Smith - Everyday prayers for a transformed life: 365 days to gospel-centered faith

2011 by Scotty Smith

Published by Baker Books

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakerbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-3426-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007

Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

For over twenty years knowing Scotty as pastor, teacher, counselor, and friend to the Chapman family has been one of Gods greatest gifts of grace to us. Being able to boldly approach our Fathers throne with this friend every morning through these prayers has been a treasure, and were so thankful he is sharing them with the world. In these prayers, Scotty invites us into his personal journey with honesty, passion, and profound insight and gives us what we believe will prove to be some of the richest moments of your day. Thank you, friend! Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman

All those of us who know Scotty Smith and his ministry know hes a praying man as well as a great preacher, and therefore this book is full of rich resources for our own prayer lives. Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City

Scottys prayers blast my heart every day with the good news and radical implications of Jesus love for us. Whether Scotty is leading us to pray about the struggles in our hearts, Gods work in the world, the beauty of creation, or the taste of good food, Jesus is the focus and hero of all these prayers. I greatly encourage you to get a copy of my friends new book. Michael W. Smith

One way to improve the diversity and richness of your praying is to learn how to pray as a function of meditating on Scripture. Scotty Smith here illustrates how. But to get maximum benefit from these pages, you should not only carefully read Scottys prayerful meditations on Scripture but also imitate him by doing something similar whenever you read the Bible. D. A. Carson, research professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Each one of these prayers has been a welcome addition to my day. Through the confessional tone and practical human language, Scotty Smith reminds me of the gospel of grace as he further illuminates the great gift it is for us to commune with God. Dan Haseltine, Jars of Clay

I want to be led in prayer by a man of God whose heart beats with the music of grace. When I read the prayers of Scotty Smith and pray along with him as I do, my heart sings of the glory of Godbeing soothed, strengthened, and challenged by the greatness of the gospel. Bryan Chapell, president of Covenant Theological Seminary

Scotty Smith richly, humbly, and honestly engages the crux of what my heart most wants to say and what I most need to hear as I encounter the passage he is reflecting on. I trust him with my heart; his passion is for Jesus and for us knowing him as Lord, Savior, and friend in all his wildness, goodness, and love. I promise this kind of prayer will fill your day with more holy truth, more honest love, and more hope than through any other morning ritual. We need to be led to pray. Dan B. Allender, professor of counseling psychology and founding president of Mars Hill Graduate School

I so enjoy hearing from Scotty Smith. He is preoccupied with the Good News and is forever seeking out ways to connect us to grace. He is a tremendous communicator in that he seems to feel and think in equal proportionsthat is the gift of these written prayers. My heart intersects with these prayers in a new way every time. Sara Groves, singer-songwriter

It has been a steady and sober joy and a constant encouragement to begin my day with Scotty Smith in recent months. He awakens me to my sin and need of grace and points me to the Savior every morning. Scotty brings a wealth of pastoral experience to his observations, ones that truly prepare us to walk with the Lord each day. Scottys thoughts are perfect for a daily devotional. With an image, a question, or a well-formed phrase, he engages us, but more than that, he leads us to engage our own souls, and to do so in the presence of the God of the gospel of grace. Dan Doriani, senior pastor of Central Presbyterian Church, St. Louis; professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

In many ways Everyday Prayers is a benchmark in the teaching ministry of Scotty Smith. This book finds him talking to God in the public square so that we can find our own prayerful voice in the beauty and craziness of everyday life. Scotty shows us afresh what we instinctually know at our most truthful: the prayers of the people are more messy than they are majestic. Scotty is not afraid to lean into this truth. As a result, the reader finds hope for the day and grace for the journey. Charlie Peacock, co-founder of Art House America; Grammy Awardwinning record producer

Everyday Prayers can jump-start your prayer life. Scotty Smith gives our old, dusty hearts a track to run on that opens the door to deeper fellowship with our heavenly Father. Paul Miller, author of A Praying Life , www.seeJesus.net

After many years of straining to hear the voice of God, I now understand that God is equally interested in hearing my voice. God has declared me his friend. He offers me an intimate relationship, one composed of deep conversations, trivial remarks, outbursts of emotioneven jokes. If your relationship with God has become a formal thing, read this book. It will help you deepen your friendship with God. Nate Larkin, founder of the Samson Society; author of Samson and the Pirate Monks

Scottys prayers breathe the gospel of grace, and as you pray with him you will find your own heart moving away from your fears, selfish desires, and ambitions to rest again in the joy of knowing that Gods favor permanently rests upon you. Rose Marie Miller, author of From Fear to Freedom

Scotty Smiths daily prayers have arrived in my inbox between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. every day for at least two years. I have used them to encourage my counseling clients who are going through particular life struggles. Scotty often challenges and delights with memorable phrases. He is not afraid to share the struggles of his own heart in relation to almost every conceivable area of life with vivid honesty, wit, and humility. These prayers will expand your understanding and experience of prayer, of your own heart, and of the God to whom you pray. Richard Winter, professor of practical theology and director of counseling, Covenant Theological Seminary

We want to see Jesus in the midst of all the heartache and painfulness of this broken world and in all the anxiety, anger, fear, self-pity, and just ordinary discontent that imposes on our days. Are the love and grace of Christ sufficient for these things? Scotty prays to a Lord who answers this question by his own presence. Scottys prayers lead us to pray, which is to speak and listen to the Lord by what Scotty calls vital, heart-engaged communion.