prayer Archives - Kristina Lunde

January 27, 2026 by Kristina Lunde Leave a Comment

A Jesus Appointment

A random stop in a small town surprised us with a Jesus appointment for conversation and prayer. As Minnesotans traveling to our grandchildren’s winter concert, my husband and I allowed extra time for the three-hour drive. Arriving early, we chose a local establishment to spend time before the high school music event. Not sure if the place was open on weekday afternoons, we hesitantly stepped into the dining area. After a warm welcome by the manager, we picked choice seats among the high-top tables. Once he brought us water glasses and menus, we were waited on by a friendly server. I immediately noticed her eyes—kind but sad.

The only customers there, we had the luxury of the server’s undivided attention and conversation. After some small talk, she apologetically asked if she could ask a personal question. We agreed, and she asked us how long we had been married. As an older couple on their second marriage, our answer to that question sometimes surprises people. Hearing our answer of thirteen years, our server continued with another apology and a few more questions.

This time she asked what we found important in our relationship and what we liked most about each other. Our answers were not eloquent or lengthy. Faith topped each of our priority lists for marriage. Her request to name an attribute we appreciated most about our spouse brought smiles and longer descriptions.

Once we engaged our server in the conversation, she shared that her name was L. Then she relayed details of serious events in her life: challenges of grief, trauma, divorce, and family dysfunction. Her transparency about so much pain saddened me, and I started silently praying.

After L walked back to the kitchen, my husband told me he felt God’s nudge to pray with her. When she returned to our table, L lingered longer as we spoke to her about Jesus. I spoke of Jesus’ death on the cross and the forgiveness He freely offers. I briefly mentioned my first husband’s sudden death and how God had comforted and helped me through all of that.

With a still-empty dining room, I asked if I could pray for her. My brief prayer asked Jesus to show L His love and draw her to Him for healing and forgiveness. She was teary-eyed, grateful, and hugged me afterward. By then, she had other customers to serve. Later when we paid our bill, we said a brief goodbye. I gave her another hug and promised to pray for her.

Now, my heart is committed to pray for L. I still pray to God for the things she shared with us: her emotions, pain, and family concerns. I pray that He gives L a thirst for Jesus and reveals Himself to her. May God use other Christians and His Word to bring His truth and knowledge to L.

Lord God, Thank you for our Jesus appointment with L. My heart aches for her and how much she needs you. Bring L to you, Lord. Fill in the gaps of what we said, so that she can fully understand who you are. Please meet L’s needs and show her how much you love her. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

December 31, 2025 by Kristina Lunde Leave a Comment

Christmas Insights to Last all Year

Lord of all creation, we celebrate the birth of your Son Jesus. Although King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus came to earth without human pageantry or celebrity recognition. From heaven’s throne to a stinky barn, He arrived seemingly unnoticed by anyone but His parents and farm animals. Yet an angel of the Lord shone with God’s glory and gave a prophetic birth announcement. The angels knew exactly who Jesus was and they broadcast it. No satellite signals to the entire planet. Instead, a multitude of the heavenly host lit up the sky, proclaiming God’s glory to rural shepherds.

Jesus, you broke every barrier, defied human conventions, and demonstrated your identity in unique ways from day one. The excitement of your birth, that we celebrate every Christmas, is commemorated in God’s miracles. So many glorious signs and wonders accompanied your birth: angel choirs, excited shepherds, a huge star, traveling academics, and royal baby gifts.

In contrast, Mary and Joseph might have focused on personal miracles, like their individual prophetic visits from angels. Other miracles included last-minute birth accommodations, visitors worshiping their newborn, and travel provisions given by wealthy strangers.

My Christmas Prayer

Lord God, teach me hospitality in your name. Guide me to recognize your work in other peoples’ lives. Let me speak your words of truth and hope to others. (Like Elizabeth welcomed and encouraged Mary in Luke 1:39-45.)

Please God, help me trust you when the night is dark, there is no place to rest, and pain comes upon me. (Like Mary and Joseph trusted you in Luke 2:6-7.)

Heavenly Father, make me faithful in worshiping and honoring you, especially in unexpected situations. (Like Mary glorified you in Luke 1:46-56 and the shepherds told others about you in Luke 2:9,15-20.)

Jesus, teach me to obey you and keep going. Show me how to follow your guidance, even when it involves sacrifice, danger, and detours. (Like the wise men obeyed you in Matthew 2:1-12).

Lord Jesus, just as you did for those who welcomed you as a baby, please teach me to trust and obey you. Help me to keep learning and applying those Christmas insights to my life, not just at Christmas but all through the new year. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

September 30, 2025 by Kristina Lunde Leave a Comment

Praise before Please in Prayer

My prayers often start with my requests. Please, Lord, I need this. Lord, help me with this task. Please, God, do this for me. Yes, I usually add a please to my pleas, but I do not often praise before please. My needs prompt me to ask God first, pleading with Him for answers. But do I acknowledge the Lord of all creation who welcomes and hears my prayers?

Pray for my needs

My requests are often self-centered and self-serving. I ask God for what I have determined that I need and want. I balance my own equation of needs versus wants. But am I running that by my Lord and Savior, placing all requests in submission to His will? Am I letting God guide me so completely that I recognize His path and follow His purposes for me? Those are accountability questions that I need to answer if I am pursuing Jesus and His will for me.

Change my perspective

First of all, I need to determine who I am going to follow. If my top priority is Jesus, then my heart’s intent and life goals need to follow His will, not mine. Who determines my wants versus needs equation? Do I take charge of my needs or do I surrender them to God’s plan? Nothing wrong with presenting my needs to God, but my perspective must align with God’s Word and His will. If I pray for a new car out of jealousy over my friend’s car, I disobey the tenth commandment. Instead, God may have other purposes for the older cars we drive. For example, my husband and I enjoy a reputation as the “Engine Light Lundes” at our local automobile repair shop. We became friends with the owners and pray for them to know Jesus.

When my perspective aligns with God’s will, then I can realistically evaluate my wants and needs in consideration of the roles God has for me in this season. Sometimes, that means I need to respect and obey God when He gives a “no” answer to my prayer, especially when I do not understand the reasons. My vantage point then changes from a selfish outlook to God’s sovereign purposes.

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. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

Start with praise

Philippians 4:6-7 presents how to receive God’s peace as a solution for anxiety. Notice that thanksgiving goes along with bringing requests to God in prayer. Sometimes I focus on the supplication, petition (KJV), or “the ask.” The pain, need, or problem drives my prayer. But I can’t forget to thank my God, the omnipotent Lord of all creation, for blessings already given. Instead of starting with the please and pleading for my wants, I should start with praise for the One who hears. Put the praise before please. When I acknowledge His love for me, the salvation He provided, and what He means to me, that sets the tone for my prayer. I prayerfully reflect on God’s character, which helps me appreciate what He has already accomplished for me.

The ask should come after the realignment of my heart and mind. Praise first; then present my pleas. The wants seems so pressing at first. But when I examine them through the lens of God’s Word, He shows me His priorities. The Holy Spirit convicts me that some of my needs are actually sinful pursuits or selfish wants. When God’s lens zooms my attention in, I can set my sights on His plans. He knows the journey He walks me through, the places I need to be, and the work He has for me do.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 NIV

Dear God, thank you for being my Savior and Lord. Teach me to pray with praise before please. Let me be so filled with praise for you, that honoring you comes first when I pray. Wipe out my selfish wants, so that my requests align with your will. Jesus, I want my heart, life, and actions to follow your plan, even if I don’t understand it. Let your Holy Spirit convict and strengthen me. Help me surrender to you—that is what I need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

August 20, 2025 by Kristina Lunde Leave a Comment

A Peach Pie and an Ambulance: Missed Connections for God’s Purpose

My husband Craig and I recently experienced God’s missed connections between an ambulance, a text message, and a peach pie. We planned to deliver a pie, but God changed the purpose of our visit.

Every year I buy a crate of perfectly ripe and amazingly sweet peaches. Trucked in fresh from Georgia, the peaches are sold to raise funds for Youth for Christ. As usual, this year’s crop tasted as incredible as their perfect red, orange, and yellow colors looked. After giving out bags of peaches to friends and neighbors, I baked pies.

One pie was for N, my husband’s dear friend who has spent years fighting multiple cancer battles. When my husband Craig visits N, I don’t join them out of respect for their “man time.” But I usually send treats for N and his wife E. Recently, they hosted their kids and families for a week, and Craig had a fishing trip the following week. So we arranged to drop off the pie on a Sunday night—very different timing from Craig’s usual weekday visits.

Slow to get ready, we left fifteen minutes later than what Craig texted E. Pie in hand, we were in no rush as we left our house. We drove, ready to stop by the town where they lived before driving to another town for our dinner reservations. Craig’s phone remained on silent for the drive, so we missed E’s text telling us not to come.

When we arrived, E came to the door asking if we had passed N’s ambulance. Our confused looks told her we hadn’t seen an ambulance or received her text. I handed E the peach pie, which felt irrelevant given the situation. She invited us in and explained how N’s long day of pain led to his uncharacteristic request for an ambulance. N’s absence from the house seemed strange, like a foreshadowing of what was to come.

E remained calm and coherent, but it must have been unsettling to send N to the emergency room. Despite N’s many cancer challenges, he had only taken an ambulance to the hospital once before. This time, N needed emergency help for the unrelenting pain. We offered to take E, but she wanted to drive to the hospital alone. Instead, we prayed for her and N.

Our arrival displayed God’s precise timing: right after the ambulance’s departure but before E left for the emergency room. God also ensured that we didn’t see E’s text, which would have canceled our visit. Only God could orchestrate all these factors to allow us a precious window of prayer time.

The next day, N came home from the hospital. The heart attack he feared never happened, and he went home without chest pain. God truly intervened that day, in N’s life and in ours. We witnessed God’s interventions that defied human planning and explanation. God miraculously used a peach pie, an overlooked text, and a missed ambulance to deliver prayer support. What an amazing God we serve.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV

July 31, 2025 by Kristina Lunde Leave a Comment

A Vacation Bible School Prayer

Lord God, please work in the hearts of these precious vacation Bible school (VBS) kids. May every concept of this detailed, Christ-centered curriculum draw the children to you. Let nothing we do distract them from you. Please imprint these Bible verses on the minds of both kids and volunteers. Teach all of us to apply your truths to all of our activities: exercise, learning, crafts, lessons, singing, and snacks.

Lord, make me aware of what these kids need. Give me time to spend one-on-one as well as in teaching the group. Holy Spirit, guide me to be flexible. Like when one group comes in halfway through their lesson time and I have to scramble to condense the content. Show me how to present the crucial points of the lesson clearly.

Please give me patience with potty breaks, interruptions, and distracted kids, as I’m sure you helped my teachers decades ago. Guide me when I get strange questions from searching kids. Help me to reflect Christ’s love as I encourage, teach, and challenge these kids. Lord, let these children come to you and let the Word of God take root in their hearts. Use us to help train these children so that each one builds their life’s foundation on you, Lord Jesus. Hold them closely through whatever life brings them in the future.

In one of their lessons, the VBS grade schoolers wrote out their prayer request, “Jesus, I need your help to . . .” (See photo.)

Dear Jesus, you know the details of each child’s burden. Keep me praying for their prayer requests. Lord God, we give our entire VBS curriculum, program, activities, and follow-up to you, for your glory and honor. In Jesus’ name. Amen.