Holy God,
we humbly come before You
to praise Your holy name;
to lay our petitions at Your feet,
and to confess our sins.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
receive our praise,
hear our petitions
and grant us forgiveness,
so that,
our lives may be refreshed and strengthened
to live for Your glory.
Send now Your Holy Spirit,
oh God,
to fill us and lead us along our way.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
1 Kings 3:9 (ESV)
Solomon was wise in his request and thus God gave him a discerning mind (wisdom) to lead God’s people. And this request is also my request, not because I am wise in asking for this but rather I am realistic. I look at the congregation God has called me to lead and I am not so vain to think that God called me here because I am so wise. On the contrary, God called me here because God wants to use me to do something great for His church, and thus all glory goes to God. Yet, I am overwhelmed and scared silly at the task at hand. As I pray each week, Oh God, I am not a good speaker or preacher and thus if this task were left up to me I would surely bring it all to ruin, I also plead with God using Solomon’s request:
Oh God, give your servant an understanding mind to lead your church, that I may discern between good and evil, and what your will is; for who is able to lead your great church.
This is my prayer.
This is my request.
And may this be the prayer for all pastors and leaders in the church. May we never be so vain as to think that we are good enough or talented enough to lead in the church. The day that vain ambition takes over in a leader’s heart is the day the church heads down the road to destruction; following a leader that has lost their way. Learn and study Solomon’s request and make it your own.
Grant me a discerning mind, oh God, that I may lead your church rightly;
Grant me wisdom, oh God, that I may seek Your will;
Grant me understanding, oh God, that I may teach others rightly;
for this call is too great for me to do alone.
All glory be unto You, oh God, through Christ Jesus my Lord. Amen
The Pastor -|—
Father God,
full of love and mercy,
You have promised to hear us as we pray
and to give us each day our daily bread,
and for that we praise You.
Teach us to trust You better
and to seek Your will,
so we may see each prayer as answered according to Your holy will.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Oh Lord our God and Shepherd,
You feed us
and restore us
and guide us into all righteousness.
You give us hope in the midst of death
and lead us with Your mighty right hand.
You have chosen us
and have blessed us to overflowing.
You have given us a home through faith in Jesus Christ.
May we bless others with the blessings You have given us.
May we not hold back
as we joyfully bring glory to Your holy name
through our giving.
It’s in Jesus name that we pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Creator God,
giver of all things;
You have set us up as stewards
of Your beautiful and wonderful creation.
You have gifted us in so many ways
to bring You praise and honor.
You have sent us out into the world
to bless one another.
May we be found faithful;
being good stewards of all we have.
And,
may we never forget
that all we have comes from You.
Oh Lord,
You are worthy and we thank You.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Father God,
You have overcome the world
through Jesus Christ
and have given us the hope of the resurrection through faith.
May we count the cost of following Jesus as being worthy;
for there are many who do not know You.
Holy God,
mighty Father,
hear us as we pray
and lead us in the Way.
We pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit,
now and forever,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
God of grace and mercy,
through Jesus Christ You paved the way
through the narrow door
and by Your Holy Spirit
You give us access through faith.
Keep us on the straight and narrow
as Satan works to lead us astray.
Grant us boldness of faith
to resist the wide and easy gate
that leads to destruction.
All praise and glory be unto You,
oh God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Father God, may we bask in the joy and glory of our lives being hidden with Christ. But may we not hide from others. May this hidden-ness not be an excuse to keep to ourselves and simply wait for the coming of our Lord. Rather, may the joy of being hidden with Christ lead us to spread the wealth with others so people, through faith, may be rich towards God.
Lord in Your mercy…
Holy God, I pray for an awakening in this country. Send your Holy Spirit to powerfully use us to shine the light of Your love. May we not see people only skin deep, but may we look on people with the eyes of Christ. May we not build walls but open the gates to one another. May we not get defensive but go on the offensive; striving to outdo one another in showing love.
Lord in Your mercy…
A prayer of the day I wrote for August 14 that I just felt like sharing today:
Creator God, holy Father, You are awesome and mighty, full of grace and truth. You are power and yet approachable as a child to their father. You are mighty and strong, our great champion who has won the victory over death through Jesus Christ. May we always treasure you as we cling tightly to the promises that cling even more tightly to us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.
The Pastor -|—
The Heart of a Pastor 