Praying Scripture: When You Feel Like You're Failing
Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 16:3: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus you are serving.”
1 Corinthians 10:31: “ ... whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in a steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 25:21: “… ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”
Lord, you know how anxious I am, how much I feel like I am failing at everything, like everything is falling down around me and I can’t keep it all together. I need You now, Lord. I need to know that I am doing okay. (And if I'm not - if I am off-track somewhere in my life - then I need to know what You want me to do or to change so that I can get back on-track with You.) Please, Lord, speak words of truth and comfort to my anxious, despairing heart. To the part of me that feels like I’m destined to fail, no matter what I do or how hard I try. To the part of me that just never feels “good enough.”
Lord, You promise to work everything out for good for those who love You. Please take my feeble efforts and use them for Your glory. Make something beautiful out of my mistakes and messes. Sometimes I feel that’s all I am capable of – mistakes and messes. And so I thank You that You are a God who is bigger than any mistake I make and who specializes in turning messes into something beautiful. And so I will trust You to bring something good out of the bad things in my life, just because Your Word says it’s true. Lord, I might not be able to do much, but please take the little that I can do and use it for Your glory and Your purposes.
Lord, You know my heart. You know that I want to please You, that I am trying my best to do my best. Please, be glorified by that. Let it bring a smile to Your face, even if I keep stumbling along the way. Thank You that even though You know I will always stumble, You love me anyway and will turn my stumbles into something good. And even if others see me as a failure, You don’t. You see me as a dearly loved child of Yours, one who You loved enough to die for, even though You know I am so very human. But that’s okay. Because You know we are human. You made us human. And You do not ask us to be superhuman. You just ask us to be real with You, to seek You, need You, trust You, love You, and obey You. And You will make our paths straight. You will turn our futures into something good.
Please, Lord, I am leaning on You now. Guide me in straightening out the areas of my life that need to be straightened out. I don’t always know the right step to take, so I need You to straighten the path as I walk. I need You to lead me clearly in the ways I should walk. And when I don’t have the strength to keep walking, I need You to carry me. And when I don’t even have the strength to stand, Lord, please just hold me for awhile and let me know that it’s going to be okay.
Help me remember that it’s not my job to always know what to do or to be “strong enough,” but that my job is simply to let You be God, to let You lead and to follow You in daily obedience, to work at whatever I do with all my heart for Your glory and to let You work it all out for good and for Your purposes.
Help me to remember that it’s okay if You only give me small jobs that no one else sees or appreciates. As long as I am faithful in doing those small things, for Your glory, then You are pleased and consider it valuable and will reward my faithfulness in the end. No task is insignificant if You ask me to do it. Help me to be faithful in the little things as well as the big things.
The Bible says that if I commit my plans to You, Lord, they will succeed. Well, I am committing my plans to You. I am giving You the right to alter my plans, to mold my future, to change me into what You want me to be. I want to live for Your glory, Your purposes, and Your kingdom. But I need Your help to do that. Help me remember to do my best simply because it matters to You, because You see what I do and why I am doing it. And what I do matters to You, even if no one else sees it. Guide me along as I go, as I do what You call me to do each day. Lead me in the direction You want me to go. Use my efforts as You want to, whether they appear successful to the world or not.
I know that I might not see the rewards of my work and my efforts here on earth or on this side of eternity. But that’s okay. Because I just want to be successful in Your eyes, Lord, in the heavenly realms. Help me to glorify You in all I do. Help me to work for eternity, for the things that will last, not for temporary pleasures and treasures that won’t last. Help me build up treasures in heaven as I wait to hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” For Your glory and Your kingdom.
In Jesus’s name, Amen.
