O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water. (Ps. 63:1 NIV)
I’ve written two blog entries this week and have the start of another one. However, this blog/prayer entry is very specific: I want to pray for the search process for our church’s new pastor. We have been without a permanent pastor for 18 months now and actively searching for a year. I am (personally) becoming weary of the process, the waiting, the unknowns – and I’m on the search committee. Tomorrow night we interview (via Skype) three potential candidates.
The past two weeks we have been praying this scripture from Colossians 1 over ourselves and the new pastor. Now I ask you to pray it with us.
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. (NIV)
We pray for knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
We pray that we and he may live a life worthy and pleasing to God, bearing fruit in every good work.
We pray we would continue to grow in the knowledge of God.
We pray we will be strengthened with all power according to God’s glorious might.
We pray for great endurance and patience.
We pray for joy to inhabit this situation.
And we join with the words of the Psalmist:
2 We have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
our lips will glorify you.
4 We will praise you as long as we live,
and in your name we will lift up our hands.
5 Our souls will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips our mouths will praise you.
7 Because you are my help, we sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 Our souls cling to you;
your right hand upholds us. (Ps. 63 NIV)
Uphold us, God; help us not to be weary. Help us run with endurance the race set before us. Help us trust your ways, your thoughts, your timing. Give us strength and hope – and patience. May our hearts be in tune with yours and our spiritual ears be able to hear your voice. May our wills do what you want and may your Kingdom be honored and furthered. In the strong and comforting name of Christ we pray. Amen.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Isa. 40 NIV)