"These Qualities" - A Prayer
As many of you know, Anna and I drift along visiting the different Care Groups on Sunday evenings. We call on a different gathering, enjoy the fellowship, and engage like all the rest. It’s a distinct pleasure to be able to see how the various groups interact and fulfill their purpose. If you’re not in a Care Group, I hope you will seriously and honestly consider becoming part of one.
This last Sunday evening we were in one of our groups. It was delightful to see how the kids were drawn in, to enjoy the flavorable repast, and to be encouraged by the discussion. Toward the end, the Care Group leader asked for ideas on how 2 Peter 1:3-11 could impact the folks through the coming week. After several thoughts were expressed, I mentioned that I have been memorizing these verses while out running, and I often use them to guide me in praying for the family and our congregation. And I promised that I would publish an example in this week’s letter.
Below, then, is a sample of having 2 Peter 1:3-11 guide us in prayer, for ourselves, or our family, or our congregation. This is basically the format I have used for several years now.
Lord, by your divine power
you have granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, by which
we can grow in knowing you who called us to your own glory and excellence.
Thank you that you want us to truly know you, and thank you for powerfully
giving us all things for life and godliness. You have also granted to us your
precious and very great promises, so that through them we may become partakers
of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world
because of sinful desire. What a wondrous gift! May we revel in it all of our
days.
To this end, help us to make
every effort to supplement our faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and
steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly
affection with love. We honestly struggle with living out these qualities, but
your divine power gives us the ability. May we see them ever increasing in us, so
that they may keep us from being ineffective or unfruitful in genuinely knowing
our Lord Jesus Christ. May we never lack these qualities, becoming nearsighted and
blind, forgetting that you have cleansed us from our former sins.
Further, strengthen us to be diligent to confirm our calling and election, practicing these qualities, since it is by means of these supports you keep us from falling. And by these qualities that your divine power enables us to grow in, you make the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, richer and broader. Help us to experience more and more this broad and rich entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Oh Lord, hear our prayer, and let our cry come unto you. Amen.
As an aside, you can take sections of these verses and dwell on them with greater focus. For example, 2 Peter 1:3-4 could be fodder for fruitful meditation and prayer for the day. 2 Peter 1:5-7 easily lends itself to more detailed examination and entreaty as you tease out each quality. Regardless, here is one way to prayerfully use 2 Peter 1:3-11.
Brothers and sisters, I hope you find this useful, and I hope you will make this part of your regular prayers in the days ahead.
Pastor
Mike
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