A prayer request gets a “no”

Mark 10:35-40

James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
asked Jesus if He would do for them
whatever they asked!

So Jesus said, “And what do you want Me
to do for you?

They told him that, when His kingdom
comes in glory,
they want to sit beside Him – one
on the right, the other on the left.

But Jesus said,
“You do not know what you’re asking,”

and He questioned if they would be able
to drink the cup of suffering He must drink
or be baptized with what He must bear,
and they said, “We can!”

Then Jesus said, “You may drink
the cup I must drink and you may be baptized
with which I Am to be baptized,
but to place you by My right side or My left
is not My place to give.
That is for those
for whom it has been prepared.”


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Mark with the help of translations provided online by Bible Gateway.

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Prayer to discern the power and glory of God

Prayer-a-phrase of Ephesians 1:17-21

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ –
the glorious Father –
give you a spirit of wisdom
and the knowledge revealed
to know Him.

May the eyes of your heart
be so filled with light,
you may know
what hope you have
in God’s call,

what riches of glory you’ve inherited
with the holy ones,

what exceeding power God has
for us who believe –

the same power shown by raising
Christ from the dead and
seating Him at His right hand
in heavenly places found
far above every principality,
authority, power, domain,
and every other name we can name –
not only in this age but the one to come.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Ephesians by using several of the many translations provided online by Bible Gateway.

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Earth Day of praising God

On this Earth Day, let’s call upon our praying Earth and all of God’s creations to praise our LORD God!

Psalm 66:1-4

May a joyful noise to God,
all the Earth!

Sings praise to His name.
Make your praise glorious.

Say to God, “How awesome
are Your works!”

Before Your great strength
and power,
Your antagonists cringe.

All the Earth worships You.
All the Earth praises You
and sing praises to Your Name.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Psalm 66 from several of the many translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Turning stones into prayer

Acts 7:59-60

As they kept stoning Stephen,
he called out, “Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.

Then he dropped to his knees,
crying loudly,
“Lord, do not hold this sin
against them.”

Having said this,
he slipped into sleep.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Acts from several of the many translations on Bible Gateway. For a longer version of this episode, read “Stephen prays for his murderers.”


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Praising God on Good Friday

In Psalm 31:5 (Psalm 31:6 in the New American Bible, Revised Edition, NABRE), we find this prophetic Bible prayer of faith:

“Into Your hand I commit* My spirit,
and You have redeemed Me,
LORD God of truth.”


In Luke 23:46 Jesus quotes that Bible prayer in Psalms but pluralizes God’s “hand.”

“And with a loud voice,
Jesus called out,
`Father, into Your hands
I commit* My Spirit,'
and having said this,
He breathed
forth the Spirit
with His very last breath.”


*Commit or Commend?

In KJV, NABRE, and other translations, the word “commend” is used, rather than “commit.” As Jesus Christ the Son of God hung on the cross, He surely committed Himself wholly to the Father. However, “commend” is even more awesome (in the truest sense) as the word indicates approval, praise, and applause!



© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s readings from many of the translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Praying in confession

Daniel 9:4-10

Praying to the LORD, I confessed:

O Lord, great God of Whom I am in awe,
You keep Your promises
and show mercy to those who love and obey You,
but we have sinned!
We’ve done wrong!
We have turned away from You
and what You told us is right and true.

We have not listened
to Your servants or the word You gave
to our leaders, our ancestors,
and the people of our land.

To You belongs righteousness, O LORD,
but to us belongs shame.

We, Your people near and far –
in all the lands to which You dispersed us
because of our disloyalty to You –
own our own shame.

We, the people and our leaders,
have not followed You nor obeyed You,
but even though we have rebelled
against You, O LORD God,
to You belong
mercy,
compassion,
and forgiveness.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Daniel 9 from some of the many translations of Holy Scripture found on Bible Gateway.

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Thank God for being with us!

Psalm 138: 1-3, 7-8

With all my heart, I give You thanks, O LORD.
Before the heavenly beings, I sing Your praise.

I bow down to You toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to You
for the love and truth in Your name –

Your name,
Your word
above all!

On the day I call,
You answer me
and increase the strength
in my soul.

Even if I find myself in the middle of trouble,
You protect me from the anger of others.

Your stretch out Your hand to me,
and the rightness of Your hand delivers me.

The Lord will fulfill
His purposes for me,
for Your steadfast love endures forever, O LORD,
and You will not let go
the work placed in Your hands.

© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Psalm 138 from many translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Praying through the ashes

A Bible prayer for Ash Wednesday to begin the church season of Lent

Psalm 51:1-10

Be merciful to me, O God!

In the greatness of Your mercy,
wipe out my sins
and wipe away the stains.

I’m aware of my faults,
and my rebellions against You
haunts me!

Against You – and You alone
have I sinned.

I’ve done wrong by You!
So You’d be right to judge me.
And You have every right
to condemn me.

I’ve gotten myself into trouble
since birth. I’ve been inclined
to be selfish
ever since my conception!

But You want me to get real.

You desire me to look inward –
with sincerity and truth –
and find Your wisdom
waiting for me there.

Purge my sins,
and I will be clean.
Cleanse me,
and I will be
as fresh as new snow.

Help me to hear
the sounds of joy and gladness.

Help me to be aware
that my brokenness is healed.

Hide my sins from Your face,
and blot out all ill will in me.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew
Your Spirit within me.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Psalm 51 from many of the translations found on Bible Gateway.

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God prays creation into being

The very first prayers in the Bible resound with God’s poetic prayers and “Amen!”

Each “Let there be” begins an “Amen” to God’s prayers for us as our Heavenly Father and Creator God calls into being every living thing in the heavens and on the earth.

This poem prayer-a-phrases the beginning of that beginning as shown in today’s Bible reading from Genesis 1:

God’s Prayers for Creation
Genesis 1:1-13

In the beginning,
God….

In the beginning –

Chaos! Darkness!
A wasteland! A world
unformed….

Then a mighty wind –
Ruah –
swept over the waters,
the Spirit of God
hovered over the waters,

and God prayed:

“Let there be light,”
and the light answered
God’s prayer,
and it was good.

So God separated the light
from darkness.
God separated the waters above
and the waters below,
and the dry land appeared
at God’s calling,
and it was good.

Then God prayed:
“Let the earth bring forth,”
and the earth responded;
the earth obeyed,
and it was good.

© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Genesis 1 from translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Praying your praise

Psalm 29:1-2

Give glory to God,
all beings of God!

Give glory to the LORD
and God’s power!

Give to the LORD
the glory due His Name.

Bow down
in awe of God’s splendor.

Worship the LORD
in the beauty
of holiness.

Deck yourself out
in gorgeous garments
of praise!


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Psalm 29 from translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Praying to know God’s ways

Psalm 25:4-9

Cause me to know Your ways, O LORD.
Teach me Your path for me.

Cause me to walk in Your truth (not mine!)
and teach me, O God of salvation.

Near You
all day
I wait.

And I remember Your mercies, O LORD,
for Your kindness stays with me –
from age to age.

You don’t even recall
my offenses or wrongs,
and yet You remember me!

For the sake of Your goodness, O LORD,
You – the Upright One, the Good One –
guide us in The Way.

Cause us to walk in Your court,
and teach us Your way
today.


© 2014, Mary Harwell Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Psalm 25 from translations found on Bible Gateway.

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A prayer for strength from Psalm 80

Oh, Shepherd of Your people,
lead us in Your flock.

Oh, God enthroned on cherubim,
stir Your strength and save us.

Restore us, oh, God
and shine on us with Your glory.

Return to us, oh, LORD of Hosts.
Regard us as the vine You set.

With Your right hand, You planted us
and made strong Your branch –
Your Son.

Let Your hand again
be on the Son of Man,
Whom You have made strong in us.
Then we shall not depart from You.

Give us life,
and we shall remain with You.

Revive us to call on Your Name.

Restore us, oh LORD – God
of the armies of Heaven,
and in Your shine, we shall be
saved.

Psalm 80:1-3,14-19

© 2014, Mary Harwell Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased portions of Psalm 80 from translations provided on Bible Gateway.

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Prayer of praise to God

Praise You, LORD!

Praise You in every place
Your people find You.

Praise Your infinite embrace
of the universe.

Praise You for Your magnitude,
magnificence, and mighty acts.

Praise You with every instrument
of musicality.

Praise You for creative gifts
of song and dance
and poetry.

May every living being
praise You,
Almighty God,
with singing
and every breath of life.

Praise You, LORD.
Praise You.


© 2014, Mary Harwell Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, researched Psalm 150 from many of the translations on Bible Gateway before prayer-a-phrasing this poem.

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Praying for God’s Word to be in me

Oh, LORD, prepare me
to keep Your Word,
so I won’t be ashamed
when I look at my life
in light of Your commands.

Sincerely, I will praise You
as I learn more of Your
righteous rules.

Don’t ever leave me, LORD,
for I want to obey You,
but, oh! How can anyone
keep Your ways – purely
without fault – except
by discerning Your Word?

With all my heart, I seek You!
Don’t let me stray away!

Deep inside me,
I will hide Your words,
so I’ll know what to do.

Blessed LORD, teach me!
You Are To Be praised
and blessed.

Psalm 119:5-12


© 2014, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased this poem from today’s Bible Reading in Psalm 119, drawing from several of the many translations on Bible Gateway.


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Bible prayer on Halloween

The Apostle Paul’s prayer for the church in Philippi extends to us in today’s Bible reading as a timely word of remembrance, encouragement, and blessings found in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the grace and peace of God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Every time I remember you,
I thank my God.

Every day I pray for you with joy –
from the first day until now –
for your coming together in the Gospel
gives confidence
that the good work
God began in you
will come to completion
in the day of Christ Jesus.

It’s right to think this way
as our hearts hold us together
in the Grace of God,
binding us and confining us
to defend and confirm the Good News.

For God is my witness
that I long for you all
from the very depths of Christ.

And this is my prayer:

That your love may grow and grow
in knowledge and insight,
so you may know what’s best
and discern what’s of value,

becoming genuine and guiltless
each day in Christ
as you're filled
with the fruit of righteousness,
given to you through Christ Jesus
to bring glory and praise to God.


© 2014, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased this poem from today’s Bible Reading in Philippians 1:1-11, drawing from many of the translations on Bible Gateway and also her previous prayer-a-phrase, which appeared last year, entitled “May the peace of the Lord be with us.”


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A call to prayer

Praise the LORD God!
Call upon His Name.

Make His acts known among the people.
Tell everyone
His Name is above all names.

Sing of the LORD
Who does glorious things,
and let this be known
in all the earth.

Sing and shout for joy,
all peoples of God,
for great in our midst
is the Holy One,
the God of Israel.

Isaiah 12:4-6


©2014, Mary Harwell Sayler. This poem prayer-a-phrase of Isaiah 12:4-6 draws from the many translations found on Bible Gateway.

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A prayer request for God’s help

Isaiah 33:2

O LORD God, favor us
with Your grace and mercy
as we await You
every morning.

Be to us
Your strength
and Your salvation
in times of trouble
and distress.

May God guide, protect, and empower our families, our country, the church Body of Christ, and all Christians throughout the world in Jesus’ Name.


©2014, Mary Sayler. This poem prayer-a-phrase of Isaiah 33 from today’s Reading Plan on Bible Gateway draws from several translations found on that site.

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Prayer as blessing

May the LORD keep you
in His blessing.

May the face of the LORD
shine on you brightly
and graciously.

May the LORD lift you
into His close company
and bequeath to you
His peace.

©2014 Mary Sayler based this prayer poem on Numbers 6:24-26 from the many translations provided by Bible Gateway.

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The Lord’s Prayer after the resurrection

Our Lord Jesus
Who’s now in Heaven,
Holy is Your Name
in Which we pray.

Let Your Kingdom come!
Let Your will be done
on earth
as happens in Heaven.

Give us this day
Your living Bread,
and forgive us
our trespasses
as we forgive those
who cross
the line with us.

Lead us not into
terrible trials,
but deliver us from evil,
for the Kingdom of God
is Yours!

And the power of God
is Yours.

And the glory
of God is Yours –
now
and forever –

in You,
in us.

May we all be One in Jesus’ Name.

©2014, Mary Harwell Sayler.


The Holy Scriptures for this prayer-a-phrased prayer-poem by Mary Sayler resulted from resources she found on Bible Gateway.

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Prayer in time of trouble

O Lord, turn Your ear toward me
and hear me please
for I feel poor and pitiful
with none to trust
but You.

Keep my soul safe, O God,
for I am faithful.

Save me to serve You.

Answer my all-day call
with Your grace and mercy.

To You I lift my mind,
my will, my spirit,
and You raise my soul on high!

For You are kind
and eager to forgive
all who call on You.

O Lord, I give You
the voice of my plea
for You will hear
and answer.



©2014, Mary Harwell Sayler studied several translations of Psalm 86:1-7 on Bible Gateway before writing the above prayer-a-phrased poem.

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