Pastoral Prayer | 5.28.23
Sovereign LORD,
You have begun to show to your servants your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?1 You are the source of all the power there is. Wherever there is any power at all, you are indeed its author. You have proven yourself by your creation, the sun and the moon, the stars and the hosts of heaven, the ground and the sea, the animals and plants, but most of all, you have proven your power in the creation of your image bearers. You have given to us a soul, you have given us the ability to feel, and you have given us the ability to enjoy. We thank you that you have demonstrated your power to us, that we would see the mighty works of your hands on full display.
Lord, as we contemplate your power, we are overcome with our small stature before a holy and awesome God. We are indeed small. We are indeed frail. And in this frail-tee, we have sinned against you by thoughts, by our words, and by our deeds. We have not loved you with our whole hearts. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve your wrath for our transgression. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, forgive us, renew us, and lead us. Let us rejoice for the weight of the punishment that was due to us was taken on by Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. We thank you for your irresistible grace, for apart from your intervention, we would not choose you.
Now, because of your work in us, restore to us the joy of our salvation and let us strive to teach transgressors your ways. We pray that you would bless the efforts of this church as we seek to proclaim you to the nations this summer. Give us a desire to spread the good news while we have breath in our lungs. Let us have a hunger to teach the world about who you are.
Lord, we pray for those who are sick or shut in. We pray that your hand of healing and mercy would be upon them.
We pray for the covenant children and youth, that they would be set apart and holy. We ask that you would raise up people to guide them and mentor them. And as they grow in stature and knowledge, we pray that you would give them a desire to profess their faith before the church. It is a wonderful thing to be able to use the voice we have been given to praise you as Lord.
We pray for the families that have lost loved ones. We ask that you would bring peace to those who mourn.
We thank you for those who have laid down their lives that we would have the freedom this day to gather and praise your holy name in the open. We ask that you would allow us to be able to praise you and worship you openly, that the gates of hell would not prevail, that the enemy would be scorned, and that the Gospel would be proclaimed.
Lord, let us pray and rejoice from the heart, for in you, our victory cry is lifted high. You have overcome the enemy, and we delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like you O, Lord, for you are our rock and our refuge. Enable us to pass this great promise of eternal life to our sons and our daughters, for as long as we are able. Guard the feet of your faithful people, for we bear witness to your great name.2
We pray this all in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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