Prayer for our local church

[Please join me in praying for God’s Church on Sundays this year.]

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!

Today we come to you, Omnipotent God, to pray for our local church. 

Your Word says you know our deeds, our hard work, our perseverance, our intolerance for wicked and false people, and our patient endurance of hardships. We know that you search hearts and minds and will repay each of us according to our deeds.  Where your Church is dead, wake us up.  Strengthen what remains alive but is about to die. Help us to not forsake the passionate love your Church had for you in earlier times, but return to our first love and to doing the works of love that honor you.  Help us remember what you have given to us and then hold it fast until you return.  Reawaken our spiritual ears to hear what your Spirit says to the Church. *

Help us be faithful, even in persecution, to remain true to you and not renounce your name or our faith. Strengthen your Church to keep your word and not deny you so you will write on us our new names. Help us not to yield to fear in the face of suffering to come, but to remain faithful so you will award us the victor’s crown of life.  Tune our ears to hear what your Spirit says to the Church.*

We know that you rebuke and discipline those you love so we will be more fruitful.  We earnestly repent of spiritual lukewarmness, blindness, nakedness, deafness, and outright sin. We knock on your door, hear your voice, and invite you deeper and more fully into this Church, Lord Jesus Christ.  Tune our  ears to hear what Holy Spirit is saying to the Church.*

We know that those who are far from you will perish and that you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.  Help us to go into the world and preach the Gospel and make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is good to be near God.  You, Sovereign Lord, are our refuge; we will tell of all your deeds.

We pray that this local body of believers would be deep in your Word and Spirit, filled to overflowing with Holy Spirit, passionately loving each other and God, and working with other ministries to affect the spiritual atmosphere of this county and region so that God’s will is done here on earth as it is in heaven.  In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray: AMEN and AMEN.

“Those who are far from you will perish;

    you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

 But as for me, it is good to be near God.

    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;

    I will tell of all your deeds.” (Psalm 73:27-28 NIV)

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

    to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

    and by your will they were created

    and have their being.”

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

    and honor and glory and praise!”

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

    be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!” (Revelation 4:8, 11, 5:12-13 NIV)

*Adapted from Revelation 2 and Revelation 3

 

“Light the Fire Again” by Brian Doerksen ©1994 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing (ASCAP).

Don’t let our love grow cold
I’m calling out light the fire again
Don’t let our vision die
I’m calling out light the fire again

You know my heart my deeds
I’m calling out light the fire again
I need Your discipline
I’m calling out light the fire again

I am here to buy gold refined in the fire
Naked and poor
Wretched and blind I come
Clothe me in white
So I won’t be ashamed
Lord light the fire again