Congregational Prayer: 16 November 2014 AM and PM


Sunday Morning:
O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who has adopted us into your covenant people and who calls us your own; we come in this confidence to pray for your World and Your Church. We pray that you would overrule the murderous mayhem, conspiracies and chaos that seem to be flooding many nations. Restore good order and legitimate peace in every land, and bring wellbeing and tranquility to all nations – for the good of all people, and the safety of your Church.

 Almighty God, thank you for this country. Keep our nation in the ways of your peace and righteous lawfulness for the good of the citizens of this land and the peace of your Church.

We ask for your care, protection and provision for all our U.S. Military personnel. And we especially pray for those who are Christian Chaplains in the military – Like Matt Oliver and Rich Boyd, chaplains from our Presbytery – give them strength, wisdom, and deep insight to make Christ known to their troops and to bring the healing power of Jesus to their people.

We intercede for those who feel beat up and beat down, those who are hurting, frustrated and depressed (esp. these) …. Turn their hearts and minds toward you and your loving care; give them the proper attention they need to be restored body and soul.

We pray for all those who have never confessed Christ Jesus as the Lord, those who have strayed away from the faith, and those who have renounced you…; graciously give them faith in Christ and repentance unto life. And please help us to take the initiative to tell them and others the Good News of Christ Jesus the Lord.

We pray for Your Church throughout the world: supply all their needs, encourage them in your way and prosper your work in their hands. We also ask your enriching power and presence to be poured out on all of the planning that will go on before for the Franklin Graham Festival, and for that Event in August 2015. Be honored by it, Lord, and may it bear great fruit that you may be glorified by your Son and through the Holy Spirit.

For this congregation we pray: may our worship, walk and worldview declare to all your righteousness. Enrich our fellowship that, more and more, we may be a strength to one another, effective in restraining one another from going astray and helpful in stirring up one another to love and good works.

--------------------

Sunday Evening:
O LORD, you tell us to fear not, because you have redeemed us; and that you have called us by name, we are yours. You have promised that when we pass through the waters, you will be with us; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm us; when we walk through fire we shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume us (Isaiah 43.1-2). Thank you, O Lord our God, for you are good and your goodness stretches on to unending ages!

Almighty God, hasten the day when the oppressor will cease, when you will break the staff of the wicked and the scepters of tyrannical rulers who have struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, who have ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution. We long for the day when you will make the whole earth to rest and be quiet, and break forth in joyful singing to you (Isaiah 14.4-7). O Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for your Church in all places, including Iglesia Bautista El Qivor; Independence Ave Baptist; Jordan Baptist; Kelham Baptist; Kentucky Ave Baptist; Kingsview Freewill Baptist; and Knob Hill Baptist Church: O God, that our manner of life would be worthy of the gospel of Christ, and that we would stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by our opponents (Philippians 1.27-28). O Lord, hear our prayer.

Father, be with this congregation; since there is encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, participation in the Spirit, affection and sympathy, that we would be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. That we would do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility we would remember to count others more significant than ourselves. That each of us would look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others. And that we would have this mind among ourselves, which is ours in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2.1-5). O Lord, hear our prayer.


Finally, Lord God, we pray for those of our number, and those from among our families, friends and foes, who are facing difficulties, dilemmas, dismissals, divorces, diseases, and disaster…help us to love them as ourselves and do what we can to assist and relieve them, and through these trials and troubles please bring them to be more and more conformed to the image of your Son that they may genuinely know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to your purpose (Romans 8.28). O Lord, hear our prayer.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?" (Rev. Ed.) by John Fea. A Review

Image
  John Fea is a professor of history at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA. A university founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. He originally published "Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction" in 2011, and it was revised in 2016. This 328-page paperback is packed full with Colonial and American history, drawing from original sources to answer that question. It is a book written "for the historically minded and thoughtful reader who is looking for help in sorting" out this question, avoiding polemics (xix). Since we live in a sound-bite culture, Fea recognizes that it is difficult to have a sustained dialogue on this topic, but he makes a valiant effort toward having that sustained dialogue. The book reads fairly straightforward, and doesn't seem to get bogged down in the contentious mudpuddles or bogs. In the end, Fea seems to get his point across. To answer the reigning question if America was founded as a Christian...
Read more

"Is This the End?" by David Jeremiah. A Review

Image
  I know lots of people like this book, and like this stream of published material. I'm not a Dispensationalist (by conviction) and I am resistant to alarmism - that doom-and-gloomism that says "This is the worst time in all of world history!" or some such. And that is this book from cover-to-cover. I picked the book up to read because a family member had given it to me for a Christmas present and thought I should read it. And I was disappointed. But, in all of my disappointment, I was pleasantly surprised. I was pleasantly surprised because Dr. Jeremiah actually pushes back against a certain mindset that normally walks along with Dispensational alarmism. Jeremiah asks "Will America revive again? Will we reverse our descent and regain respect, strength, and stability? ... those are not the questions we should really be asking. If the survival of America and the stability of the world are the sources of your hope, then your hope is sadly misplaced. The question you mu...
Read more

"Ah, Lord! We are Animated by Anger and Anxiety, Fear and Fury..."

Image
I hesitate to put this out there because of the combative environment we are in at present. But I think some souls will take courage from this, and some will also join with me as we get to the end of this little composition. I am struck by the words of God in Zechariah 8. As he rehearses the waywardness and faithlessness of his people in the past, he clearly declares that he " set every man against his neighbor " (8:10). That got me thinking long ago. I started putting the pieces together and realized that one of God's acts of judgment is division, setting a man against his neighbor. That's what happened when he divided his people into the northern tribes and southern tribes (see 1 Kings 11:26-40). Because of Solomon's turning aside, allowing his wives to turn his heart away from the God of his father, David, the Lord brings about a rift in God's people. And this pattern of divisive judgment runs throughout Scripture. On the other hand, truthful unity is the g...
Read more