayer meetings that touched angels' wings.
Why do I get so downcast?
Why am I so easily disturbed?
My hope is in you, God,
no less than ever.
You are my Savior and my God.
When my spirits spiral downward,
point my memory to your victories,
to the wonderful places you've taken me, Lord.
Let your "deep" reach into my depths,
thunder in my heart like a mighty waterfall,
sweep over me like waves and breakers of the sea.
By day, LORD, you send your love to me,
at night your song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
God my Rock, I know you have not forgotten me.
I know you will not let my enemies triumph over me.
Whatever momentary agony I suffer,
whatever taunts I endure,
whatever doubts surround me,
I put my hope in you, God,
and I will praise you,
with my shouts,
with my songs,
with my whispers,
with my silence,
my Savior and my God.
Praise and Petition
Bob Hostetler
To God be glory;
to the angels honor;
to Satan confusion;
to the cross reverence;
to the church exaltation;
to the departed quickening;
to the penitent acceptance;
to the sick and infirm recovery and healing;
and to the four quarters of the world great peace and tranquility;
and on us who are weak and sinful may the compassion and mercies of our God comes, and may they overshadow us continually, amen.
(Prayer from the Old Syriac, used by Christians in Turkey, Iran, and South India)
To God be glory;
to the angels honor;
to Satan confusion;
to the cross reverence;
to the church exaltation;
to the departed quickening;
to the penitent acceptance;
to the sick and infirm recovery and healing;
and to the four quarters of the world great peace and tranquility;
and on us who are weak and sinful may the compassion and mercies of our God comes, and may they overshadow us continually, amen.
(Prayer from the Old Syriac, used by Christians in Turkey, Iran, and South India)
A Prayer of Ignatius
Bob Hostetler
Loving God, teach us to be generous
Teach us to serve You as You deserve.
To give, and not count the cost
To fight, and not heed the wounds,
To toil, and not look for rest,
To labor and not ask for reward,
Save that of knowing that we are following Your desires for us.
Amen.
Loving God, teach us to be generous
Teach us to serve You as You deserve.
To give, and not count the cost
To fight, and not heed the wounds,
To toil, and not look for rest,
To labor and not ask for reward,
Save that of knowing that we are following Your desires for us.
Amen.
The Feast of Stephen
Bob Hostetler
Father, on this feast of Stephen,
the first martyr of your church,
I pray for all those
among my brothers and sisters
who today face persecution, even martyrdom.
Give them strength, Lord,
and stamina.
Lift their eyes to their Lord,
as you did for Stephen,
and give them love for their persecutors
and hope for themselves and their families,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Prayer for Christmas
Bob Hostetler
The day of joy returns,
Father in Heaven,
and crowns another year with peace and good will.
Help us rightly to remember
the birth of Jesus,
that we may share
in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and the worship of the wisemen.
Close the doors of hate and open the doors of love
all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift
and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil, by the blessing that Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clean hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy
to be thy children, and the Christmas evening
bring us to our bed with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake, amen.
(A prayer by Henry Van Dyke)
A Psalm for December 24
Bob Hostetler
Swing wide, O you gates;
be lifted up, you great doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD small and helpless,
the LORD, lying in a manger.
Swing wide, O you gates;
be lifted up, you great doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
the babe of Bethlehem—
he is the King of glory.
Amen.
(based on Psalm 24:7-10)
Swing wide, O you gates;
be lifted up, you great doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD small and helpless,
the LORD, lying in a manger.
Swing wide, O you gates;
be lifted up, you great doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
the babe of Bethlehem—
he is the King of glory.
Amen.
(based on Psalm 24:7-10)
Nativity Approaches
Lord Jesus, the day of your nativity approaches,
the day on which we commemorate your birth,
your condescension,
your humble incarnation.
Please help me and mine to approach that day on tiptoe,
with reverence and awe,
mindful of your holiness and beauty,
and grateful for the privilege
of approaching
and kneeling
at your manger, amen.
the day on which we commemorate your birth,
your condescension,
your humble incarnation.
Please help me and mine to approach that day on tiptoe,
with reverence and awe,
mindful of your holiness and beauty,
and grateful for the privilege
of approaching
and kneeling
at your manger, amen.
Prayer for a Grandchild
Abba, on this child growing inside my dear daughter-in-law, Lord, have mercy.
On this child, whom you are forming and fashioning as you formed and fashioned me, Lord, show your favor.
On this child, who existed only in your foreknowledge eleven weeks ago, Lord, grant health and healthy growth in every way.
On this child's parents, my precious boy and his lovely wife, Lord, have mercy.
On this child's parents, Lord, show your favor.
On this child's parents, Lord, grant health, and a healthy, comfortable, and successful pregnancy for Nina.
On this child's grandparents, Lord have mercy.
On me and my wife, and on Nina's parents, show your favor.
To us all, Lord, grant the wisdom and faith to bless Aaron, Nina, and the baby with how we wait, rejoice, worry (or not), and in the things we do and don't do for them in these coming seven months, in Jesus' name, amen.
Daily Discovery
Bob Hostetler
Give us this day our daily discovery, in Jesus' name, amen.
(Prayer often used by Dr. Rendell Harris)
Give us this day our daily discovery, in Jesus' name, amen.
(Prayer often used by Dr. Rendell Harris)
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