Prayer For An Attitude Check During Times of Stress and Pressure
Tuesday May 26, 2020
With lots of change and lots of demands on each moment of each day it can be easy to slide into a negative attitude. There’s lots of research that tells us that a negative attitude harms everyone involved and often in more ways than one. It sucks our energy, our joy, our ability to be flexible and creative. Even though we know it’s not good for us it’s not always easy to change it but as someone has said, “A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You can’t go anywhere until you change it.” Even though someone may trigger a hostile response in us, our attitude is our own, not theirs, and we need to submit it to God.
So today we want to ask God’s help when we find ourselves struggling with a negative perspective or a bad attitude. We want to respond as the Bible encourages us:
Throw off your old sinful nature
and your former way of life,
which is corrupted by lust and deception.
Instead, let the Spirit renew
your thoughts and attitudes.
Put on your new nature,
created to be like God—
truly righteous and holy.
Ephesians 4:22-24 NLT
We thank you God for the gift of family and friends, work associates, neighbours, those we attend groups and church with. During the time of this pandemic it’s been brought to our attention over and over again how important these relationships and interactions are.
Finally, all of you should be of one mind.
Sympathize with each other.
Love each other as brothers and sisters.
Be tenderhearted
and keep a humble attitude.
1 Peter 3:8
We also know that we don’t always do our best in relating to others and comments or actions can set us off on a negative or critical path. When we have harmed someone by our negative response we pray Lord, for the grace to humbly own our wrong, apologize, and make amends.
Therefore, if you are offering
your gift at the altar
and there remember
that your brother or sister
has something against you,
leave your gift
there in front of the altar.
First go and be reconciled to them,
then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 5:23-24 NIV
Forgive us for our bad attitudes towards You, towards others, and towards life in general. Help us understand the underlying root of our bad attitude and self-centered thinking so that we can be set free from its bondage. Lord Jesus, create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us.
Make allowance for each other’s faults,
and forgive anyone who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you,
so you must forgive others.
Colossians 3:13
It’s so easy to react when there are misunderstandings in a situation. I pray God that you would help us take a breath and ask for your perspective on what is going on. Help us to make allowance even for the faults of others and give us the willingness and the strength to forgive those who offend us. You’ve forgiven us so much already and now we want to pass that along.
He heals
the brokenhearted
and binds up
their wounds
Psalm 147:3
God, You alone know the condition of our soul at the deepest places of our being. Where there continue to be wounds from past times of harsh words or unjust treatment towards us we ask for Your healing and the grace to let go of whatever is past. As you forgive us, you throw our sins to the depths of the sea, never to be remembered. Holy Spirit, help us to do the same with things our past that have wronged us and harmed us.
You’ve instructed us God to love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and then to love our neighbour as ourselves. Fill us with Your grace to do that today, we pray, particularly when situations are challenging and we need an attitude check.
With St. Francis we pray:
Lord, make me
an instrument
of your peace,
Where there is hatred,
let me sow love;
Where there is injury,
pardon;
Where there is doubt,
faith;
Where there is despair,
hope;
Where there is darkness,
light;
Where there is sadness,
joy;
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not
so much seek
To be consoled
as to console;
To be understood
as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving
that we receive;
It is in pardoning
that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying
that we are born
to eternal life.
Amen
Recent Hope For Today
Giving Hope
Partners in Hope is supported wholly by our friends and community. We are thankful to everyone who partners with us to help bring hope to the discouraged, hurting, and hopeless.