Six Evenings at a Table

Evening 1 of 6

Grief, for what was lost

For the evening when you have not yet said out loud what you lost.

Leaving a church, or being left by one, is a real loss, even when it was the right thing. Tonight is for naming it.

Read this out loud

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18, NIV

Sit with it

This verse doesn't ask the brokenhearted to climb anywhere. It says God moves toward the break: close to the brokenhearted, saving the crushed in spirit. If your heart is in pieces tonight, this prayer starts exactly where you are.

Three questions, no right answers

1. What did you lose when you left, or when it left you? Name one thing. A person, a Sunday, a song, a version of yourself.
2. Where, if anywhere, have you felt God close since? It can be small.
3. This verse says God saves the crushed. What would being saved look like this month, small and real?

Pray this together

Lord, my heart is broken and my spirit is crushed. But You are close to me. You save those in my condition. Draw near as I draw near to You.

Close to the Brokenhearted, from the grief or despair prayers

You do not have to feel better tonight. You said it out loud, and someone heard it. That is the whole evening.

Evening 2 of 6

Broken trust, and the anger under it

For the evening when a leader, or a place, let you down.

Say only as much as you want to. Nobody here needs the details to sit with you.

Read this out loud

Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Psalm 146:3-4, NIV

Sit with it

It is strangely comforting that the Bible itself says this out loud: do not build your faith on impressive men. If a leader's fall took a piece of your faith down with it, this psalm hands that piece back. God was never the one on the platform.

Three questions, no right answers

1. Who or what did you trust, and what did it cost when it broke?
2. What did that person or that place stand in for, that belonged to God all along?
3. Is there anger in it? What would it mean to carry the anger to God tonight, instead of leaving it on the people at this table?

Pray this together

Lord, I learned the hard way not to put my trust in human leaders who cannot save. Their plans come to nothing. But blessed am I whose help is the God of Jacob.

Do Not Put Trust in Princes, from the broken trust or betrayal prayers

And if there is anger in it

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:15-16, NIV

Jesus, You understand my anger and frustration. You were tempted in every way, yet without sin. I bring my rage to Your throne of grace, confident that You will give me mercy and grace to handle these emotions righteously.

Throne of Grace

If there is anger, the second prayer on this page is for it. Read it out loud, or let it sit on the table unread. Both count.

Evening 3 of 6

Shame that was handed to you

For the evening when you are still carrying something you were taught to carry.

Some shame you were not born with and did not earn. It was taught, in God's name, by people who should have known better.

Read this out loud

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28, NIV

Sit with it

Some shame you weren't born with and didn't earn. It was taught, preached, handed to you in God's name by people who should have known better. This prayer names that plainly and asks Jesus to take back what was never his idea.

Three questions, no right answers

1. What were you taught to be ashamed of that Jesus never said a word about?
2. What are you still carrying that was handed to you? Would you be willing to put it on the table tonight, just to look at it?
3. Jesus offers rest, not a to-do list. What would rest look like this week? One thing.

Pray this together

Jesus, the church taught me to be ashamed of who I am. I carry shame that was never mine to bear. Free me from toxic shame and show me how You truly see me - beloved and accepted.

Healing from Religious Shame, from the shame prayers

Nobody at this table gets to hand you a new shame in place of the old one. Not even yourself.

Evening 4 of 6

Loneliness, and being known by name

For the evening when nobody has used your name and meant it in a while.

Maybe church was the last place where everyone knew your name. Tonight, use each other's.

Read this out loud

But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

Isaiah 43:1-2, NIV

Sit with it

Maybe church was the last place where everybody knew your name, and leaving turned you back into a stranger. Isaiah wrote this for people carried far from home, and it doesn't speak to a crowd; it singles you out. You belong to God by name, not by membership, and he walks into the deep water with you.

Three questions, no right answers

1. When was the last time someone said your name and meant it?
2. What is the deep water right now? The thing you are walking through, not around.
3. Is there one person outside this table you could tell what you told us tonight? Not a group. One person.

Pray this together

God, in my loneliness, I hear You calling my name. You created me. You redeemed me. I am Yours. You are with me through every flood and fire.

Called By Name, from the loneliness or isolation prayers

Say each other's names once before you leave. It sounds small. It is not.

Evening 5 of 6

Doubt, both halves at once

For the evening when you believe and do not believe in the same breath.

A father once said the most honest thing ever said about faith, and Jesus helped him anyway.

Read this out loud

Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Mark 9:24, NIV

Sit with it

A desperate father once told Jesus the most honest thing ever said about faith: I believe, help my unbelief. Both halves were true at once, and Jesus helped him anyway. If your faith is a mixed thing right now, this prayer is already yours.

Three questions, no right answers

1. Say both halves out loud: what you believe right now, and what you don't.
2. What did you used to be sure of that you are not sure of anymore? Is that a loss, a relief, or both?
3. If Jesus helped your unbelief the way he helped that father, what would help look like?

Pray this together

Lord, I believe; help me overcome my unbelief! This is my honest prayer. I have faith, but it is mixed with doubt. Strengthen what faith I have.

Help My Unbelief, from the doubt prayers

Doubt said out loud at a table is not the same thing as doubt alone at 2 a.m. You just proved that.

Evening 6 of 6

Fear, and what now

For the last evening, when the question is what happens after this.

Paul's answer to anxiety is oddly practical: tell God what you need, with thanks mixed in, and let the peace stand guard.

Read this out loud

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:6-9, NIV

Sit with it

Paul's alternative to anxiety is oddly practical: in every situation, tell God what you need, with thanksgiving mixed in. The result isn't an explanation; it's a guard, peace standing watch over your heart and mind. A prayer for trading the spiral for the sentry.

Three questions, no right answers

1. What are you anxious about that you have not said out loud yet?
2. What is one true, good thing from these six evenings that you want to keep thinking about?
3. What now? Not a plan. One next thing.

Pray this together

Father, I present my anxieties to You with thanksgiving. I choose prayer over worry. Let Your peace, which transcends all understanding, guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Help me think on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.

Peace That Transcends, from the fear or anxiety prayers

Then turn to the last page together.