Praying Through God's Word: Genesis
Genesis 1:1-3
Lord, help us to get our priorities right - Your priorities. May our lives be more centred on You - less centred on ourselves. Help us to listen for Your Word - not to jump straight in with our own words. Help us to open our hearts to Your Holy Spirit. May He move among us - in power, in love, in holiness, in victory. Transform our life, O Lord - May we live as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). May we know the great blessing of knowing that Jesus, our Saviour, is always "God with us" (Matthew 1:23).
Genesis 1:4-13
Lord, when You speak to us, help us to say, ‘Your will be done’ (Matthew 6:10).
‘Let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38) - This was Mary’s prayer. May it also be our prayer. By ourselves, we are helpless and hopeless - Without Your help, we have no hope of doing Your will and pleasing You. We need Your Holy Spirit - May the Spirit’s ‘living water’ flow in us (John 7:37-39). Thank You, Lord, for the gift of Your Holy Spirit - He gives us the power to ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1:7) with You. Lead us in the way of fruitfulness - the way of “love, joy, peace ... “(Galatians 5:22-23).
Genesis 1:14-25
Lord, You have made us - to praise You. You call us to live for Your glory. Praise to God, glory to God - Where does this come from? We look into our hearts - and it is not there. We look at our lives - and we say, "Where is this praise to God?, Where is this glory to God?" Lord, we can only praise You when You give to us the song of praise. You alone can fill our hearts with praise to You. You alone can fill our lives with Your glory. Without You, Lord, our life is a spiritual wasteland. Come, O Lord, to this spiritual wasteland. Come - and make our life a song of praise to You. Come - and make our life a hymn that says, "Glory to God."
Genesis 1:26-2:3
Lord, You are our Creator. We have been created by You. We have been created for You. What have we done with this great blessing? We have turned away from You. We have gone our own way. We have done our own thing. Have You lost patience with us? Have You given up on us? We often feel like we are a waste of Your time - then we remember Jesus. That's when everything changes - We remember Jesus. He came from where You are. He came to where we are. From where we are to where You are - This is what Jesus does for us.
Genesis 2:4-14
Lord, we look at ourselves, and we say, “This is my life. This is the way I’ve always been. I’ll never change. I’ll never be any different.” Is this all that we can say about ourselves? Is this what You’re saying about us? We’re always thinking about what we are. You’re always saying to us, “This is what you can become. This is what I am going to make you.” Help us to listen to what You’re saying to us. Help us to make a new “beginning” with You - as we believe and receive “the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).
Genesis 2:15-17
Lord, You are God. Who are we to tell You what to do? Who are we to say, “We’ll do what we like” - when You’re saying to us, “I know what’s best for you.” Help us to choose Your way - and stop insisting on getting our own way. How are we to do this? Jesus tells us, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). How, we wonder, does Jesus make us free?
He shows us “the truth” - the truth about ourselves, the truth about Jesus.
We are sinners. Jesus is our Saviour. This is the truth. It’s “the truth that sets us free” (John 8:32). We are sinners. Jesus is our Saviour. This is the truth that brings us out of the prison cell of our own making. This, Lord, is the truth which brings us on to the pathway of Your blessing, the pathway of true and lasting joy, the pathway to Your eternal glory.
Genesis 2:18-25
Lord, we thank You that You have a place in Your heart for us. Why? What have we done that You should keep on loving us? Is there something good about us - something that makes us worthy of Your love? Whatever way we look at it - the answer’s always “No.” No! No! No!
There’s no way back to You, Lord, that begins with ourselves. We cannot begin with ourselves - but “Is there another starting-point?”
Lord, there is only one place. We begin with Your love - “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son ... “ (John 3:16). We hear these words, and we ask, “Why, Lord, have You loved us like this?”
From our side, there’s no answer to this question. We can only say, “We’re sinners.” There’s nothing else we can say about ourselves.
What do You, Lord, say to sinners? “God shows His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Genesis 3:1-5
Lord, we are often tempted - tempted to forget all about You. The pull towards self-centred living is so strong.We think that we can go it alone. We think that we don’t need You. We think that we can manage all right without You. Where does this kind of thinking come from? Does it come from You? - To ask the question is to give the answer. You would never make us think like that! This kind of thinking must come from somewhere else - from someone else. It can only come from Satan - the devil. He’s the one who wants us to forget all about You. Lord, You are “our Father” (Matthew 6:9). Satan is very different. He’s “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Lord, help us to stop listening to Satan - and to start listening to You.
Genesis 3:6-9
Lord, we have wandered far from You. There seems to be no way back. We feel like we’re ready to give up in despair. Is this all that there is - wandering around in the wilderness of life, always travelling but never arriving at our destination? We’re groping around in the darkness - then something happens, something wonderful. Lord, You come to us. You come to us in our darkness. You come to us with Your light. It’s the light of Christ. It’s the light of love. It’s the light of salvation. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15).
Genesis 3:10-15
Lord, we have failed You over and over again. It never seems to stop - failure, failure, failure ..! This is the story of our life - from beginning to end. Can we escape from this - failure, failure, failure ...? This is nothing new - It goes back to the Garden of Eden. It started off so well - but it turned out so badly. Is there a way out of this - failure, failure, failure ...? Lord, we thank You that there is! Jesus has succeeded - where everyone else failed. “There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin, He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in.”
Genesis 3:16-24
Lord, we feel like we're making a right mess of things. Everything's going wrong. This is the story of today's world. It's not just everybody else's story. It's our story. None of us can escape the truth - we're sinners.
Thank You, Lord - That's only part of the truth concerning us. We are loved by You. We hear this, Lord - but still we wonder, "Can You do anything with us?" Has this world reached the end of the road? Is our situation hopeless? Is there any hope for any of us? We feel ourselves being dragged into a black hole - then we hear Your Word speaking to us: ‘the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 6:23). Gift? - It's not earned by us. It's given to us. Hope? Where does it come from? - From Jesus Christ our Lord!
Genesis 4:1-5
Lord, when we come to You, we come with our sin. We can’t do anything else. Sin is a part of what we are. It’s the heart of what we are.
Genesis 4:6-16
Lord, our life is a journey. We can be travelling with You – or we can be running away from You. Day-by day, we are further down the road – closer to You or further away from You. Day-by-day, we must choose: Will we travel with You, Lord? or Will we go our own way?
Often, we make bad choices. We take a wrong turning. Things go from bad to worse. We lose sight of You. We get lost. We wonder, “Is there a way back home? Is there a way back to the Lord?” We thank You, Lord, that You are waiting for us. In love, You are waiting for us to turn around – to make our way back to You. You are waiting for us to stop wandering – and start returning. Lead us, Lord. Lead us to Yourself. Lead us out of the wilderness of our sin. Lead us into the promised land of Your salvation.
Genesis 4:17-26
Lord, You are always with us - but we are not always with You. There is never a time when You are not there at our side – but there are many times when we don’t realize that You are right there, beside us at every stage in our journey through life. Life isn’t easy! Bad things happen to us – and we take our eyes off You. Before we know it, we’re going round in circles – getting nowhere quickly. What are we to make of all this? Are we to say, “Why have You left me, Lord?” Our difficult circumstances are shouting at us, “God has left you. You’re on your own. Make the most of it – without Him.” Lord, help us, when we feel like this, to keep on listening for Your “still, small voice.” Help us to hear the “gentle whisper” of Your love (1 Kings 19:11-12). When our emotions are pulling us this way, pulling us that way, pulling us all over the place, help us to hear and believe Your precious promise: “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
Genesis 5:1-17
Lord, where have all the years gone? Five years becomes ten years. Ten years becomes twenty years. Twenty years becomes forty years …. Is there something more than this? - We thank You that You are the eternal God. In all the changing circumstances of our life, help us to remember this: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). You are the eternal God. Your love is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. This is our encouragement – when everything around us is changing. We are encouraged. Lord, may we also be challenged: How much of our life is bringing glory to You?
Genesis 5:18-32
Lord, help us to walk with You. Sometimes, we wonder, “Where is our life leading us?” That depends, Lord, on who’s doing the leading. Are we being “led by the Spirit of God” (Romans 8:14)? or Have we allowed the devil to slip into the place where You alone should be? Lord, lead us to the place of blessing. Lead us by Your grace. Give us the faith which says, “Jesus is stronger than Satan and sin. Satan to Jesus must bow” (A.C.D.). When Satan – the intruder - tries to take Your place in our hearts, help us to give the answer of faith, “Satan has no authority here in this place. He has no authority here” (Debbye Graafsma). Help us to “leave no unguarded place, no weakness of the soul.” Help us “to keep our armour bright.” Help us to “attend with constant care, still walking in our Captain’s sight and watching unto prayer” (Charles Wesley).
Genesis 6:1-8
Lord, we thank You for Your “amazing grace” – “I once was lost but now am found” (John Newton). We think about our life. Did we find our way back to You? - No! You found us! You came looking for us – and You found us. We think about this – and we say, “Hallelujah!” We say, “Praise the Lord!” Do we say, “Hallelujah! We have found Him”? We do say this – but there is something more than this: “Hallelujah! He has saved me.” Thank You, Lord, for Your amazing grace.
Genesis 6:9-22
Lord, we thank You for Your great love. There is no love like Your love. We think of Your Son giving Himself, in death, for us. We think of His suffering for us and we say, “Saviour of the world, what have You done to deserve this?” We look at the Cross, and we see more than suffering. We see love, and we say, “Saviour of the world … what have we done to deserve You?” Beyond “the mystery of undeserved suffering”, we catch a glimpse of something else – something very, very wonderful: “the deeper mystery of unmerited love” (Common Order, Prayer for Good Friday).
Genesis 7:1-24
Lord, we thank You for Jesus - There is no-one like Him. What a great Saviour He is! He does for us something that we could never – ever – do for ourselves. He forgives our sins – and He forgets them!
The forgiveness of all our sins - What a great blessing this is! We read the words, “I will remember their sins no more” – and we think to ourselves, “How wonderful is this?” We think of Jesus. We think of all that He has done for us. He was crucified for us. He has risen for us.
Our sins have been forgiven – and forgotten. Can we even begin to understand this? Do we need to understand all of this? We do not understand it all. How can we possibly understand all that You have done for us? “Jesus Christ, we greet You! … risen from the grave … You have come: not to answer our questions, but to show us Your face” (Common Order, Prayer for Easter). Thank You, Lord, for Jesus – Your Son, our Saviour. Thank You for His love – Love is shining from His face. In His face, we see His smile. It is the smile of His love (“Still the night, holy the night!”)
Genesis 8:1-22
Lord, we thank You for Jesus – He is the Rock of our salvation. Often, in our journey through life, we’re walking on shifting sand. As we walk along, we discover that it’s more than shifting sand – It’s quicksand! It’s sucking us in – and it’s dragging us down. Is there any hope for us? Is there any solid ground? Yes! There is! Jesus is “the Solid Rock” (“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness … On Christ, the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”) Lord, we thank You that You’ve not left us to fall down in our own weakness. You’ve given us Jesus, our Saviour – We stand in His strength. When we feel like we’re sinking, help us, Lord, to look to You, to find new strength in You. When we’re almost overwhelmed by the flood of unbelief that seems to be coming at us all the time, help us to come to You and receive Your strength: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
Genesis 9:1-19
Lord, we thank You for the rainbow – It tells us that You love us!
Sometimes, we see a rainbow. Do we wonder about it? Does it have a message for us? We look at the rainbow. Help us to look beyond the rainbow – to the Cross. There’s a great children’s song about the rainbow (it’s sung to the tune, “Early one morning just as the sun was rising … ). It’s a song about God’s love. “When you see a rainbow, remember God is love. When you see a rainbow, remember God is love. Yes, God is love. Yes, God is love. When you see a rainbow, remember God is love.” When the sun is rising … when the rainbow is in the sky … at all times of the day, help us to remember that You love us. Help us to look beyond the rising sun to the risen Son. Help us to look beyond the rainbow to the Cross: “upon the Cross we see, in shining letters, ‘God is love.’” Help us, when there’s no rainbow and there’s no sunshine, to keep on “singing the praise of Him who died, of Him who died upon the Cross” (Thomas Kelly).
Genesis 9:20-29
Lord, we need Your strength.
Without Your strength, we fall. Without Your strength, we fail.
With Your strength, everything changes.
You lead us from our defeat into Your victory.
Help us, Lord, to trust You.
In ourselves, we are weak. In You, we are strong.
Where does this strength come from? – It comes from this: Jesus has risen – and He lives in us!
“Resurrect in our lives faith, hope, and love, as surely as You raised Jesus Christ from the grave” (Common Order, Prayer for Easter).
Genesis 10:1-32
Lord, Your love makes us feel very special.
There are plenty of times when we’re down in the dumps – and we need some encouragement from You.
When we feel like this, help us to remember that Your love makes us very special: “I’m special because God loves me.”
How do we know that You love us? – You gave Your Son, Jesus, to be our Saviour.
What are we to say when we think of Jesus – crucified for us?
“Thank You Jesus, thank You Lord, for loving me so much.”
We look at ourselves – and we know that we’re nothing special.
We look at Jesus. We think of His love for us – and something happens. We begin to feel that we are very special – to You!
“Help me feel Your love right now, to know deep in my heart that I’m Your special friend” (Graham Kendrick).
Genesis 11:1-9
Lord, help us not to get too big for our boots.
Sometimes, we get down in the dumps. When this happens, we need to get lifted up - by You!
Sometimes, we have a very different problem. We get too big for our boots – and we need to be brought back down to earth!
Brought down with a bump: How often this has happened to us – and it was just what we needed!
Bringing us down – We thank You, Lord, that this is only the beginning of Your work in us.
You never bring us down – to leave us there. You bring us down to build us up again!
Building us up – That’s what You do for us.
We’re broken down – and You put us together again!
Lord, this is so encouraging.
When we forget You, You never forget us.
When we feel like giving up, You say to us, “I haven’t finished with you yet. I’ll never be finished with You: What I have planned for you is nothing less than this - eternal life.”
Genesis 11:10-32
Lord, sometimes, the things that happen to us don’t seem to make sense – to us!
We try to tell the story of our life. We try to make sense of it all. We try – but we fail.
Why? – We don’t know the full story.
Sometimes, we feel like we’re living on Dead End Street!
You say to us, “You’re missing the point! You don’t need to understand what it’s all about. You can leave that to Me.”
Help us, Lord, to know that we’re not alone – trying to make sense of our life. Help us to know that You’re with us. Help us to think of Jesus. He is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
When everything seems to be so confusing, help us to remember that
Jesus understands us. He knows what we’re like – and He hasn’t stopped loving us. He never will!
He loves us – and He’s praying for us: ”We praise You, our glorious Lord and Saviour, and are for ever glad that now there is in heaven One who understands and intercedes for us” (Common Order, Prayer for Ascension).
Genesis 12:1-20
Lord, sometimes, we feel like we’re stuck in a rut.
When we feel like this, help us to see that You’ve moved on ahead of us. You’re calling us on – into Your future!
Do we need to see exactly where You’re leading us? – No! We don’t! We just need to keep on following You.
The future may be unknown to us – but it’s never unknown to You!
“Face the sun and the shadows will fall behind you. Look to the One who can put your past behind you. Be the one you were born to be – Don’t you want to be free? … There ‘ll be brighter days ahead” (Garry Brotherston).
Lord, let there be no more fear of an unknown future. Help us to look to the Son. Help us to know that, with Him, we can never be stuck in a rut! Help us to move forward with Him and for Him.
Genesis 13:1-18
Lord, help us to make good choices.
When we’re at the crossroads of life, we can so easily head off in the wrong direction.
At the crossroads of life, we need Jesus. He is the Way – the true and living Way (John 14:6).
“Without the Way, there is no going. Without the truth, there is no knowing. Without the life, there is no living.”
Help us to choose well. Help us to choose Jesus.
Lord, give us this great testimony: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
Lord, help us to keep on praying this prayer: “May there be less of self and more of Christ in me” (John 3:30).
Genesis 14:1-24
Lord, what are we to do when we can’t find any peace of mind?
Where are we to look? Are we to look inside of ourselves? Is that where we’ll find peace? Is there an inner peace – if we look deep enough, we’ll find it?
Jesus says something very different. He says, “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27).
Peace is His gift to us. It’s not something that’s already there in our hearts – if we look deep enough we’ll find it. It’s something that has to be given to us. We have to receive it from Jesus.
Inner peace, peace of mind – All of this seems to be so much about ourselves: if you look deep enough, you’ll find it!
What does all this have to do with You, Lord? – Nothing at all! It’s all to do with ourselves. It’s all about self-discovery.
Lord, teach us Your way of peace. Show us that real peace is peace with You. Show us that this peace comes to us “through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
We can’t escape from our sin. It follows us everywhere we go.
Lord, when we come to You, You speak to us wonderful words of love, wonderful words of forgiveness, wonderful words of cleansing.
You say to us, “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses you from all sin” (1 John 1:7). We worship You. We bring our praise to You. We sing to You, “Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, who like me His praise should sing?” Lord, lead us to the Cross. Lead us to Jesus - and may He lead us out of the emptiness of our life without Him and into His fullness: “a life made up of praise in every part.”
Genesis 15:1-21
Lord, we thank You that You are always with us – even when bad things are happening to us.
Genesis 16:1-16
Lord, living for You isn’t easy – Satan makes sure of that!
We try to escape his evil clutches – but he’s always there, and he’s up to no good!
Satan is such a determined enemy. Help us to remind him that he’s a defeated enemy.
We’re often tempted – and we feel so weak.
Help us to tell Satan that Jesus is Lord – and we belong to Jesus!
Satan wins some battles with us. He gives us a hard time. Often, he gets the better of us.
Help us to remind him that the final triumph belongs to Jesus.
Beyond our present conflict, there is His final triumph; “This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song” (from “Stand up, stand up for Jesus”).
Genesis 17:1-27
Lord, everything seems so hopeless - when we take our eyes off You!
Help us to keep our eyes on You. Fill us with fresh hope.
Sometimes, we can be optimists. Often, we’re pessimists.
You’re always “the God of hope” (Romans 15:13). You’re always saying to us, “There is hope” (Jeremiah 31:17).
Lord, real hope comes from You. It’s more than human optimism. It’s Your gift to us. It’s Your “gift of eternal life” (Romans 6:23).
Lord, real hope comes from You. It’s more than just “hoping for the best.” It’s being lifted up by You, Lord – the God who raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2::24).
Thank You, Lord, for the hope that You give to us when we stand upon Your great promises: “I will pour out My Spirit … and everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:18,21).
You lift us out of our hopelessness. You give us strength to face the future with confidence – the strength which comes from knowing that You are the God of hope.
Genesis 18:1-15
Lord, Your love is greater than our sin.
You have a great purpose for every one of us – but our sin gets in the way!
You want to make us more like Jesus – but there’s so much of self in us!
You want to lead us in the pathway of victory – but Satan’s always trying to trip us up!
What are we to make of all this? Are we to give up in despair?
No! We must not give up – because You, Lord, never give up on us.
Your love is greater than our sin. You will fulfil Your great purpose in us. You will make us more like Jesus. You will lead us in the pathway of victory.
Our sin shall not triumph over Your love. Satan will be defeated. Your “love has the victory for ever!” (Mission Praise, 86).
Genesis 18:16-33
To You, Lord, be all the glory – You have done so many great things for us.
So many blessings – and they all come from You, Lord.
Our sins have been forgiven. You’ve come to live in us.
Such great blessing – but this is just the beginning!
You’re leading us on to eternal life.
Lord, when our heads go down, help us to lift up our eyes.
Help us to “come and see the shining hope.” Help us to look through heaven’s “open door.” Help us to catch a glimpse of “the mighty multitudes of heaven … singing, ‘Alleluia!’ … Love has the victory for ever!” (Mission Praise, 86).
Genesis 19:1-29
Lord, the world seems so strong – but You are stronger!
“The world is ever near … my foes are ever near me … but, Jesus, draw still nearer, and shield my soul from sin” (CH4, 644).
Sometimes, the battle seems to be too much for us. Sometimes, we feel like giving up.
Come to us, Lord. Show us Your love. Without Your love, we are helpless. Our situation is hopeless. Your love brings us help. Your love gives us hope. It’s Your love that makes us “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37).
Genesis 19:30-20:18
Lord, help us to walk with You.
We can be so good at talking the talk – but we’re not so good at walking the walk: “I can say, ‘I love you’, but do I show it by the way I live? … Talk is cheap. Lip-service is no service at all” (“Talk Is Cheap” – Garry Brotherston).
Lord, help us not to be content with saying the right things. Help us to live the right way.
We need Your grace every day – if we’re to walk the walk as well as talking the talk.
Lord, help us to walk with You.
Genesis 21:1-21
Lord, what You have done for us – we could never have done for ourselves!
It’s so amazing what You have done for us.
We were making plans for ourselves - but our plans didn’t include You!
You came to us. You said to us, “I have a wonderful plan for your life.”
We look at the plans we had for ourselves, we look at the plan You have for us – and we say, ‘Your way is so much better than our own way.’
Your way is the way of blessing. It’s the way of giving glory to You.
Lord, where would be – if You had not come to us, if You had not led us into Your way, if You had not brought us into Your blessing?
You did not wait for us to start looking for You – You came looking for us.
You did not wait for us to start saying, ‘Bless us, Lord’ – You came to us with Your blessing.
You did not wait for us to lift ourselves up – You lifted us up.
Thank You, Lord.
Genesis 21:22-22:14
Lord, You are with us – even when we feel that You are far away from us.
We think about what’s going on in our life – and we get it all wrong!
We look at what’s happening – and we think that You’ve gone away and left us.
When will we learn? – It’s us who’ve gone away and left you!
We start thinking, ‘You need to come back to me, Lord.’
You’re saying to us, ‘No! You’ve got it all wrong. It’s you that needs to come back to Me.’
Even in our darkest days, You’ve never gone away and left us.
You’ve always been there – all the time.
You’ve always been there – for us.
Thank You, Lord.
Genesis 22:15-23:20
Lord, help us to remember that You are the everlasting God.
We are so changeable. Your love for us is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable.
Our feelings take us here, there and everywhere. Your love brings us back to the place where our love for You grows strong.
How does our love for You grow strong? Is this something that we do for ourselves? – No! It’s something that You do for us.
You show us how much You love for us. You take us to the Cross of Christ.
You show us that Your love for us remains strong even when our love for You has become very weak.
This is the way in which our love for You grows strong. We are strengthened by a stronger love, a love that never becomes weak, a love that is always strong - everlasting love.
These are things we must never forget – Lord, help us to remember that You are the everlasting God. Help us to remember that Your love is everlasting love.
Genesis 24:1-21
Lord, we thank You that Jesus came to earth for us – and we thank You that He died for us.
He ‘came to seek and to save the lost’ (Luke 19:10). He came to bring us back from our wandering about in the shadows of our life. He came to bring us into the light of Your love.
Lord, we give You thanks for Jesus.
Genesis 24:22-49
Lord, we thank You that You guide us – You keep us in the right way. You lead us in the way that brings glory to You.
You show us Your love. You teach us to trust in Your faithfulness. You fill our hearts with praise. You fill our lives with Your ‘overflowing blessing’ (Malachi 3:10).
For all of these things, we give You our thanks.
Genesis 24:50-67
Teach us, Lord, to count our blessings.
We try to think of all the good things You have done for us, all the great gifts You have given to us.
We cannot keep up with You, Lord. There is so much to count, so much for which we can only say, ‘Thank You, Lord.’
Genesis 25:1-18
Lord, help us to prepare for the future – Your future.
Life without a future is no life at all. Often, we feel like we are stuck in the prison of the present.
You lift up our eyes. You show us Your future. You fill our pathway with Your light.
It is Your light that makes our future very bright – brighter than we can put into words, brighter than we can even imagine.
Lead us, Lord, into Your future. Help us to walk with You on Your pathway to glory – Your eternal glory.
Genesis 25:19-34
Lord, give us Your wisdom. Help us to see that walking in Your way is better than getting our own way. When we are being drawn away from Your way, bring us back again - back to the way of obedience, back to the way of blessing.
Genesis 26:1-35
Lord, when our hold on You is weak, help us to remember that Your hold on us is strong. Often, we get bogged down in our sin. Lift us up by Your grace. Give us strength to rise above our sin - strength to become all that You want us to be.
Genesis 27:1-40
Lord, we thank You that You want to bless us - more than we want to be blessed by You. We don't deserve to be blessed - but You keep on blessing us. Help us never to forget to say, "Thank You, Lord." Help us always to treasure Your blessing - and to keep on praying that it will grow and grow and ...
Genesis 27:41-28:9
Lord, we thank You that we're not left to go it alone. You've given us Your Spirit - the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit who leads us to Jesus, the Spirit who makes us more like Jesus. Thank You, Lord - with Your Spirit, we can go from strength to strength. Help us to walk in Your Spirit.
Genesis 28:10-22
Lord, we thank You that You are so determined to keep on blessing us. There are times when we're not expecting very much - and then You come to us with Your blessing, and everything changes. Everything becomes so much brighter. You are with us. You are leading us forward. You are leading us on into more and more of Your blessing. Thank You, Lord.
Genesis 29:1-30
Lord, Your way is the best way. We, often, wander off on our own. We forget that we are called to follow You, to walk in Your footsteps. Again and again, we need to be reminded that Your way is the best way. Help us to see that Your way is a wonderful way - even when it turns out to be very different from what we had expected.
Genesis 29:31-30:24
Lord, we can, so often, get preoccupied with the things that matter most to us - and we forget about the things that matter most to You. We start to get comfortable, sorting things out to suit ourselves - and then You come to us with a very challenging question, "What matters most to you?" Help us, Lord, to see that pleasing You is more important than pleasing ourselves.
Genesis 30:25-31:21
Guide us, Lord, by Your light and Your truth (Psalm 48:14; Psalm 43:3). Let Your light shine into our darkness. Let Your truth lift us out of the way that leads away from You and into the way that leads to You. Lead us to Jesus - He is "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6).
Genesis 31:22-42
Lord, so often we forget the things that matter most. So often, we forget You. The more we forget You, the more we miss out on the blessing which comes from knowing that You are the Lord our God. You are the God who is with us - even when we feel that You are far away.
Genesis 31:43-32:21
Lord, help us to stand upon Your Word. You have given us a firm foundation for our faith. You have given us Your salvation. When everything around is shaking, we can stand firm because we know that You are our God. You are the God who has saved us through the death of Your Son. You are the God who gives us new power for living - the power of the Holy Spirit. You are the God who will lead us into the glory of Your eternal Kingdom - Your Kingdom of everlasting love, everlasting life and everlasting light.
Genesis 32:22-32
We thank You, Lord, that we have the victory in Christ. This is not our own victory. It's His victory. On the Cross, He won the victory over Satan. How do we know that He has won the victory? - You raised Him from the dead. We thank You, Lord, that Jesus didn't win the victory for Himself. He won the victory for us. He gives His victory to us. Help us, Lord, to walk with You in victory. When we stumble and fall - as we so often do, pick us up and set us on our feet again. Help us to take our stand against Satan. help us to take our stand in Christ. Lead us on, Lord, from victory to victory.
Genesis 33:1-20
Lord, You call us to love You - and to love our neighbour. Help us never to think that we can grow in our love for You if we are not also learning to love our neighbour with the love that You give to us. Help us never to forget You. Help us always to rejoice in the love that You have for us - and to let Your love shine out through us to others. May our love for our neighbour never become a substitute for loving You.
Genesis 34:1-31
Lord, we thank You that You don't give up on us - even when we don't pay much attention to You. We can become so self-centred. Everything revolves around ourselves. You keep on coming to us. You come to us in love. You're calling us back to Yourself. You're calling us to bring You back into the centre of our lives. Lord, may it be less of self and more of You.
Genesis 35:1-15
Again and again, Lord, Your blessing comes to us. In Your blessing, we see Your love. Time and time again, we have failed You. When did You ever fail us? - Never! You are completely faithful, entirely trustworthy and absolutely reliable. You keep on loving us. Help us to keep on loving You.
Genesis 35:16-36:43
Lord, there are two ways of looking at every situation. There's the way of faith - and there's the way of unbelief. We can look up to You - and be lifted up by You. We can look at our circumstances and fail to see that You are there, waiting to lift us up, to raise us above our circumstances and make us "more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).
Genesis 37:1-36
Lord, our situation seems hopeless - but it's not! You are there with us, every step of the way. This is what gives us hope: knowing that You're always there - even when the going gets tough!
Genesis 38:1-30
Lord, help us to put You first in our lives. No-one is more important than You. Why do we forget this - again and again. When we forget You, Lord, bring us back to the Cross of Christ. Show us - all over again - that You have not forgotten us, that You never will forget us.
Genesis 39:1-23
Lord, we make everything so complicated. We go our own way - and everything gets very messy. Everything would be so much simpler - if we kept our eyes on You. When we are tempted to turn away from You, help us, Lord, to keep on looking to You - and to know that we are "loved with everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3).
Genesis 40:1-23
Lord, Your Word challenges us, "What do you want to get out of life?" Help us to look carefully at what is important to us. Are we 'looking after No. 1'? Lord, give us ambitions that do not centre on ourselves. Give us a deep persistent desire to glorify You in all that we do - and to find that this is the way of true and lasting joy!
Genesis 41:1-57
Lord, we thank You that You are in control of the things that are happening to us. We do not always unerstand what's going on - but you do!
Genesis 42:1-38
Sometimes, Lord, we wonder what it's all about! When we feel like this, help us to know that You love us. Help us to see that You are working in us - to teach us to love You.
Genesis 43:1-34
Lord, we thank You that Your love is "an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). Human love can be strong. It can be weak. Human love can come to an end. Your love is always strong. Your love never comes to an end. Your love is "everlasting love" - the only "everlasting love"!
Genesis 44:1-34
So many things are changing, Lord. How are we to live in a changing world? We trust in Your unchanging love. In our changing world, Your love remains the same - unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. You are also the changing God - the God who changes us. Your love is a changing love. Your love changes us. Help us, in our ever-changing world, to keep on praying for the best kind of change - being changed by You - changed by Your love. Help us to become less self-centred and more Christ-centred.
Genesis 45:1-28
Lord, You're leading us on to glory. You're taking us to a better place - a place where there will be no more weakness, a place where we will be surrounded by the strength of Your love.
Genesis 46:1-34
Lord, we thank You that we do not need to live in fear. Your love is greater than our fear. Where does fear come from? It comes from the devil. Who is he? He's our enemy. He's a determined enemy. He's also a defeated enemy. Lord, we rejoice in Your word of victory: "Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Genesis 47:1-26
Lord, we give all the glory to You. We think of Jesus, crucified for us - and we say, "Thank You, Lord - You have done for us what we could never have done for ourselves." You have brought us out of the darkness of of our sin and into the light of Your salvation - out of sadness and into gladness. Help us never to forget that You have saved us. Help us to live, each day, as Your faithful servants.
Genesis 47:27-48:28
Lord, help us to have faith in You - faith that is humble, and faith that is confident. Lord, give us a humble faith. Give us the humility that comes from knowing that You are God - and we're not God! Lord, give us the confidence which is confidence in You - and not self-confidence!
Genesis 49:1-27
Lord, we thank You for Jesus, our Saviour. In Him, You have given us "every spiritual blessing" (Ephesians 1:3). What blessings You have given to us - the forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit living in us, eternal life with You (Ephesians 1:7,13-14). Help us to praise You today. Help us to praise You every day.
Genesis 49:28-50:26
Lord, when hard times come our way, help us to remember that "Your steadfast love never ceases" (Lamenations 3:22). When bad things are happening to us, help us to keep on remembering that You are still the good God. Who are we to say that You are no longer with us – just because we’re going through a hard time? You’re with us in our bad days as well as our good days. You’ve promised to be with us every step of the way. Who are we to suggest that You’ve gone away and left us to go it alone? Help us to trust Your promises – and not to get dragged away from You by our feelings which can go up and down like a yoyo. Sometimes, we’re up. Sometimes, we’re down. With You, there are no ups and down – You’re always the faithful God. You’re always near to us – even when we feel that You’re far away from us. We’ve wandered far away from You – but You’re always near to us. Thank You, Lord, that You are always with us.