365 Encouraging Prayers for Men by Barbour Books

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365 ENCOURAGING PRAYERS FOR MEN

ISBN 979-8-89151-195-8

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Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible.

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WELCOME TO 365 ENCOURAGING PRAYERS FOR MEN

The struggles you experience aren’t unknown to God or uncommon to man. Read through each page of this book and confront the struggle and joy found in living life while experiencing God’s love.

Witness the unheeded warnings and lawlessness that resulted in a story of correction and redemption. And know that in so many bad circumstances God steps in and moves in ways no one could have predicted. This book is a year-long chronicle of man’s misdirection and God’s restoration.

In that year, you’ll meet many well-known men as well as less-familiar ones. Each has a connection to prayer. You will see positive examples and some demonstrations of what to avoid. Perhaps you’ll find this book relatable because you’ll encounter so many reasons for prayer. The common thread of struggle also illustrates humanity’s desperate need for prayer.

Come just as you are and understand that those biblical figures who needed to pray needed God. They needed to recognize His goodness and that they couldn’t do life without Him. These are the same things every generation from the beginning of time has needed to learn.

Allow God to help you make meaningful connections discovered in the stories and experiences of those who’ve been where you are and chose rescue over what we might call “the great walkaway.”

DAY 1

GENESIS 1–3

Prayer Scripture

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate, and gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.

Genesis 3:6–7

Prayer Thought for the Day

Before the Bible ever mentions prayer, it shows the trouble caused by not praying. Adam and Eve should certainly have talked with God before touching that forbidden fruit. As Jesus would teach, “Watch and pray, that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

Prayer Starter

Lord God, I don’t want a lack of prayer to bring me the trouble it brought to Adam and Eve, and I know You don’t want that either! Please give me a hunger to talk with You about everything. Give me a thirst to pray without ceasing. Protect me from temptation and guide me into Your wise ways, because I know You’re the perfect Creator, sustainer, and Redeemer. Today, Lord, right now, here are the things that concern me most. . .

DAY 2

GENESIS 4:1–7:9

Prayer Scripture

And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought from the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought from the firstlings of his flock and from the fat from them. And the Lord had respect for Abel and for his offering, but for Cain and for his offering, He did not have respect. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

Genesis 4:3–5

Prayer Thought for the Day

An offering was a solemn event that signified the close connection between God and His people. It recognized God’s authority and was an outward sign of a willingness to obey. Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. They were both preparing for this time set aside to present an offering to God. Abel followed the rules, and Cain created his own playbook. This decision was disrespectful and the opposite of obedience. This infraction did not go unnoticed by God. It led to anger within Cain, which eventually resulted in the murder of his brother. Sin that’s not turned away from results in more sin.

Prayer Starter

Father, when I pray to You, I’m acknowledging Your presence, power, and perfection. I don’t want to assume I know what You want without reading Your instructions. Help me to use this time to turn from everything that keeps me at a distance from You. Some of those things include. . .

DAY 3

GENESIS 7:10–10:32

Prayer Scripture

The Lord said. . . “I will not again curse the ground anymore for man’s sake, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I again strike any more everything living, as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

Genesis 8:21–22

Prayer Thought for the Day

Prayer is a conversation with God. While it’s not typical for God to speak out loud, He had a message in Genesis 8. The phrase you should pay attention to is the moment when God said, “I will not again curse the ground anymore for man’s sake, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” God looked at everything that happened in the past and everything that was yet to come and knew that humans would continue to break His rules. A change of heart would require something more. That something was Jesus. He would deliver a new covenant (or contract). Those who came to this God conversation (prayer), confessing their need for Him, would be rescued.

Prayer Starter

Lord God, I’m grateful You don’t start humanity over again every time there’s rampant sin. I’m honored You provided a better way for people like me to be right with You. Help me to recognize my sin today and take a moment to turn away from things that break Your laws, such as. . .

DAY 4

GENESIS 11–14

Prayer Scripture

Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up my hand to the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ ”

Genesis 14:22–23

Prayer Thought for the Day

Abram received an incredible promise from God: He would become the father of nations. This was the start of an amazing journey for Abram. His name would be changed, and he would have offspring. That was a lot to look forward to. Maybe this is why it was easy for Abram to turn down the offer of riches from a human. Abram guided a rescue operation that led to the return of people, livestock, and riches. When the local king offered a financial reward, Abram turned it down. He wouldn’t be remembered for being rewarded. Abram would be remembered for receiving God’s promise because he believed it was worth the wait.

Prayer Starter

Father, being more interested in what You offer is more important than any other opportunity. May I always be encouraged to seek You in prayer before accepting opportunities that might leave You out. While I wait, give me the courage to. . .

DAY 5

GENESIS 15–18

Prayer Scripture

The Lord appeared to [Abraham] in the plains of Mamre. . . . And when he saw [the three men], he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass away.”

Genesis 18:1–3

Prayer Thought for the Day

Abraham likely didn’t have many guests on the plains of Mamre, but when God showed up, it was a celebration. Prayer became a conversation. Abraham invited Him to stay, and that’s when he learned the specific timing of the birth of his son. Abraham had waited a long time for this promise. His wife, Sarah, seemed to have given up hope. But Abraham listened and enjoyed the company of the Promise Keeper. He didn’t recognize his guest right away, but Abraham soon learned this was no ordinary visit. You can meet with God anytime. There’s no need to rush the visit. There’s plenty of reason to remember prayer. Maybe you’ll do it again soon.

Prayer Starter

Lord God, let me refuse to rush my time with You. Give me the wisdom to settle in for meaningful conversation with You. Speak to me through Your Word, and I’ll speak from my heart. I need to share the things that concern me. You’re listening now, so let me share. . .

DAY 6

GENESIS 19–21

Prayer Scripture

The Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

Genesis 21:1–3

Prayer Thought for the Day

A year had passed since Abraham had been given the news that a son would be born to his wife Sarah. The sound of crying must have done some good to his aging heart. It certainly reaffirmed that when God said something, He did something. The promise of a son wasn’t fulfilled overnight, and much had to happen before Isaac could be born—but once Abraham embraced the impossibility of having a child in his old age, God stepped in. Promises aren’t delayed to annoy you but to prepare you for something amazing. Keep reading. Keep seeking. Keep praying.

Prayer Starter

Father, I don’t always feel as if I’m where I need to be. Teach me what I need to learn. May I accept Your plans with gratitude and a changed heart ready for Your kept promise. So today I’ll keep thinking about my future and the plans You have for me. While my dreams may not be Yours, I’m asking You to help me let You lead when I. . .

DAY 7

GENESIS 22–24

Prayer Scripture

[God] said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and get into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son.

Genesis 22:2–3

Prayer Thought for the Day

Think about how hard the struggle must have been for Abraham. He was asked to leave the family he’d been with most of his life. He was promised a son and had to wait more than two decades. Now, when the boy was still young and the hope inside was finally growing roots, God asked Abraham to take Isaac and sacrifice him on a mountain of God’s choosing. This was an exceedingly hard request, but Abraham set out to do what God asked. God was doing no more or less than seeing if Abraham had truly learned to follow. He had. God chose and accepted an alternate sacrifice that day. His Son, Jesus, is the alternate sacrifice now.

Prayer Starter

Lord God, obedience is hard when I don’t understand why, because what You ask is something that doesn’t make sense. Give me the wisdom to remember that I don’t have to understand everything to trust You enough to follow. Here are some of the things I struggle with. . .

DAY 8

GENESIS 25–27

Prayer Scripture

[God said,] “I will perform the oath that I swore to Abraham your father, and I will make your descendants to multiply as the stars of heaven and will give to your descendants all these countries. And in your descendants shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because Abraham obeyed My voice and observed My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

Genesis 26:3–5

Prayer Thought for the Day

God confirmed the reason why He would be creating a nation from Abraham’s family. It wasn’t because future generations would always follow Him. It wasn’t based on the perfection of Isaac or his sons, Jacob and Esau. God blessed this growing family simply because He made a promise to Abraham, and God keeps His promises. In a similar way, God would create a family from those who accepted His Son, Jesus. It wouldn’t be because they were perfect but because of the promise of new life through Jesus.

Prayer Starter

Father, You made a promise. That promise was a blessing to Abraham, and a similar promise is a blessing to me. I can become a part of Your family because of Jesus. I’m so grateful for Your promise of rescue. It gives me the opportunity to. . .

DAY 9

GENESIS 28–29

Prayer Scripture

Jacob vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will take care of me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God.”

Genesis 28:20–21

Prayer Thought for the Day

God made a promise to Abraham’s descendants, and the promise wasn’t conditioned on anything other than His promise. That wasn’t the case with Abraham’s grandson Jacob. This descendant likely did what he felt was generous. He agreed to follow God—with a few conditions. If God walked with, fed, and clothed him when he didn’t feel safe, then he would commit to calling God “Lord.” Jacob had provisions for his allegiance to God, but it was a step in God’s direction. You might also be hesitant. God makes promises to you even when you struggle to make a commitment to Him. God is always committed to seeking your good. Pray and thank Him for His kindness.

Prayer Starter

Lord God, Your commitment to love the people who live in this world is without condition. I may struggle with a commitment to follow You even when I have every reason to do so. Give me a heart that chooses to trust You with. . .

DAY 10

GENESIS 30–31

Prayer Scripture

“And the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’

And I said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Lift up now your eyes and see all the rams that leap on the cattle are striped, speckled, and gray-colored, for I have seen all that Laban does to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you vowed a vow to Me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your family.’ ”

Genesis 31:11–13

Prayer Thought for the Day

Jacob may have felt a bit like a vagabond. He left home when his brother, Esau, sought to kill him following the death of their father, Isaac. Jacob was now rushing to leave the land where he’d married and started raising his family. It wouldn’t be his last move. This move was initiated by God and was designed to be obeyed without long-term consideration. Jacob was returning home, but there was an adventurous side trip waiting for him. A growing reliance on God was changing a man previously known for deception, and his conversations with God had an impact on Jacob’s willingness to go where God was sending him.

Prayer Starter

Father, I want to believe that when You lead, following is always my best response. Help me to keep in touch with You so I can recognize Your voice, believe You love me, and. . .

DAY 11

GENESIS 32–34

Prayer Scripture

Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country, and to your family, and I will deal well with you,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies. . . . Deliver me, I ask You, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he will come and strike me and the mothers with the children. And You said, ‘I will surely do you good and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

Genesis 32:9–12

Prayer Thought for the Day

Jacob once accepted God with conditions. But he did come to rely on God more as each year passed. As he gained a God-directed change of address, Jacob learned that his brother Esau was coming to find him, and there were four hundred men with him. This news inspired fear, prayer, and a reminder that God had said a nation would come from Jacob’s family. This promise was described as a multitude. In this troubling circumstance Jacob’s response was a prayerful consultation with the great Promise Keeper.

Prayer Starter

Lord God, I’m often overwhelmed with things I don’t know how to handle. I want to choose to let You handle them instead. Today I’m overwhelmed by. . .

DAY 12

GENESIS 35–36

Prayer Scripture

God appeared to Jacob again. . .and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” And He called his name Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall be from you, and kings shall come out of your loins. And the land that I gave Abraham and Isaac, to you I will give it, and to your descendants after you I will give the land.”

Genesis 35:9–12

Prayer Thought for the Day

As Jacob’s thinking became more aligned with God’s plan, God determined it was time for a name change. This was something that happened with Abram (Abraham), and, with this change, Jacob would become the namesake of the future nation of Israel. God showed up and chose to bless this man who had come so far since his early days as a deceiver. Time spent with God had changed Jacob’s heart and his family’s future. There’s a profound benefit in making time with God a priority. It will change your future.

Prayer Starter

Father, let me never see prayer as a burden. Give me a freedom to talk with You about anything. Even if my name never changes, please change my heart about. . .

DAY 13

GENESIS 37–39

Prayer Scripture

[Jacob said,] “It is my son’s coat. An evil beast has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.” And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.

Genesis 37:33–35

Prayer Thought for the Day

Maybe it was sons modeling the deception of their father, or perhaps it was simple jealousy, but the result was a band of brothers selling the second youngest of their clan to traders heading to Egypt. These brothers lied to their father, Jacob, by telling him that an animal had killed the son he favored. Imagine the grief in Jacob’s next visit with God. Imagine the pain experienced for years, perhaps believing he could have done something to prevent a tragedy that never actually happened. Because God is near to the brokenhearted, He must have been very close to Jacob in the midst of everything he didn’t know.

Prayer Starter

Lord God, when my internal hurt seems more than I can handle, may I remember You’ve been available to all the crushed and broken men with backstories that seem beyond revision. I need Your help today with. . .

DAY 14

GENESIS 40–41

Prayer Scripture

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is none who can interpret it, and I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream to interpret it.” And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me. God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

Genesis 41:15–16

Prayer Thought for the Day

While Jacob spent years grieving the loss of his son Joseph, the young man struggled through his own issues with deception, lies, and slavery. He’d been wrongfully accused and sat in a prison cell. He followed the God he learned about from an imperfect father, and that relationship with God sustained him through his own crushed and broken life.

But Pharaoh learned about Joseph. He summoned Joseph from the prison to the palace to help him understand a disturbing dream. Joseph made it clear that he served the only God who could answer such a difficult question. This led Joseph to a position that was second only to Pharaoh’s. God had a plan.

Prayer Starter

Father, some struggles I face are of my own making. Others, I can’t begin to understand. Give me the courage to do what I can for You in the place where I am. Help me to realize I don’t need to know everything about why I’m here to know that You’re good, and even in this You have a plan for. . .

DAY 15

GENESIS 42–43

Prayer Scripture

[Joseph’s brothers] said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he begged us and we would not hear. Therefore this distress has come on us.” And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the child,’ and you would not hear? Therefore, behold, also his blood is required.” And they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them by an interpreter. And he turned himself around from them and wept.

Genesis 42:21–24

Prayer Thought for the Day

Joseph was eyewitness to an answered prayer. Many years had passed when suddenly the same brothers who sold him into slavery showed up hungry. They needed food, and Joseph was the man in charge of that commodity. What they felt was a miscommunication wasn’t lost on a brother they didn’t recognize. Joseph would later tell these frightened betrayers that God had used their worst decision to save many lives during the worst famine anyone had ever experienced. Joseph’s ongoing connection with God led to forgiveness where bitterness usually thrives.

Prayer Starter

Lord God, being bitter is easy. Forgiveness is hard. I haven’t always been treated well, and there are times I get angry remembering the circumstances that have never made sense. Please help me to forgive. . .

DAY 16

GENESIS 44–45

Prayer Scripture

“Hurry, and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Do not delay. And you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you, and your children, and your children’s children, and your flocks, and your herds, and all that you have. And there I will nourish you, for there are still five years of famine, lest you and your household and all that you have come to poverty.” ’ ”

Genesis 45:9–11

Prayer Thought for the Day

Have you ever uttered a prayer that you struggled to believe God would answer? You wanted Him to, but it all seemed next to impossible. Sometimes God answers impossible prayers, and the recipient is left speechless. This was what happened to Jacob. Surviving the famine seemed impossible, and there were problems with an Egyptian leader who asked too many questions. But suddenly Jacob was confronted with a truth that had been hidden from him for years—Joseph was alive, and Pharaoh had invited the whole family to come to Egypt and live. It was all too much—or perhaps just enough.

Prayer Starter

Father, help me to be comfortable praying impossible prayers. May I refuse to believe that I bother You when I ask for something I have no reason to believe is possible. Let me boldly begin today. . .

DAY 17

GENESIS 46–48

Prayer Scripture

[Israel] blessed Joseph and said, “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who fed me all my life long to this day, the Angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys. And let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

Genesis 48:15–16

Prayer Thought for the Day

This part of Genesis 48 describes one who has been blessed blessing a new generation. Jacob was nearing death and insisted on blessing Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. These boys hadn’t known their grandfather, had never seen the land in which he lived, and might have felt uncomfortable as he rested his hands on them. Jacob spoke words that described a good future for the boys. The result of Jacob’s imperfect life spent praying to a good God was an extension of God’s impact among the people. At that moment, Jacob was passing the faith baton to new family members, and it was good.

Prayer Starter

Lord God, let me not look at my prayer life as something entirely personal. I want to use my faith to impact my family so future generations might have the opportunity to know You. Today I pray for family members like. . .