Three years and eleven months ago, I wrote “Prayers for Now,” a piece collecting prayers for the anxious moment that was March 15, 2020. I don’t expect February 15, 2024, to be as individually or as globally momentous as that week last Leap Year. (I hope not!) But 2024’s February and March will certainly not be devoid of violence or fear, not locally or globally. Those 2020 prayers are just as much for this moment as that one.
But I also believe in the value of more ordinary prayers. We need prayers for the peaks and troughs of human experiences; we also need prayers for regular Thursdays at 2:37 in the afternoon. In the Christian liturgical calendar, yesterday was Ash Wednesday: a day that sparks a new awareness of God’s presence for millions of people around the world. And yet the drone of monotony is still so, so loud, numbing us to the possibility of anything beyond our routines. I know my own mind is tired, busy with a thousand personal and professional priorities. Quieting my heart and listening to God is not a natural response to any event—let alone as a response the parts of my life that I think I can control.
These words (some old and some newer) have reshaped my thoughts and longings in the midst of the mundane. They have washed over me along with the waves of faith and doubt; they have shouted over the typical needlepoints of frustration and pushed me toward everyday opportunities for faithfulness. May these prayers speak to you in your own Thursdays.
“May you know that you are small
And fit well in the hands of God.”
(Sarah Sparks, “Benediction for Sleep,” Sleep: Songs for the Anxious)
“The Lord is near.”
(Philippians 4:5 NKJV)
“May my presence here
Daily suggest
Your presence here.”
(“For One Who Is Employed,” Every Moment Holy Volume I)
“From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, O Jesus.”
(“A Litany of Humility,” quoted by Mitali Perkins in Steeped in Stories: Timeless Children’s Stories to Refresh Our Tired Souls)
“Lord, we are given so few chances to direct the course of our lives.
So with what little is in my control, would you help me try?”
(Kate Bowler, “A Blessing for When You Need a Little Motivation to Change”)
“Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity.”
(Attributed to Sir Francis Drake*)
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”
(Psalm 13:1 NIV)
“God is good.
God is near.
God is not done.”
(Kyle McRill, Encounter Fulton Heights Sermon; February 4, 2024)
* I find this attribution curious and unlikely, as Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540–1596) was the sort of state-sponsored pirate who loved plundering—not giving up—an “abundance of things.” Whether the privateer scribbled these words down or not, I hope they can still be words we repeat with honesty and humility.
Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik
Courtney Zonnefeld graduated in 2018 with a degree in writing. She currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she works for Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and saving up for more herb plants. You can usually find her wandering a farmer’s market, hunting for vintage books, or browsing the tea selection in coffee shops.
