Transform Us

A prayer based on Matthew 14:

There are times when we are challenged to stand for what is right, to speak out against evil, even if the cost of the action is our lives, the way John stood against Herod. Transform us with your grace through battles.

There are times when we join the crowds and search for You, needing healing and wholeness, just as the crowds did when Jesus just wanted to be alone. Transform us with your grace through our weaknesses.

There are times when we are called to ministry, but we feel completely inadequate and without gifts, just as the disciples must have felt when Jesus called them to give the crowds something to eat. Transform us with your grace through our lack of faith.

There are times when we hold in our hands a single blessing, and feel such gratitude that our hearts overflow, just as Jesus must have felt as he blessed the food that had been brought to him. Transform us with your grace through our gratitude.

There are times when we see the wonders that you can do, the way Peter did when two loaves and five fish fed 5000 people. Transform us with your grace through miracles.

There are times when our cup overflows, when our lives are so full of blessings that we can’t fathom what we have done to deserve such grace, just as the disciples must have felt when they carried 12 baskets of food back to their Lord. Transform us with your grace through our realization of your abundant blessings.

There are times when all we can see is the battering of the wind and all of the world seems to be against us, the way Peter did before he saw Jesus walking on the water. Transform us with your grace through trials.

There are times when we are asked to step out of the safety of our routines and to walk into the unknown, despite our fear and our doubt, the way Peter did when he walked on the water. Transform us with your grace through uncertainty.

There are times when our spirit cries out for a time of quiet, when the stress and havoc of the day are too much, the way Jesus must have felt when he sent his disciples out in the boat without him. Transform us with your grace through prayer.

There are times when our lives are overwhelmed by grief and loss, and we just cannot understand why tragedies occur, the way Jesus must have felt when he was told of the execution of his cousin, John. Transform us with your grace through loss.

There are times when we lose our focus, and we find ourselves dropping from the thrill of success into the disappointments of failure, the way Peter did when he sank below the waves. Transform us with your grace through failure.

There are times when friends reach out and lift us to our feet, welcoming us back into the warmth and safety of their presence, the way Peter was pulled from the water back into the boat. Transform us with your grace through love.

Transform us, heavenly Father, through your grace. We reach out for you, desiring to just touch the hem of your cloak. Fill our lives with your presence and hold us in your care. You bring us everything we need, and we will never be the same. In your precious son’s name…amen.