Rhythms of Grace

Dear Praying Friends,

I woke up today with this thought: “I don’t travel alone!” When I am going somewhere I’ve never been it really helps if I travel with someone who already knows the way. Every day I am going somewhere I’ve never been before because I don’t know what each day will hold. I’m grateful today that Jesus is the Way! I don’t have to fret because I don’t travel alone! And neither do you!

Let’s keep praying for Nation and Neighbor. Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Let us be Your “candles” in this dark world. Light our “wicks” in 2026!

Blessings, Gina

A few verses about Jesus: Possibility! Perfecter! Salvation!

Prayer “Pointer” to Think/Journal/Apply: The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine…Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus.” ― Hudson Taylor

Prayer “Fuel”: Lord, please remind us everyday that we don’t travel alone. When we become fearful because we don’t know the way, remind us that YOU ARE THE WAY! (add your own prayers) Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Let us be Your “candles” in this dark world. Light our “wicks” in 2026!

As You Have Time: God Will Make a Way Because He is the Way – The Crosswalk Devotional – May 2 – Daily Devotional | Crosswalk.com

A Worship Song: Michael W. Smith-Still

Dear Praying Friends,

I’m writing this on February 20,2026 and it’s been almost a month since I last wrote a post on the blog. But I have been journaling and praying and trying hard to listen to what God would say to me.

A few weeks ago, I was in the prayer room in Laramie with several friends and we were intensely praying. The Lord seemed to highlight Psalm 51:12 to us that day and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since that day. The verse in the NIV reads like this:

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

As I have studied this verse over the last few weeks, the commentaries mention that this is David asking God to restore the joy of a right relationship with Him after he had sinned. But as I have been meditating on this verse, I feel that we can be walking in right standing with God but still feel that our joy is under attack. Jesus told us that in this world we would have trouble and I can see how trouble can try to rob us of our joy. And so I think that we can pray this verse every day asking the Lord to keep us strong in His joy. I will probably share more insights in a later post. Until then, let’s pray for one another in these challenging times.

Let’s keep praying for Nation and Neighbor. Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Let us be Your “candles” in this dark world. Light our “wicks” in 2026!

Blessings, Gina

A few verses about renewal: Psalm 51:12, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:2

Prayer “Pointer” to Think/Journal/Apply:

We may not have all the answers, but we have the Answer—Jesus. Every trial is refining us, every waiting season is shaping us, and every heartbreak is being woven into a greater story of redemption.

-Our Daily Verse (think about this and let it inspire your prayers and journaling)

Prayer “Starter”: Lord, in this world that tries to rob us of our joy, we ask You to restore the joy of Your salvation in each weary heart. Help our brothers and sisters all over the earth who are battling discouragement. Our joy isn’t in our circumstances our joy is in You, Jesus. (add your own prayers) Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Let us be Your “candles” in this dark world. Light our “wicks” in 2026!

As You Have Time: Restore, Renew, Rejoice! | Psalm 51:12 | Our Daily Bread Video Devotional (and I say YES and AMEN to this!)

A Worship Song: When I feel sad, this song brings me joy. Your Way’s Better

Dear Praying Friends,

I am writing this on January 23, 2026 because the Lord woke me very early this morning to pray. My scripture reading this morning took me to Luke 5:1-11. (see below for link). The story is probably familiar to you as it was to me. Peter and the fishermen had been fishing all night and were finishing for the day. I think they were pretty weary and maybe even discouraged because their fishing efforts had not yielded anything. I began to meditate this morning about the places where I have cast my “nets” hoping for answered prayers and the prayers have felt futile. I’m thinking out loud here wondering is Jesus is saying “Try again!”? I’m going to keep praying about this and I encourage you to pray over the places where you may feel discouraged. Is Jesus challenging you to try again?

Let’s keep praying for Nation and Neighbor.

Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Let us be Your “candles” in this dark world. Light our “wicks” in 2026!

Blessings, Gina

Scripture readings: Luke 5:1-11, Galatians 6:9

Prayer “Pointer” to Think/Journal/Apply: Starting over can be daunting, but many Bible verses encourage us to embrace new beginnings with hope. We all encounter moments when life doesn’t proceed as we planned or when our dreams seem out of reach. God is in the business of making all things new. He invites us to trust Him in re-routing our paths and trying again toward fresh opportunities. ~30 Powerful Bible Verses About Trying Again (think about this and let is inspire your prayers and journaling)

Prayer “Starter”: Lord, help me to hear Your voice when You are saying “try again!” Help me to not give up but to press on. Show me brothers and sisters who may need my encouragement to hold on and press on. In this world that feels dark and hopeless, let us bring Your light. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done through each of us in 2026. (add your own prayers) Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Let us be Your “candles” in this dark world. Light our “wicks” in 2026!

As You Have Time: (full commentary for site mentioned above) ~30 Powerful Bible Verses About Trying Again

A Worship Song: Anchor of My Soul

Dear Praying Friends,

This is my first post for 2026. If you have been reading the previous posts you will know that in December the Lord was teaching me about weeping. I had a conversation during December with other Christians and we agreed that the Church doesn’t teach “lament” well. Some concluded that this might be because of the wide spread “prosperity gospel” in the Western Church.

I knew that the tears I was shedding in December were holy tears. Some have referred to these seasons of weeping as “liquid tears.” I knew that my tears were not a sign of weakness but actually strengthened me to depend on God. I knew that I was weeping for the lost of my city and beyond.

I know that things in our world seem pretty dark right now. When January 1, 2026 dawned I felt that the Lord spoke and then confirmed from Psalm 30 that after the weeping “joy comes in the morning.”

I don’t know what is ahead in 2026 but I know Who is there every day with us if we will just call out to Him.

Let’s keep praying for Nation and Neighbor.

Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Let us be Your “candles” in this dark world. Light our “wicks” in 2026!

Blessings, Gina

Scripture readings: Isaiah 61:3, Psalm 126:5

Prayer “Pointer” to Think/Journal/Apply: When we experience sorrow, it is comforting to know that God’s promise of joy is never far behind. He assures us that joy will return after our hard times. We are reminded that, even in our darkest moments, there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow. God holds our sorrows and provides us with the promise of rejoicing again. By trusting Him, we are reassured that we will experience joy, just as He has promised. We need to cling to this promise to lift our spirits and provide us with strength through trials. ~40 Bible Verses About Joy After Sorrow (With Commentary) (think about this and let is inspire your prayers and journaling)

Prayer “Starter”: Lord, help us to remember in weeping and in laughter that You are Lord of all. Let us feel the heart of Heaven, Your heart, when we intercede for our Nation and our world. We trust You with the future because we know that You hold the future. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done through each of us in 2026. (add your own prayers) Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Let us be Your “candles” in this dark world. Light our “wicks” in 2026!

As You Have Time: Check out more scriptures from https://bibleoutlined.com/bible-verses-about-joy-after-sorrow/

A Worship Song: Joy Comes in the Morning

Dear Praying Friends,

As I spent some extended time in silence with the Lord today an image began to form in my mind. I saw a Christmas tree with gifts under it. Jesus opened one of the gifts and out of it came His glorious light. Then a globe appeared over the tree and the light reached up to it. I recognized again that Jesus is the true gift of Christmas. That gift didn’t contain clothes or toys or a banquet. The box contained Jesus.

As I have asked the Lord about weeping and in particular what makes Him weep, I think that the “muddied” message of Christmas makes Him weep. I’m asking the Lord to help me get back to Him as my “first love” and to let go of everything that leads me away from loving and serving Him.

Let’s keep praying for Nation and Neighbor.

Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Help us to thrive in 2025 and help us worship You as the greatest gift of all.

Blessings, Gina

Weeping…part 4… A familiar scripture but take another look…John 3:16 NKJV

Prayer “Starter”: Lord, Jesus forgive us for the places where we have replaced Your story with our own. Christmas isn’t about clothes or toys or even banquets. Christmas is Your story, it is about You. How You must weep over the distraction of Your Church. Help us to return to You as our “first love” and to release the things that have become idols in our lives leading us away from You. (add your own prayers)

Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Help us to thrive in 2025 and help us worship You as the greatest gift of all.

Prayer “Pointer” to Think/Journal/Apply:

God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful.” 

— Mother Teresa

(add your own thoughts/prayers)

A Worship Song: Gifts from God

Dear Praying Friends,

It has been awhile since I have written anything here because life has been particularly challenging in these days. But even in the challenges, I feel compelled to pray on. Maybe even more so!

This post has been in my heart since early December and today I feel that I should try to articulate some things I feel God is saying to me. I don’t know if this will resonate with anyone else, but I feel that I have been to some deep and hard places with the Lord recently.

If you have followed the blog at all, you may know that over the past weeks, I have been asking the Lord about “weeping.” I have known for years that weeping is a form of prayer. Some call weeping, “liquid prayer” and I can resonate with that.

A few weeks back, I felt the Lord told me that I need to weep, but I found that with the condition of our world and with the challenges of personal life, I felt numb and couldn’t shed a tear. So I asked the Lord to help me. I recalled that when Jesus looked at Jerusalem, He wept.

Early in December, I found myself in downtown Denver, Colorado for a family event. I had an unsual encounter that night in the hustle and bustle of the big city. All of a sudden I saw a “sea” of faces and the people in the cars and high rises were no longer strangers to me. I felt the Lord say, “These are people that I died for.” I felt weeping begin to rise in my heart and I felt the Lord was weeping through me for His lost sheep. I whispered to the Lord, “Please bring a spiritual awakening to Denver, Colorado and to Laramie, Wyoming. If you need to weep for these places, You can weep through me.”

I guess my prayer prompt for you today is to ask the Lord to really help you “see” the people that you encounter in your day to day life as those that He died for. I believe that His Church must be “tenderized” towards the lost of our world.

Let’s keep on praying for Neighbor and Nation:

Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Help us to thrive in 2025 and help us to pray for the lost.

Weeping…part three…Luke 6:21

Prayer Pointer:

Prayer Starter: Lord, help Your Church, help me. We are numb with the hurt of this world and sometimes it is hard to care about anything anymore. Take out our heart of stone and put a heart in us that beats with Your heartbeat. Help us to see the “sea” of people around us everyday that You died for. (add your own prayers)Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Help us to thrive in 2025 and help us to pray for the lost.

Think/Journal/Apply: The joy of the Lord isn’t pretending everything is fine. It’s the deep strength of knowing God has not walked away. You don’t have to wait for a perfect day to know that joy. You have a faithful God who is your strength in this one. -Our Daily Verse (add your own thoughts/prayers)

A Worship Song: Hymn of Heaven

Dear Praying Friends,

Some days I just feel “numb” with the hurts of this world. In my last post, I spoke about the need to “weep” over the things that break God’s heart. What are those things? Well, I believe when God looks at lost and broken humanity, He weeps. Do I? Does His Church? It is so easy to become caught up with my own “stuff” that I forget why the Lord has left me here. I am here to share the love of Christ.

We all feel overwhelmed and numb sometimes, but we don’t have to stay there.

God tells us to be strong and courageous because He is with us. (Joshua 1:9) He promises if we lack wisdom, He will show us the way. (Jas. 1:5)

Is there one thing that you can do to make a difference in this hurting world? Consider doing a kind act for a neighbor or a friend. Maybe bake a batch of cookies or send a kind, handwritten note.

If we all did just a small act of kindness, it could really change the spiritual atmosphere of our world. Perhaps we could dry some of God’s tears over this broken place.

Let’s keep on praying for neighbor and Nation:

Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Help us to thrive in 2025 and help us to pray!

Weeping…part two! Psalm 34:18

Prayer Pointer: When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings; name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.” 

— Johnson Oatman Jr.

Prayer Starter: Lord, You say that You are close to the broken-hearted. I want You to be close to me, so break my heart with what breaks Yours. And let this lead to God-directed actions that will bring Your Kingdom to this world. Show Us Your Glory, Lord. Help us to thrive in 2025 and help us to pray! (add your own prayers)

Think/Journal/Apply: How might today look different if I filtered every decision through the lens of love? 

A Worship Song: Kindness

Dear Praying Friends, I haven’t posted on the prayer blog for over a month because I have felt depleted spiritually. I realized this week that I haven’t been able to weep and weeping is what is needed. I have prayed, “Lord, help me to weep!” I know that sounds very strange, but I know that weeping is a powerful spiritual weapon that draws us closer to God. I would think that closeness to God is what every believer longs for…I know that I do! So as I come back to a season of “weeping”, I encourage you to continue praying for Nation and Neighbor with me.

My Prayer prompt for this post is:

Show us Your Glory, Lord! Help us to thrive in 2025 and help us to press on!

Show us Your Glory, Lord! Help us to thrive in 2025 and help us to press on!

He Was Faithful Then…He’ll Be Faithful Now

Dear Praying Friends,

The word “faithful” has come up several times over the past few weeks. I think the Lord is reminding me that I need to keep reminding myself of His faithfulness. Maybe you do, too.

The circumstances of the world can be very wearying. I heard a pastor even refer to them as “numbing” and I agree. It may not be the news that gives you the “blues” but maybe just your day to day living. I find myself especially exhausted today as I consider my mom’s celebration of life this week and also traveling to and from with Stan.

A hymn at church today had words that caught my eye:

“…I shall not fear the battle, if thou are by my side, nor wander from the pathway, if thou wilt be my guide.”

This past week, I recalled a beautiful show of God’s faithfulness on my recent trip to Washington, DC. I felt I should write the story down for the writer’s group where I meet and I thought Love Nevers Fails…A Reflection from Washington DC would encourage you, too.

Take a moment and remember God’s “faithfulness” to you. AND…

Let’s keep praying for Nation and neighbor…SHOW US YOUR GLORY, LORD! HELP US TO THRIVE IN 2025 AND HELP US TO BRING BEAUTY FOR ASHES!

Sunday, October 12, 2025: Psalm 111

Prayer Pointer: Every worry, every decision, every hope—place it all in His care. Trust in Him to guide you, to provide for you, and to show you a path where you might not see one. ~Our Daily Verse

Prayer Fuel: Lord, help me to remember and to keep on remembering Your faithfulness even in the midst of “life-numbing” events. Help my brothers and sisters, too, to keep their eyes upon You this day and in the days ahead remembering that even the darkness is not dark to You. You have cared for us day by day and Your faithfulness has not changed even in the midst of these difficult days. Thank You. (add your own prayers here) SHOW US YOUR GLORY, LORD! HELP US TO THRIVE IN 2025 AND HELP US TO BRING BEAUTY FOR ASHES!

Think/Journal/apply: How can you cultivate a posture of watchfulness and thankfulness today?

As You have time: I’ve Seen God’s Faithfulness

Worship Song for Today: Great is Thy Faithfulness

For more prayer “fuel” for October, let’s pray for our churches:The Gospel Coalition:18 Things to Pray for Your Church

Help us get the word out for National Day of Prayer 2026! You can download the theme artwork seen above here. I encourage you to use it in your email signatures to help everyone prepare to pray with us on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

Praying, praying, praying…Gina

When You Can’t Fight the Good Fight…

Dear Praying Friends,

I listened to a song this morning that says that God will fight for me when I can’t fight for myself. But then I thought, “Am I supposed to be fighting for myself?” Scripture does tell us to “fight the good fight of faith.”(1 Timothy 6:12) But I have always felt that is not possible without the power of the Holy Spirit. So what do we do when we can’t fight? Well, I’ll tell you what I do…I pray again. I cry out to God again. I recognize again that He is my all in all and that I can’t really do this thing called faith without Him. As I have been pondering all of this today, I did a search on “weakness.” One of my favorite “findings” is from the Apostle Paul: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10.

Let’s keep praying in the power of the Holy Spirit…

SHOW US YOUR GLORY, LORD! HELP US TO THRIVE IN 2025 AND HELP US TO BRING BEAUTY FOR ASHES!

Let’s keep praying for Nation and neighbor…

Sunday, October 5, 2025: Another good scripture about God fighting for us: Exodus 14:14

Prayer Pointer: “Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.” — Corrie Ten Boom

Prayer Fuel: Lord, help us to fight the good fight of faith in the power of Your Holy Spirit. There is really no other way to fight. Help us when we become self-sufficient to become God-sufficient. You are the One Who supplies all our needs and we thank You! (add your own prayers here) SHOW US YOUR GLORY, LORD! HELP US TO THRIVE IN 2025 AND HELP US TO BRING BEAUTY FOR ASHES!

Think/Journal/apply: In what ways can I show real trust in God as I go about my day? 

As You have time: A God Who Fights for Us

Worship Song for Today: Battles

For more prayer “fuel” for October, let’s pray for our churches:The Gospel Coalition:18 Things to Pray for Your Church

Help us get the word out for National Day of Prayer 2026! You can download the theme artwork seen above here. I encourage you to use it in your email signatures to help everyone prepare to pray with us on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

Praying, praying, praying…Gina