Gary Brouwers

Prayers in this series: Life, Strength, The Church, Temptation, Gifts, ContentmentThis prayer is part of a series of prayers influenced by the Hebrew dayenu prayer. A dayenu prayer is part of the traditional Jewish celebration of the Passover. "דַּיֵּנוּ/Dayenu" is Hebrew for "it would have been enough." The traditional dayenu prayer remembers God's miraculous deliverance of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, recognizing that each step along the way of that deliverance would have been enough, even if God didn't bring them all the way to the promised land. These prayers are meant to help us submit to the will of God, recognizing that anything God does for us is more than enough. As you pray, you might not always completely agree with the statement you are reading. Allow the prayer to bring you to a deeper level of surrender. Let God stretch your ability to submit more completely to his will. Whatever God does through these prayers, you can know, it's enough. A Dayenu Prayer—ContentmentProvider God, you are the giver of all good gifts. You love to give good gifts to your children, and every good and perfect gift is from above. But we don’t always recognize your gifts as good, and we often want more, and still more, of them.So, if it seems to us that we don't have enough of your good gifts, but if you point to the sparrows of the air and the lilies of the field and you reassure us that we are much more valuable than they are, that you provide everything we need for body and soul…It would be enough.If you gave us good gifts, but only enough so that we wouldn’t dishonor you (Proverbs 30:9) …It would be enough.If you gave us many good gifts, but only enough so that we wouldn't forget you and disown you (Proverbs 30:9) …It would be enough.If you blessed us with great wealth, but only to remind us of our mortality (James 1:10) …It would be enough.And if you gave us the ability to be content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, living in plenty or in want, if you gave us the gift of contentment whatever the circumstances (Philippians 4:12) …It would be enough.—Gary Brouwers © 2026 ReformedWorship.org, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. 

Prayers in this series: Life, Strength, The Church, Temptation, Gifts, ContentmentThis prayer is part of a series of prayers influenced by the Hebrew dayenu prayer. A dayenu prayer is part of the traditional Jewish celebration of the Passover. "דַּיֵּנוּ/Dayenu" is Hebrew for "it would have been enough." The traditional dayenu prayer remembers God's miraculous deliverance of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, recognizing that each step along the way of that deliverance would have been enough, even if God didn't bring them all the way to the promised land. These prayers are meant to help us submit to the will of God, recognizing that anything God does for us is more than enough. As you pray, you might not always completely agree with the statement you are reading. Allow the prayer to bring you to a deeper level of surrender. Let God stretch your ability to submit more completely to his will. Whatever God does through these prayers, you can know, it's enough. A Dayenu Prayer—GiftsFather, you are the Giver of all good things. You love to give good and perfect gifts. But even if we don’t perceive them as good...It would be enough.And if we perceive your gifts as good, but we enjoy them for only a very short time...It would be enough.And if we enjoy your gifts for most of our lives, but we live on earth for only a very short time...It would be enough.And if we live long in the land that you, the Lord our God, gave us, but the gifts you gave were few and far between...It would be enough.And if the only gift you ever gave us was your Son, your only Son, who died and rose again for us...That would be enough, far more than enough.Because you are good, all the time. All the time, you are good! —Gary Brouwers © 2026 ReformedWorship.org, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. 

Prayers in this series: Life, Strength, The Church, Temptation, Gifts, ContentmentThis prayer is part of a series of prayers influenced by the Hebrew dayenu prayer. A dayenu prayer is part of the traditional Jewish celebration of the Passover. "דַּיֵּנוּ/Dayenu" is Hebrew for "it would have been enough." The traditional dayenu prayer remembers God's miraculous deliverance of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, recognizing that each step along the way of that deliverance would have been enough, even if God didn't bring them all the way to the promised land. These prayers are meant to help us submit to the will of God, recognizing that anything God does for us is more than enough. As you pray, you might not always completely agree with the statement you are reading. Allow the prayer to bring you to a deeper level of surrender. Let God stretch your ability to submit more completely to his will. Whatever God does through these prayers, you can know, it's enough. A Dayenu Prayer—TemptationFather, our Father, our holy, heavenly Father, we want to be holy, like you are holy. We wish that we were already home with you in heaven, where there is no more temptation, where it is impossible to sin.But if we can’t yet be completely free from the power of sin, but you always provide a way out of temptation…It would be enough.And if we can’t see that way out, but we know that you lead us away from temptation…if we know that you deliver us from evil…It would be enough.And if we see the way out of temptation, but we fall, we fail, we give in to temptation…if the grace you show us when we sin makes us more grateful and devoted to obeying you...It would be enough.And if we resist temptation, but the pressure doesn’t let up ....and if being tempted means that we embrace our weakness, boast in our weakness, celebrate our weakness when facing temptation knowing that your power is made perfect in our weakness…It would be enough.And if being tempted sends me running back to you, and if you lead me out of temptation, and you transform me through temptation, and you heal me when I fall,and if all of this is part of your plan to make me more like Jesus… It would all be enough.—Gary Brouwers © 2026 ReformedWorship.org, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. 

Prayers in this series: Life, Strength, The Church, Temptation, Gifts, ContentmentThis prayer is part of a series of prayers influenced by the Hebrew dayenu prayer. A dayenu prayer is part of the traditional Jewish celebration of the Passover. "דַּיֵּנוּ/Dayenu" is Hebrew for "it would have been enough." The traditional dayenu prayer remembers God's miraculous deliverance of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, recognizing that each step along the way of that deliverance would have been enough, even if God didn't bring them all the way to the promised land. These prayers are meant to help us submit to the will of God, recognizing that anything God does for us is more than enough. As you pray, you might not always completely agree with the statement you are reading. Allow the prayer to bring you to a deeper level of surrender. Let God stretch your ability to submit more completely to his will. Whatever God does through these prayers, you can know, it's enough. A Dayenu Prayer—The ChurchJesus, we thank you for making us part of your body, the Church, the family of God. We thank you for binding us together through the Spirit in the communion of saints. We thank you for our brothers and sisters here at [insert name of church].And if our only connection to [insert name of church] was through your Spirit, if we were never able to interact personally with the rest of the members of our church family…It would be enough.And if we were able to connect only once in a while, through notes and visits, through online worship, and the rest of the time we connected through prayer, in your Spirit…It would be enough.And if we were able to be together in person with the church family, but our family didn’t always act like the body of Christ in the world, still, if you remind us and assure us that you are the head of the Church, that you gave yourself up to make us holy…It would be enough.And if our church acted like the Body of Christ, but we remember with sadness the church of our childhood, when churches were full of young families with children, and worship was a normal part of life for most people... if we mourn the past but we can see the future, that your Church is immortal, it cannot die…if the life of the church comes from you and not from the people who make up the church…It would be enough.And if the church sometimes looks small and weak, if it feels like our church family is growing older and smaller, but we know that when we are weak then you are strong,that we are enough because you are enough. You are the light of the world, which makes us the light of the world …And that’s enough.—Gary Brouwers © 2026 ReformedWorship.org, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. 

Prayers in this series: Life, Strength, The Church, Temptation, Gifts, ContentmentThis prayer is part of a series of prayers influenced by the Hebrew dayenu prayer. A dayenu prayer is part of the traditional Jewish celebration of the Passover. "דַּיֵּנוּ/Dayenu" is Hebrew for "it would have been enough." The traditional dayenu prayer remembers God's miraculous deliverance of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, recognizing that each step along the way of that deliverance would have been enough, even if God didn't bring them all the way to the promised land. These prayers are meant to help us submit to the will of God, recognizing that anything God does for us is more than enough. As you pray, you might not always completely agree with the statement you are reading. Allow the prayer to bring you to a deeper level of surrender. Let God stretch your ability to submit more completely to his will. Whatever God does through these prayers, you can know, it's enough. A Dayenu Prayer—Strength Father, we thank you for your strength, made perfect in weakness. And even if all I have is your strength, if my body, mind and my soul are exhausted…It would be enough.And if my faith was strong, but my body was fragile, just a shell of the physical strength I once enjoyed...It would be enough.And if my faith was strong, and my body was healthy, but tears flowed for no reason, or I simmered in anxiety, or my thoughts were dark and empty, or my feelings were flat, still...It would be enough.If my mind and body and soul felt strong, if I was wealthy and healthy and energetic, but I knew that none of that mattered...It would be enough.Because when I’m weak, that’s when you are strong. I embrace my weakness. I boast about my weakness. I delight in weaknesses! You have placed your treasure in this fragile jar of clay....And that’s enough.—Gary Brouwers © 2026 ReformedWorship.org, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.  

Prayers in this series: Life, Strength, The Church, Temptation, Gifts, ContentmentThis prayer is part of a series of prayers influenced by the Hebrew dayenu prayer. A dayenu prayer is part of the traditional Jewish celebration of the Passover. "דַּיֵּנוּ/Dayenu" is Hebrew for "it would have been enough." The traditional dayenu prayer remembers God's miraculous deliverance of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, recognizing that each step along the way of that deliverance would have been enough, even if God didn't bring them all the way to the promised land. These prayers are meant to help us submit to the will of God, recognizing that anything God does for us is more than enough. As you pray, you might not always completely agree with the statement you are reading. Allow the prayer to bring you to a deeper level of surrender. Let God stretch your ability to submit more completely to his will. Whatever God does through these prayers, you can know, it's enough. A Dayenu Prayer—Life Holy God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. And if you knew what to expect at the beginning of each of those days, while each day for me was filled with questions and uncertainty...It would be enough.And if You ordained my days, but my days on earth were short...It would be enough.And if You ordained my days to be long, but they were filled with difficulty, sorrow, and turmoil...It would be enough.And if you ordained my days to be long and prosperous in the land that You, Lord God, have given to me, and my life flew by in the blink of an eye...It would be enough.And if all my days were but an overture to an eternity of gazing on Your beautiful face...It would be more, far more, than I deserve. For my days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass.  But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.Amen. —Gary Brouwers © 2026 ReformedWorship.org, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. 

We receive God’s promises in our baptism, whether as a child or when we’re older, but too often we leave this sacrament in the past. We struggle to experience our baptisms in the present. This article provides reasons and suggestions for developing personal practices of baptismal remembrance.

Seasons of transition bring feelings of excitement and anticipation but also anxiety and grief. Transitions require us to release the past even as we receive the future. They may make us feel unbalanced as we adjust to the new reality. This may cause discomfort, but during these seasons we can experience great development of our faith.For some, transitions frighten us into holding tightly to current circumstances and seeking comfort in the familiar. For others, transitions expose a tendency to idolize the future and seek comfort in the next best thing. In the discomfort of transition, worship experiences offer opportunities to reaffirm our dependence on God alone as the source of our comfort. Worship allows us to remember and then release our past. It provides a setting for humbly surrendering to whatever God has in mind for us in the future. Below are several examples of how worship can offer guidance and comfort through seasons of transition.Call to Worship: As we are called to worship, our attention and the emotions associated with transition turn toward God and God’s faithfulness. The reality and experience of God transcend our experience of change. Consider using Isaiah 55:8–11 or similar verses to reaffirm the comfort of God’s transcendence.Songs: Remember God’s faithfulness by choosing songs that are dear to your congregation’s hearts. Consider songs that are connected to special moments in the past, such as anniversaries, baptisms, and other life events. Include songs with themes such as God’s unfailing love, God’s renewing revelation from generation to generation, or God’s providence. Remember to allow room for grief. Songs of lament are equally holy as songs of praise.Confession: A time of confession allows us to recognize our dependence on things other than God for our comfort and to name and repent of our affection for these idols. John Calvin describes the mind as a “perpetual forge of idols” (Institutes, I.xi.8). Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things.” We might deceive ourselves by worshiping the past or  the future, by finding comfort in the familiar or the new. In Job 38:1–2, God comforts Job through divine transcendence: “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: ‘Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?’” This revelation leads Job to repentance: “Then Job answered the Lord: ‘I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth’” (Job 40:3–4).Assurance: When we recognize and confess our dependence on false sources of comfort, God reassures us that God is enough. Consider using Matthew 6:25–34 or similar passages as a source of assurance. Prayer: Using passages such as Psalm 143:5, allow prayer to be a time to remember in gratitude as well as lament. Include extended moments of guided silence, drawing to mind moments of blessing as well as people who are no longer with us. Use this time of prayer to surrender the future to God and to ask for God’s blessing on a new time of life while remaining open to whatever expression of love God has in mind. Offering: In Matthew 10:8, Jesus commands the apostles, “Freely you have received; freely give.” During the giving of our gifts, we open our hands to release some of the blessings we have received from God. But an open hand, as it releases the past, is now in a posture of receiving. As we give, we also receive the blessings given out of God’s unfailing love. The sermon: Consider preaching on themes such as Abram’s call to an unknown place (Genesis 12:1–9), the journey of the Israelites to the promised land as they follow the cloud (Exodus 40:34–38), the crossing of the Jordan River into the promised land (Joshua 3–4), or the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:22–52).Testimonies of Remembrance: Provide time for sharing memories of God’s faithfulness in the past. Allow people to remember details, to stretch their memories beyond the most recent, and to include expressions of emotion attached with those memories.Testimony of Anticipation: Provide time for sharing curiosity about the destination. Allow people to wonder what it will be like. Handle fear and anxiety with assurance of God’s faithful love. Encourage expressions of curiosity from the safety of God’s love.Touch the Past and the Future: Memories and anticipations can often control our thoughts and emotions. We can find freedom from our internal musings by creating concrete symbols of the past and the future. Create a space for people to share their creations with one another. For example:Use a symbol of open hands to depict the release and receiving of this time of transition. Draw, carve, sculpt, or compose around this theme.Create a small treasure chest of mementos from the past and objects that might hold a place in your future destination.Create a montage of pictures that illustrate the place you are leaving.Use word clouds, poetry, stories, and sketches to imagine your destination.Blessing: Consider using the familiar blessing of God from Numbers 6:24–26 to remember the past while looking forward to the future. Receiving God’s blessing during the worship service usually marks the end of worship. But receiving God’s blessing also celebrates a beginning. We recognize an end and anticipate a beginning, all within the safety of the blessing of God. Doxology: Some of the psalms call us to give praise for what God has done for us. Psalm 150 praises God independent of the circumstances. Regardless of what we are leaving or where we are arriving, God is the only source of our comfort and stability. We praise God simply for who God is.

Everybody loves stories. And, like children at bedtime, we never want our stories to end—we want them to go on and on. You could say we want an eternal story.