O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob. Behold, O God my shield, and look upon me, the one You anointed. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in Your house, my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For, Lord God, You are a sun and shield; You give grace and glory; no good thing will You withhold from me if I walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, I am blessed for trusting in You. (Ps. 84:8-12 kjv paraphrased)

Let Your mercies come to ____________, O Lord. Then they will have an answer for those who reproach them, for they trust in Your Word. Do not keep Your word of truth from them when they speak, for they hope in Your judgments. I pray that they will keep Your law continually forever and ever. May they walk in liberty and seek Your precepts and speak of Your testimonies before the leaders of our country and not be ashamed. (Ps. 119:41a-46 kjv paraphrased)

Lord Jesus, I am willing to listen to what You say. I will love my enemies. I will do good to those who hate me. I will pray for the happiness of those who curse me. I will pray for those who hurt me. If someone slaps me on one cheek, I will turn the other cheek. If someone demands my coat, I will offer my shirt also. I will give what I have to anyone who asks me for it, and when things are taken away from me, I won't try to get them back. I will do for others as I would like them to do for me. I will turn from evil and do good; I will seek peace and pursue it. (Luke 6:27-31 nlt; Ps. 34:14, all paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 94)

Just as You, Christ, were raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so I also should walk in newness of life. For if I have been united with You, Jesus, in the likeness of Your death, certainly I also shall be in the likeness of Your resurrection. As a result, I can really know You and experience the mighty power that raised You from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with You, sharing in Your death. Praise be to God, the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ! In Your great mercy You have given me new birth into a living hope, through Jesus' resurrection from the dead. (Rom. 6:4b-5 nkjv; Phil. 3:10 nlt; 1 Peter 1:3, all paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 198)

Ever-forgiving Lord, do I think I deserve credit merely for loving those who love me? Even the sinners do that! And if I do good only to those who do good to me, is that so wonderful? Even sinners do that much! I will love my enemies! I will do good to them, lend to them, and not be concerned that they might not repay. Then my reward from heaven will be very great, and I will truly be acting as Your child, O Most High. For You are kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. I must be compassionate just as You, Father, are compassionate. (Luke 6:32-33, 35-36 nlt, all paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 95)

"My complaint is still bitter today. I groan because God's heavy hand is on me." Lord, "stretch out your hand from on high; set me free." "Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts." And I'll watch carefully so that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. "My guilt is not hidden from you." I cannot see my own mistakes. Forgive me for my secret sins. Won't you restore my life again so that I may find joy in You? (Job 23:2 ncv; Ps. 144:7a nrsv; Ps. 119:134 nrsv not paraphrased; Heb. 12:15b paraphrased; Ps. 69:5b not paraphrased; Ps. 19:12 ncv; Ps. 85:6 god's word paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 96)

Show us Your mercy, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation. We will listen to what You, O God, will speak; for You speak peace to your people and to your saints, but let us not turn again to folly. Surely Your salvation is near us who fear You, that Your glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are joined together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springs out of the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. Yes, Lord, You shall give that which is good, and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before You and shall set us in the way of Your steps. (Ps. 85:7-13 kjv paraphrased)

O God, "Those who are younger than I am laugh at me." "And now they make fun of me with songs. I have become a joke to them. Since they consider me disgusting, they keep their distance from me and don't hesitate to spit in my face. Because God has untied my cord and has made me suffer, they are no longer restrained in my presence. . . . They trip my feet and then prepare ways to destroy me." "My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors." "You understand, O Lord; remember me and care for me." "O Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me." (Job 30:1a, 9-11, 12b god's word; Ps. 31:15 nrsv; Jer. 15:15a; Ps. 7:1, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 97)

O righteous and just God, "Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey." "Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness." And I am in bitterness of soul and pray to You, Lord, and weep in anguish. I will not hide Your righteousness within my heart; I will declare Your faithfulness and Your salvation. I will not conceal Your lovingkindness and Your truth from others. For "happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit." (Isa. 59:15a; Eccl. 3:16 nas95 not paraphrased; 1 Sam. 1:10 nkjv; Ps. 40:10 kjv paraphrased; Ps. 32:2 nrsv not paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 98)

"You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name." For the fear of You, Lord, is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. Teach me to number my days aright that I may gain a heart of wisdom. (Ps. 61:5 nkjv not paraphrased; Ps. 111:10a nrsv; Ps. 90:12 paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 107)

Holy Spirit, You who dwell within me are greater than the evil one who is in this world. Your blood, Jesus Christ, cleanses me from all sin. Therefore, I'll discipline myself and keep alert. Like a roaring lion, my adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. I submit myself, then, to You, O God. I resist the devil, and he must flee from me. (1 John 4:4b; 1:7b nkjv; 1 Peter 5:8 nrsv; James 4:7, all paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 109)

Jesus, You most assuredly said to me that I who have heard Your word and believed in God who sent You have everlasting life, and I shall not come into judgment, but I have passed from death into life. Therefore, I won't let my heart be troubled. I'll trust in You, God, and I'll trust in You, Jesus. There are many rooms in Your Father's house; You would not tell me this if it were not true. You went there to prepare a place for me. Since You prepared a place for me, You will come back and take me to be with You so that I may be where You are. (John 5:24 nkjv; John 14:1-3 ncv, all paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 110)

Lord, I was in trouble, so I called to You. You answered me and set me free. I will not be afraid because You are with me. People can't do anything to hurt me. Lord, You are with me to help me, so I will see my enemies defeated. It is better to trust in You, Lord, than to trust people. It is better to trust in You than to trust princes. (Ps. 118:5-9 ncv paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 111)

May Your unfailing love rest upon me, O Lord, even as I put my hope in You. Your divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness through my knowledge of You, who called me by Your own glory and goodness. For this very reason, I will make every effort to add to my faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness. Godliness leads me to love other Christians, and finally I will grow to have genuine love for everyone. The more I grow like this, the more I will become productive and useful in my knowledge of You, Lord Jesus Christ. (Ps. 33:22; 2 Peter 1:3, 5-8 nlt, all paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 127)

Lord, Your plans stand firm forever. Your thoughts stand firm in every generation. Therefore, I will know and serve You with a single mind and willing heart, for You search my mind and understand my every plan and thought. Surely, Lord, I have a future ahead of me; my hope will not be disappointed. I know also that wisdom is sweet to my soul; if I find it, there is a future hope for me, and my hope will not be cut off. "I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints." (Ps. 33:11 god's word; 1 Chron. 28:9a nrsv; Prov. 23:18 nlt; Prov. 24:14 paraphrased; Ps. 52:9 not paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 128)

"I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me." "Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?" "O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief." For "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths." "Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression." (Job 30:20; Ps. 44:24; Ps. 143:1; Ps. 36:6a nlt; Ps. 19:13 nkjv, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 129)

Light of the world, I pray that ___________________ will put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. For though their hearts were once full of darkness, now they are full of light from You, Lord, and their behavior should show it. For this light within produces only what is good and right and true. May they try to find out what is pleasing to You and take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, may they rebuke and expose these. Then true instruction will be in their mouths, and nothing false will be found on their lips. They will walk with You in peace and uprightness and turn many from sin. (Rom. 13:12b; Eph. 5:8-11 nlt; Mal. 2:6, all paraphrased)

Remember me, O Lord; do not be exceedingly angry, and do not remember my iniquity forever. "What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?" "It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud." "I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul." I fear You, Lord, and will serve You in truth with all my heart; for I have considered what great things You have done for me. (Isa. 64:9a nrsv paraphrased; Ps. 30:9; Prov. 16:19 nrsv; Ps. 31:7 not paraphrased; 1 Sam. 12:24 nkjv paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 131)

Creator of Life, "ÎYour hands shaped and made me. Do you now turn around and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like a piece of clay. Will you now turn me back into dust?'" "You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb." "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb." "ÎYou dressed me with skin and flesh; you sewed me together with bones and muscles. You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your care you watched over my life.'" (Job 10:8-9 ncv; Ps. 139:13, 15 nlt; Job 10:11-12 ncv, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 132)

"Lord, I call to you. Come quickly. Listen to me when I call to you. Let my prayer be like incense placed before you, and my praise like the evening sacrifice. Lord, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say. Take away my desire to do evil or to join others in doing wrong. Don't let me eat tasty food with those who do evil. If a good person punished me, that would be kind. If he corrected me, that would be like perfumed oil on my head. I shouldn't refuse it. But I pray against those who do evil. Let their leaders be thrown down the cliffs. Then people will know that I have spoken correctly." "God, I look to you for help. I trust in you, Lord. Don't let me die. Protect me from the traps they set for me and from the net that evil people have spread. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, but let me pass by safely." (Ps. 141:1-6, 8-10 ncv)

Ever-loving Lord, "Even if I were right, my own mouth would say I was wrong; if I were innocent, my mouth would say I was guilty." "Correct me, Lord, but only with justiceÛnot in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing." "I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame." "I have taken refuge in you, O Lord. Never let me be put to shame. Save me because of your righteousness." Restore me to Yourself, O Lord, that I may be restored; renew my days as of old. (Job 9:20 ncv; Jer. 10:24; Ps. 119:31; Ps. 31:1 god's word not paraphrased; Lam. 5:21 nrsv paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 145)

"For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great." For I desire to live according to my new life in the Holy Spirit. Then I won't be doing what my sinful nature craves. My old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just the opposite to what You, Holy Spirit, want. And You give me desires that are opposite to what my sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and my choices are never free from this conflict. "But You, O God the Lord, deal with me for Your name's sake; because Your mercy is good, deliver me" (Ps. 25:11 not paraphrased; Gal. 5:16-17 nlt paraphrased; Ps. 109:21 nkjv not paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 146)

Jesus, You are the light of the world. If I follow You, I won't be stumbling through the darkness, because I will have the light that leads to life. I repent now and turn to You, God, so that my sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from You. I will do what is right and come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that I am doing what You want. For, Jesus, You gave Your life to free me from every kind of sin, to cleanse me, and to make me Your very own, totally committed to doing what is right. (John 8:12 nlt; Acts 3:19; John 3:21 nlt; Titus 2:14 nlt, all paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 147)

Lord Jesus, I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always You will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary . . . that I remain in the body." Therefore, whatever happens, I will conduct myself in a manner worthy of Your gospel, O Christ. (Phil. 1:20 paraphrased; Phil. 1:21-24 not paraphrased; Phil. 1:27a paraphrased)

Lord and Savior, "Tell me, what have I done wrong? Show me my rebellion and my sin. Why do you turn away from me? Why do you consider me your enemy? Would you terrify a leaf that is blown by the wind? Would you chase a dry stalk of grass? You write bitter accusations against me and bring up all the sins of my youth." "But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults." Restore me again, O God, and cause Your face to shine in pleasure and approval on me, and I shall be saved! (Job 13:23-26 nlt; Ps. 19:12 nrsv not paraphrased; Ps. 80:3 amp paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 150)

Ever-caring Lord, "I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighborsÛeven my friends are afraid to come near me. When they see me on the street, they turn the other way. I have been ignored as if I were dead, as if I were a broken pot." "But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, 'You are my God!'" "Return, O Lord, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love." "Lord, don't hold back your tender mercies from me. My only hope is in your unfailing love and faithfulness." (Ps. 31:11-12, 14; Ps. 6:4; Ps. 40:11, all nlt, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 159)

O Lord, the "tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction." "Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth." But "gentle words bring life and health." "Kind words are like honeyÛsweet to the soul and healthy for the body." Therefore, "I said to myself, ÎI will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will curb my tongue.'" (James 3:5-6a, 9-10a; Prov. 15:4a; Prov. 16:24; Ps. 39:1a, all nlt, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 160)

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my weeping; do not hold Your peace at my tears. For I will examine myself, making sure my faith is genuine, proving and testing my own self. I won't profess that I know You and then in words and actions deny You. Lord, I ask You now to increase my faith. (Ps. 39:12a; 2 Cor. 13:5a; Titus 1:16a; Luke 17:5, all kjv paraphrased, A Woman's Pilgrimage of Faith, 161)