"It Is Our Privilege and Honor" - 6 May 2018

It is our privilege and honor to be invited into your presence to pray on behalf of the world and your church. And in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, you have given us bold access into your presence to bring our cares and petitions. We come, Lord, at your invitation and bequest.

For Obet in Indonesia; Fika in Indonesia; Emmanuel in Ghana; Christell in Peru; Arlyn in El Slavador; Benjamin in El Salvador; Yeidi in Columbia; and Aide in the Dominican Republic;  as well any other children we are helping through, For the Children’s Sake Foundation, International Justice Mission, and other organizations. We pray for them and for their families. Have mercy on them; may our gifts, letters, and caring intentions for them provide them wonderful, healthy opportunities. And may they all know you and your Son Jesus Christ.

For those in our State, townships and neighborhoods who feel that all hope is gone; who are in despair and deep in darkness; who are in continual pain. We pray that you would place people in their lives who would hold on to them and walk with them through it all. And we especially pray for those who are having thoughts of suicide. O God, break into the grief and gloom with your hope, and raise them up to see your life and light in Jesus Christ.

For those who are in great need, who have chronic health troubles, who are being treated for cancer,….We pray for them to have relief, to walk whole and healthy. And we pray for them overcome the doubts and disbelief that seem to normally lurk around in the shadows at times like these.

For all of the countries of our world – including the U.S.A.; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; and Mozambique – give peace in our time! Thank you for the apparent conciliation that seems to be going on between North and South Korea. We pray that our world divided and enslaved to sin and pride would come to be freed and brought together under the gracious rule of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Finally, we pray for your church on every continent and here at home – together with this congregation, Neighborhood Missionary Baptist Church; Northgate Baptist; Open Door Baptist; Robison Road Baptist; and Sherwood Baptist Church. We pray again that as the Holy Spirit is Jesus focused and all about building up and building together Jesus’ Church; we all may be as well. And we pray that the elevating work of the Spirit would raise us all out of and away from pride-of-place, pride-of-race, pride-of-gift or pride-of-rift, and lifts us up to flesh out beautifully what it means to be the body of Christ so that all the world may come to believe you sent Jesus, and that we are his disciples. Amen.