Heavenly Father, you are the maker of all things.
You hold time in your hands.
You know the beginning and the end.
You call and you send.
Today I come before you with a willing heart. Just as Paul stood before the elders in Miletus, ready to say goodbye, ready to obey, even when the road ahead meant tears and chains. Lord, I remember Paul's words. I consider my life worth nothing to me. If only I may finish the race and complete the task you gave me. The task of testifying to the good news of your grace.
Let that be true of me.
Let my comfort shrink.
Let my fears fade.
If only I may carry the message of Jesus Christ.
You have saved me not just for myself, but so I might tell others who you are. You didn't call me to sit still. You called me to move, to speak, to love, to go. So help me go. Not in my own. Not in my own strength, not with clever words, but with the boldness of your spirit.
I ask for a heart like Paul's, one that cries for the lost, one that is not moved by hardship, one that finds joy in serving you, even when it means goodbyes, even when it means danger. Father, I confess my hesitations. Sometimes I'd rather stay safe. I like comfort. I fear rejection, but you didn't promise ease, promise purpose. You promised your presence.
So strip away all that holds me back.
Burn away pride.
Silence my excuses.
Tear down the walls I build to protect my comfort and routine.
Show me the open doors.
Then give me the courage to walk through.
Lord, I think of Paul's mission. How he moved from town to town, speaking in synagogues and homes and prisons. He didn't need a stage. He just needed a willing heart. Make me ready, Lord, to speak wherever you place me. In schools, in streets, in stores, in my home. Act in quiet talks. Act in acts of love.
Help me not just to preach, but to live it.
Let my life back up my words.
Let me be quick to serve, slow to boast.
Let my kindness speak of Christ before my mouth ever does.
God, send me people hungry for truth. Send me hearts soft and ready. But also prepare me for the hard ones. For those who mock or walk away. Let rejection not shake me. Let their anger not scare me. Let my eyes stay on the task. The same task Paul embraced. To make Jesus known.
Your word says Paul never stopped warning others day and night with tears. He was moved by love, not pride. Let me never grow numb. Keep my heart tender. Let me weep for the lost. Let me be driven by mercy, not duty.
Father, I will not always know what's ahead. He only knew the Spirit warned him that prison and hardship were coming. Still he went. Only I can run my race well. You gave me breath. Not for myself. But to lift up Jesus with every breath I have.
When the road is long, give me strength.
When the nights are cold, be my warmth.
When I am lonely, remind me you are near.
When I fall, help me rise again and keep going.
Lord, don't let me waste my life.
Don't let fear stop me.
Don't let pride blind me.
Don't let comfort trap me.
Let me live like Paul.
Full of truth.
Full of Jesus.
May I one day say like him, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith till that day. I breath on. Not for applause. For the joy of serving you.
Thank you, God, for calling me.
For saving me.
For sending me.
It's in the name of your Son, Christ Jesus.
Amen.
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