Lord, I will find out what pleases You. I will obey Your commands, for I live in You, and You live in me. And this is how I know that You live in me: I know it by Your Holy Spirit that You gave me. So I will make it my goal to please You. Apart from You I can do nothing. O God, deliver me from living the rest of my earthly life for evil human desires, but let me live for Your will. For this world and its desires will pass away, but if I do Your will, I will live forever. (Eph. 5:10; 1 John 3:24; 2 Cor. 5:9a; John 15:5b; 1 John 2:17, all paraphrased, A Woman's Journey Toward Holiness, 165)

Lord, I pray that ___________________ will ponder the direction of their lives and turn to follow Your statutes. Deliver them from evil people who try to drag them into sin; instead, teach them to be firmly anchored to Your law. In the middle of the night, may they get up to thank You because Your laws are right. Encourage them to be friends to everyone who fears You, to anyone who obeys Your orders. O Lord, Your love fills the earth. Teach_______________ Your demands. You have done good things for them, as You have promised, Lord. Teach them wisdom and knowledge because they trust Your commands. May Your teachings be worth more to them than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. (Ps. 119:59, 61 nlt; Ps. 119:62-66, 72 ncv, all paraphrased)

Merciful and loving God, You disciplined me when I was unruly. Now restore me, and I will return to You, because You are the Lord my God. For I am happy and fortunate to be reproved by You; I will not despise or reject Your correction and discipline. I will not lose heart, become discouraged, utterly spiritless, exhausted, and weary through fear. I will submit to You, Lord, and be at peace with You. I will make level paths for my feet and take only ways that are firm. For You are the Lord my God; I will consecrate myself to You and be holy, because You are holy. (Jer. 31:18b; Job 5:17 amp; 2 Cor. 4:16a amp; Job 22:21a; Prov. 4:26; Lev. 11:44a, all paraphrased, A Woman's Journey Toward Holiness, 167)

God of Wisdom, I will listen to a life-giving rebuke so that I may be at home among the wise. For if I ignore discipline, I despise myself; therefore, I will heed correction and gain understanding. I will get the truth and will never sell it; I will also get wisdom, discipline, and discernment. I will listen to counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction that I may be wise. O Lord, "give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart." (Prov. 15:31-32; Prov. 23:23 nlt; Prov. 19:20a amp paraphrased; Ps. 119:34 nlt not paraphrased, A Woman's Journey Toward Holiness, 168)

Master Coach, I will train myself toward godliness and keep myself spiritually fit. For physical training is of some value to me, but godliness and spiritual training are useful and of value in everything, for they hold promise for my present life and also for my life to come. I will consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task You have given me, Lord JesusÛthe task of telling others the Good News of God's grace. I will press on toward the goal to win the prize for which You, Lord, have called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (1 Tim. 4:7b-8 amp; Acts 20:24; Phil. 3:14, all paraphrased, A Woman's Journey Toward Holiness, 169)

"Answer me when I pray to you, my God who does what is right. Make things easier for me when I am in trouble. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer." O Lord, You love justice and will not leave me, for I worship You. You will always protect me. Teach me how short my life really is so that I may be wise. "My God, I want to do what you want. Your teachings are in my heart." So I will trust You, God, and will not forget what You have done. I will obey Your commands. These commands are like a lamp; this teaching is like a light. And the correction that comes from it will help me have life. (Ps. 4:1 not paraphrased; Ps. 37:28; 90:12 paraphrased; 40:8 not paraphrased; Ps. 78:7; Prov. 6:23 paraphrased, all ncv)

"My whole being will exclaim, ÎWho is like you, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.'" You uphold the cause of the oppressed and give food to the hungry. You, Lord, set prisoners free. Therefore, I will not exploit the poor, because they are poor and will not crush the needy in court. Yes, I will speak up for the poor and helpless and see that they get justice. (Ps. 35:10 not paraphrased; Ps. 146:7; Prov. 22:22; Prov. 31:9 nlt paraphrased, A Woman's Journey Toward Holiness, 181)

Lord, I have freely received; therefore, I will freely give. I will open my hands to the poor; yes, I will reach out to the needy with my hands filled. Then I will know the blessing of generously sharing my food with the poor. By being generous, my soul will prosper and be enriched; when I refresh others, I will myself be refreshed. (Matt. 10:8b; Prov. 31:20 amp; Prov. 22:9; 11:25, all paraphrased, A Woman's Journey Toward Holiness, 180)

Lord, the kind of fast You have chosen is not just a day for me to humble myself. The kind of fasting You have chosen for me is to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke. It is to share my food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when I see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from my own flesh and blood. And if I spend myself in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then my light will rise in the darkness, and my night will become like the noonday. (Isa. 58:5a, 6-7, 10 paraphrased, A Woman's Journey Toward Holiness, 182)

Ever kind and giving Lord, teach me how to use whatever gift I have received to serve others, faithfully administering Your grace in its various forms. Then I will do good deeds, as one who has brought up children, who has practiced hospitality to strangers, who has washed the feet of the saints, who has helped to relieve the distressed, and devoted myself to doing good in every way. I will also consider how I may spur others on toward love and good deeds. I will let my light so shine before others that they may see my good works and glorify You, Father, who are in heaven. (1 Peter 4:10; 1 Tim. 5:10 amp; Heb. 10:24; Matt. 5:16 kjv, all paraphrased, A Woman's Journey Toward Holiness,

Forgiving Savior, I repent, change my mind and purpose; I turn around and return to You that my sins may be erased, blotted out, wiped clean, that times of refreshing may come from You. I will cleanse myself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in fear and reverence of You, O God. I will throw off my old evil nature and my former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, I will be spiritually renewed in my thoughts and attitudes. I will display a new nature because I am like a new person, created in Your likeness, Lord, righteous, holy, and true. (Acts 3:19 amp; 2 Cor. 7:1b kjv; Eph. 4:22-24 nlt, all paraphrased, A Woman's Journey Toward Holiness, 209)

"The mighty oceans have roared, O Lord. The mighty oceans roar like thunder; the mighty oceans roar as they pound the shore." "You have thrust me down to the lowest pit, into the darkest depths. Your anger lies heavy on me; wave after wave engulfs me." "Your waves and surging tides sweep over me." I reel and stagger like a drunken person; I am at my wits' end. I cry out to You, Lord, in my trouble; bring me out of my distress. O still the storm to a whisper, the waves of the sea to a hush. For mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore, O Lord, You are mightier than these! (Ps. 93:3 nlt; Ps. 88:6-7 nlt; Ps. 42:7b nlt not paraphrased; Ps. 107:27-29; Ps. 93:4 nlt paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 16)

As Your little child, Jesus, I will abide in You. I will lift up hands to Your Word, which I have loved; I will meditate and feed on Your Word. Now prepare me for works of service, so that Your body, Christ, may be built up. May the service that I perform not only supply the needs of God's people but also overflow in many expressions of thanks to You, O God. For I am looking to You, Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith. And I, with open face beholding as in a glass Your glory, Lord, am being changed into Your same image and likeness from glory to glory, even as by Your Spirit. (1 John 2:28a; Ps. 119:48 kjv; Eph. 4:12; 2 Cor. 9:12; Heb. 12:2a; 2 Cor. 3:18 kjv, all paraphrased, A Woman's Journey Toward Holiness, 212)

O my Hope, my Savior in times of distress, why are You like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night? Why are You like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You are with me, O Lord, and I bear Your name; do not forsake me! Now if I am Your child, then I am an heirÛYour heir, O God, and co-heirs with You, Jesus, if indeed I share in Your sufferings in order that I may also share in Your glory. I consider that my present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in me. I glory in Your holy name; my heart seeks You, Lord, and rejoices. (Jer. 14:8-9; Rom. 8:17-18; Ps. 105:3, all paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 18)

O Lord, I bow down in worship; I kneel before You. For as I came from my mother's womb, I shall leave this world, naked as I came, and shall take nothing for my labor, which I may carry away in my hand. This also is a grievous evil: Just as I came, so shall I go; and what gain have I? I have labored for the wind. But I am confident, Lord, that everything You do will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from itÛso that I may revere You. "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ." (Ps. 95:6; Eccl. 5:15-16 rsv; Eccl. 3:14 paraphrased; Phil. 3:8 not paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 21)

Lord, I am blessed if I do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the ways of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the mockers. My delight is in Your law, O Lord, and I will meditate on Your law day and night. Then I shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in season, whose leaf shall not wither. And whatsoever I do shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but they are like the chaff which the wind blows away. Therefore ungodly people shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Lord, You know the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Ps. 1 kjv paraphrased)

"O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest." "If I say, ÎSurely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,' even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you. For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb." "From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God." Therefore, "I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." "Lord, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness." (Ps. 22:2 nrsv; Ps. 139:11-13 nrsv; Ps. 22:10; Ps. 4:8 nlt; Ps. 18:28 nlt, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 34)

O Lord my Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who has set Your glory above the heavens! When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what am I that You are mindful of me, the child of my parents, or that You visit me? For You have made me a little lower than the angels and have crowned me with glory and honor. You have made me responsible for the works of Your hands; You have put all things under my feet: All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord my Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! (Ps. 8:1, 3-9 kjv paraphrased)

O Silent One, "the troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish." "I said to myself, ÎI will watch what I do and not sin in what I say.'" "But as I stood there in silence, not even speaking of good things, the turmoil within me grew to the bursting point." "I am silent before you; I won't say a word." Through Your tender mercy, O God, by which You, the Dayspring from on high, have visited me, give light to me as I sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide my feet into the way of peace. Then my heart will sing to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. (Ps. 25:17; Ps. 39:1a-2, 9a nlt not paraphrased; Luke 1:78-79 nkjv; Ps. 30:12 paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 33)