A litany of longing
Daily prayers inspired by The Beatitudes
Praying the beatitudes
In 2020 (remember that year?), my faith, like much of the world, felt like a dumpster fire. A burning heap of what had been, rather than what was. In the midst of that unraveling, my wife and I began a simple but deeply tethering practice that quietly, profoundly changed our lives: we prayed the Beatitudes every day.
Jesus’ manifesto for the upside-down Kingdom became our daily rhythm of reorientation. And it did what true prayer always does… it messed up our plans. We gave away everything we owned, reduced our lives to two suitcases, and moved 3,000 miles from the city we had called home for twelve years. At a time when vocational momentum was building, we embraced obscurity instead, with nothing but a fragile hope to learn how to serve and love, no longer on our terms, but on His.
The Beatitudes will change the way you live, and the way you see everything, if you let them.
These are simple prayers for those of us still stumbling toward mercy, still learning how to mourn with hope, still hungry for what is right and good and I still pray them every day. They root me in the soil of Jesus’ way—a life lived in the service of sacrificial love.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
May we be poor in spirit,
Empty of ego, of distraction,
Of self-serving habits and orphaned expectations.
Make space in us for the good and the holy, the beautiful and true.
Fill us with your Spirit,
Who falls like fire on the burning bush of our hearts
And wakes us to life again.
Today, may we find ways to serve
The least, the lost, and the longing among us.
And as we go, may we stumble upon your kingdom,
That is here, that is coming, and that is within.
Amen.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
May we embrace our grief.
May we mourn, but not as those who are hopeless.
May we have the courage to announce that not everything is alright,
And it won’t be, until You make it new again.
May we know the comfort of the God
Who bends down on His knees before us,
Who makes eye contact with us,
Who hears our cries of lament,
Who hears our whispers,
Who hears our silence.
May we work to make things right,
And may we comfort others
As an extension of your embrace, O God.
Amen.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Keep us humble, O God.
Our inheritance is You,
Not money or materials,
Not status or recognition.
Help us crucify our ego-driven agendas.
Teach us to lay down the burden of needing to be praised,
To win,
To better ourselves at the expense
Of a soul that is rested and satisfied in You.
We are not of this world.
We are only passing through.
Remind us not to settle here.
Remind us we are pilgrims,
Owning nothing,
Yet possessing all we’ll ever need.
Amen.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
May we stay hungry, Lord.
May we feel a deep rumbling in our souls
And a parched, unquenchable longing in our spirits,
A hunger that leads us to seek your Kingdom,
A thirst that propels us to pray and love
Not on our terms, but on Yours.
Make us aware that we were made with eternity in mind.
Remind us of what we once knew.
Protect us from apathy,
That quiet thief which robs us of our joy.
Amen.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
May we show mercy—not because we have to,
But because it’s our instinct.
May forgiveness flow freely from us,
Our most natural response to injustice: restoration, not retribution.
The world has seen enough of that.
Thank you for forgiving us.
Thank you for liberating us.
Thank you for reminding us who we have always been.
May we do the same for others,
Especially when, like us, they lose sight of what is good and true,
Doing harm to themselves and those around them.
Amen.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
May we see You today, O God.
May our hearts be cleared of debris and dust,
A clean and open window,
Welcoming the cool breeze of your presence
Into the chambers of our being.
May we stumble upon miracles,
May we find ladders to heaven
Leaning quietly against the most mundane parts of our day.
May we bear witness to earth colliding with eternity,
And go to sleep tonight saying,
“God was in this place—and I saw it to be true.”
Amen.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Help us make peace,
Not simply keep it.
Give us the courage to disrupt for the sake of your Kingdom.
May we turn tables of injustice,
Move mountains of shame,
Let our presence still chaos
And overwhelm the anxious and weary with peace.
May we be your children,
And in our holy naivety and joy,
Cause the darkness to shudder and retreat.
Amen.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
May we not resist persecution
When it comes wrapped in the thoughts, words, and actions of others.
Despite the pain and paper cuts,
We are not surprised.
You told us it would come.
In our suffering, we are united with Yours.
We cannot be controlled, manipulated, or compromised,
For we are not here to keep our lives
But to lose them in the service of Love.
You, O God, are our reward.
And your Kingdom is our home.
May it be so today.
Amen.
Beautiful. I've found exercises like these to be one of the most meaningful ways to interact with Scripture.
I hear God speaking through you. ❣️