"Ah, Holy Father..." Congregational Prayer - 8 September 2019

Ah, Holy Father, our Lord Jesus once proclaimed: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same (Matthew 5.44-46)? Therefore, we praise you who sends sun and rain on the just and the unjust, who provides food for the good and the evil, thank you for your tender mercies enjoyed by so many.

O God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom the whole heavens adore; let the whole earth worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you; and men, women, girls and boys everywhere love you and serve you in peace through Jesus Christ. We ask this especially for families, neighbors, co-workers, and friends we know….

Almighty God, we pray for your church world-over and for churches in the greater OKC area, especially Antioch Baptist Church, Land of the Living God Baptist Church, St. George Greek Orthodox Church, and Highway of Holiness Church. We pray that their work, toil, patient endurance and rejection of evil would flourish; that they would not abandon their first love; and that where they have fallen into error or compromised with the world that you would straighten them out and build them up (Revelation 2.1-7).

Lord, we beseech you for this congregation, please grant us the grace we need to withstand the temptations and avoid the infections of the world, the flesh and the devil; so that with pure heart, sound mind and holy delight we may follow you, our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever One God. And beat down Satan under our feet.

We are deeply grateful, O God, for our medical professionals, hospitals and clinics. We give you thanks for the medical advances accomplished even in the last 40 years; but most of all, we thank you that many women and men have given themselves to the hard work of caring for people. Encourage the weary; strengthen the fatigued; and cheer the diligent.

Father, we know our nation is not spotless. We confess and acknowledge that the U.S.A. is not the kingdom of God nor the Church of Jesus Christ; nevertheless, Father, we love our country. It’s a blessing to live here, and for that we thank you. Please build up moral sanity among our people and civic sensibility among our governmental leaders. Where decency and virtue are on the decline, wake us up to the train wreck that will be of our own making and grant us to turn around. And, please confer on our country safety from all enemies foreign and domestic.

Our great God, in whose hands is our life, health and wellbeing: hear our prayers for those who are hungry, homeless, and hopeless; for those who are impoverished or imperiled; for those who are suicidal or dismayed; for those who find their bodies stricken or the homes wrecked; for those being hampered with mental or emotional complications; and especially those battered and broken by Dorian…; brighten their days with hope and true happiness; grant them patience under their affliction and a cheerful outcome to their infirmity. All of these requests we ask through our mediator, Jesus Christ your Son and our Lord. Amen.