Shaking Things Up: Praising through the Alphabet

From time to time, we will look at a new way of praying, just as a way to shake things up and avoid getting stuck in a rut. Today, we will consider of we can pray our way through the alphabet as we praise God.

Take a piece of paper (or use a computer document to type all this) and write the letters of the alphabet down the side. 

Then start brainstorming titles, adjectives, and attributes of God. If we come up with more than one for a letter, that's perfectly alright.

After a bit, we might notice a few letters that have been neglected. We can specifically focus on those to try to fill in the gaps.

A- Almighty, Alpha

B- Bountiful

C- Christ

D- Defender

E- Exalted

F- Fierce

G- God

H- Holy

I- Inexhaustible

J- Just, Judge

K- King

L- Lord
M- Messiah
N- Near
O- Omega
P- Priest
Q- Qualified
R- Redeemer
S- Savior
T- Truth
U- Unyielding
V- Valiant
W- Way
X- Xenodochial (friendly to strangers)
Y-  Yahwah
Z- Zealous

If we need help, a website like AdjectivesThatStart.com can help us discover a fitting word. I simply searched "nouns starting with Y" since I couldn't think of anything on my own. Then I realized there was an obvious one that I didn't think of. 

By focusing on the titles, characteristics, and attributes of God, we can praise Him in this unique exercise. 

Praying for the Vulnerable

As we pray for those we know and love during this pandemic, let's remember to pray for those who are vulnerable too.

Pray for those working risky jobs, whether interacting with the public, working with the sick, or some other job.

Pray for those who are vulnerable in their health and therefore at a higher risk to catch the virus or have a more severe sickness.

Pray for those who are working the "essential" yet poorly paid jobs: grocery workers, gas station attendants, farm workers, employees in meat-packing plants. 

Pray for those seeking refuge and asylum, especially as they are facing overcrowded and inhumane conditions. 

Pray for those who are unable to advocate for themselves, whether due to a disability, language barrier, or other issue. 

Pray for those who are grieving, mourning, and brokenhearted.

Pray for those who are anxious, worried, and stressed. 

Pray for the poor and the poor in spirit. 

Pray for the hungry, the thirsty, and the needy. 

Pray for people who have been reduced down to an adjective "homeless", "illegal", "refugee", etc. 

Pray for those the Bible specifically tells us to pray for: 

Pray for those who are sick or in prison (see Hebrews 13:3). 

Pray for your enemies and your persecutors (see Matthew 5:44)

Pray for little children (see Matthew 19:13)

Pray for those who mistreat you (see Luke 6:28)

Pray for those who don't know what to pray for (see Romans 8:26)

Pray for all the Lord's people (see Ephesians 6:18)