Heavenly Father, I praise You for this day. I praise You for how You work in and around our lives. I praise You for all of Your creation and for the plans and thoughts You have that are beyond my understanding. I praise You for Your constant presence when we face trials, suffer, grieve, hurt, celebrate, or have fellowship with others. Help me to take command of my morning and shake the evil out of it.
I stand before You this morning and open my heart for Your inspection. Your Word says that You look at our heart, our innermost thoughts, and desires. I lay myself upon the altar of Your living temple—my being—and offer myself as a living sacrifice. I know that there are areas in my life to clean up, but this can only happen through Your cleansing. By myself, I can do nothing of real importance. Help me to build habits that lead to righteous living. Help me to be honest and open with You because I can’t hide anything from You anyway. Let Your Spirit fill me, touch me, and lead me. Help me to grow in wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment. Let me never stop growing until the day I cross over.
Help me to build, represent, and believe in Your kingdom here on earth. Let my faith grow from a mustard seed into a sturdy, useful tree planted by Your living water so my roots can grow deep and strong. Help me to pray with a faith that can withstand the storms of life and bear fruit. Help me to constantly renew my mind and take captive any thought that is not from or for You and Your principles.
Help me to be Your representative at work, which, in my case, is a dark, chaotic, and sinful place. Life has little value there sometimes. I see firsthand, in the prison where I work, the depravity of man and the loss of freedom and what it does to people. This is true of many workplaces and many people. Let me never take for granted the freedom I have in my relationship with You. Help me to fulfill my purpose in life with the talents, gifts, and ministries You have placed in my life.
O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from Your Spirit! I can never get away from Your presence! If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I go down to the grave, You are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there, Your hand will guide me, and Your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness, I cannot hide from You. To You, the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to You.
I pray this along with the Psalmist, in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.[Psalm 139:1-12]