Prayer

Opening prayer ~ The Narrow Gate (Matthew 7:13-14)

/ The Pastor

As we prepare for worship this morning, let us first prepare our hearts to praise God and receive His Holy Word. Let us pray…

Father God,

scripture teaches us to “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14) May those who are here gathered enter by the narrow gate and deny themselves the easy way through the wide gate. May we enter through

Your Word
Your Promises
Your Grace and,
Your son, Jesus Christ

But we are not so foolish to think that the path through the narrow gate will be easy. It will be hard, so I humbly ask that you may send your Holy Spirit to make us lean; trimming away

the cares of this world
idols
false gods
false doctrine
hypocrisy
gossip
prosperity gospel faith and
anything else that weighs us down.

May we have the faith to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Jesus through the narrow gate.

So make your Word manifest among us as we lift up our prayers, praise and thanksgivings. You are worthy, oh God, You are worthy. So here we come, to worship Your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

May you bless God as you worship this morning and may you be blessed by the proclamation of God’s holy Word.

The Pastor -|—

Sighs, groaning and praying

/ The Pastor

But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” [Acts 7:55-56]

Stephen knew he was in trouble. He knew his life was in danger. Stephen knew that he was not getting out of this crowd alive. But he was unfazed. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he sees the reason for his faith. And I can about imagine the peace he felt, even as the people dragged him out of the city to stone him.

The reason I was drawn to this text this morning was because of a prayer request I received yesterday from a friend. He sent a group text to a few of us; asking how we should be praying for those Christians that ISIS recently captured. This has been weighing on him and wanted to know how to pray. So I sent the above text and wondered if we should be praying that those Christians see what Stephen saw and thus be strengthened and encouraged. Someone else then chimed in and suggested that we pray that the faith of those persecuted Christians have an impact on their captors.

But is there more?

I’m not sure what those Christians truly need since I can’t begin to imagine what it is like for them. I can’t imagine what I would pray for if I were in that situation or how my faith would hold up. But I like that text from Acts so I am going to pray for those Christians using that text and then pray that their faith impacts their captors and then fall in Romans 8:26…

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

…and then turn it over to God.

I don’t and can’t know what they truly need, but God does. So let’s allow the Holy Spirit to take our groanings and sighs and cries and carry them to the Lord. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to intercede for us. Let’s give it up to God and say, “May your will be done”

Let’s pray…

[Sigh]

Amen

The Pastor -|—

The Facebook Experiment

/ The Pastor

I just read an interesting article about Facebook addiction and it spoke to me.

[Pause to pray]

I am not sure the depths on the addiction for me but I do know that I spend a lot of time on it. Often, I justify my time there by saying that it is ministry related. And for the most part it is, but there are mindless moments when I am pouring over my news feed when I could be doing something more constructive;

Like praying, perhaps (actually, that’s what this article suggested)

So I am doing an experiment this weekend. As of 3 PM central time, I have logged off Facebook and turned off my mobile notifications. I will be posting Bible/devotion related material through other platforms (i.e. This blog post and scripture from my YouVersion app), but that is it. When I get the urge to check Facebook, I am going to pray instead. And then on Monday I am going to evaluate the weekend.

[So far there has been lots of prayer and I am only 20 minutes in]

Now don’t get me wrong here, I am not condemning people for using Facebook…

[Pause to pray]

…and I am not suggesting that everyone cancel their accounts and boycott Facebook, but rather I am want to explore how social media may be drawing my attention away from God. I am curious on how much time I actually think about Facebook and how much I care about what others care about what I write and post. I DO care…

[Pause to pray]

…but I don’t want Facebook to consume my life. I want God to consume my life. I want my attention on the one who has saved me through Jesus. I want to draw closer to Him. I want to be in communion with Him. I want to care more about what God thinks of me. So hence the experiment.

I am not sure what will come out of this weekend. Maybe my priorities will be changed drastically. Maybe I will notice a huge difference in my relationship with God. Maybe my Facebook habits and posts will change. Maybe I will crack and check Facebook…

[Pause to pray]

…Maybe nothing will change. I am not sure what will happen but I got a feeling there WILL be lots of praying. So I will report back with a blog post on Monday. I will be taking notes throughout the weekend and praying about this Facebook relationship.

[Pause to pray]

But whatever happens, may God be praised and receive the glory.

Father God, draw me closer to you and help me see greater depths of your love for me. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Preparing for worship ~ Sight

/ The Pastor

This is the opening prayer I wrote for worship this morning and I share it with you as you prepare for worship.

So…

Let’s come before God with thanksgiving and praise; holding nothing back. Let’s come before God in all humility. May God’s name be lifted up and honored. See and believe. Hear and receive. Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Let’s pray together…

Sovereign God, giver of life, giver of peace, giver of sight; accept our praise here this morning, even though it is still not sufficient; for You are worthy of so much more than what we give.

Oh God, we are so filled with sin that we can not see Your beauty. And because of our dimness of sight, we get distracted by the powers of this world and seek after other gods, blindly following them. When Satan presents to us the kingdoms of the world, we don’t turn him down as your son did in the wilderness. Rather, we joyful accept the offer thinking we will be happy and fulfilled, but it doesn’t take long to realize that that too is not sufficient.

But only You, oh God, through Jesus Christ, can fill our hearts to overflowing and bring us a peace that surpasses all understanding. So may you grant us the sight to see Your son as our Savior, and not the gods of this world. May we see in Jesus the gateway to eternal life and may we have the faith to turn Satan’s offer down. And not only the faith, but the strength to stare down Satan and send him away.

Father God, restore in your children, here, the joy of falling in your arms and resting in your love. Grant us humble hearts to hear and accept that we are sinners, and grant us the determination to turn away from sin in order to glorify you to the max and to see Your beauty.

Holy God, we worship your holy name and lift our praises to you. Hear us, receive us, restore our sight. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Awesome salvation

/ The Pastor

[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. [Ephesians 2:8-10]

This is one of my favorite verses in scripture and therefore one that I have my confirmation kids memorize and later on write about in the faith statements. I mean, think about it:
~ Grace; free gift from God.
~ Salvation is this free gift through faith in Jesus.
~ We don’t (and can’t do this) and praise be to God for that; for we couldn’t depend on our choice.
~ And in case you forgot, this is a free gift.
~ And again, in case you forgot, this is not the results of your works.
~ Therefore, do not brag but rather worship God.
~ Rejoice that God has saved you and created you to glorify Him.
~ And enjoy your walk/fellowship with God.

Wow! That is good stuff but yet many people do not know this. Many people do not know about this free gift because they have not been told or told again and again. If this free gift is so awesome (and it is) then why not talk about it again and again and again and again and again and (well, you get the point, I hope)…

My friends, you have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ so shout it from the mountain tops that all the world may hear.
Praise be to God!

Let’s pray…

God of grace, Your mercy and faithfulness endures through all generations. Your love extends throughout Your never ending creation. And when I contemplate this, Oh holy God, I am in awe of You and therefore I have this desire that all may come to know Your amazing love and grace through Jesus Christ.

And so I lift up to You all those who do not call on the name of Jesus as their Lord and Savior; that they may come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. I’m not talking about a head knowledge about Jesus but an intimate knowing of the heart of Christ. May those who are reading this have their spirits stirred and transformed. May You open their eyes to see the truth of the Gospel. May they be joined to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

I also lift up to You those who are wavering in their faith. Maybe they are doubting the truth of the Gospel. Maybe they are drifting away from the church. Maybe some tragedy has turned them off from You. Whatever the case, oh God, may they remember Your love and come running back as the prodigal son found his father anxiously awaiting his return.

And for those, oh God, who think they stand firm; those who feel that nothing can touch them, humble them. May they be reminded that complacency is one of Satan’s greatest weapons. Strengthen their faith.

Faith is such an awesome gift from You through the Holy Spirit, so I ask that Your will may be done; that all those who call on the name of Jesus, may boldly go out and be Your instruments of salvation. May You be glorified in the faith of Your children.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

May God bless your day. May God give you opportunities to proclaim to people the saving love of God through Jesus Christ. And may God grant you the courage to not waste those golden opportunities.

The Pastor -|—

Martyrs ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

Next week, Feb 23-27, 2015, I am schedule to broadcast devotions on our local radio station (KKOJ/KRAQ). And as I thought about what to do, I felt moved to write and lead the listeners in prayer over a number of topics. The following prayer is the one I wrote for Monday, Feb 23.

Scripture inspiration:
[9] When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. [10] They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” [11] Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. [Revelation 6:9-11]

Let us pray…

O Sovereign Lord, our hearts are still heavy with grief over the slaying of those Egyptian Christians at the hands of terrorists. We can’t help but weep over the brutality that was shown those Christians. There are many around the world who are fearful, angry, confused, discouraged and inflamed. Oh Sovereign Lord, may we not sin in our response to this tragedy. But I as remember those 21 individuals I give you thanks for their faithful witness. They stood strong to the end; showing many that faith in Jesus Christ does not mean eternal death but everlasting life. They met a cruel end but saw a glorious beginning. And so I ask for your Holy Spirit to move among us here in this country and in Christians all over the world. May you inflame our faith to stand strong and to cling to you, Oh Sovereign God. May we see in you the way to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. May we see hope that is sure and certain. May we know a peace that is beyond all understanding.

Oh Sovereign Lord, I also humbly ask that you may bless the leaders of this land and the leaders around the world as they consider the next steps in this war on terror. I don’t know the answer and therefore I don’t have specific petitions to lift up to you in this regard. So I will simply raise my eyes to heaven and with a heavy sigh utter, “May your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. And as you accomplish your will, may we have the faith to say, “Amen” and “Come, Lord Jesus”. And so with heavy hearts we fall into your loving arms and seek a consolation that only you can give. And in the end, may you be glorified throughout all your creation. Oh Sovereign Lord, we worship your holy name through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

The Pastor (with a heavy heart) -|—

Offering our gifts ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

[Below is the offering prayer I wrote for worship on Feb 15 and it is one I am going to keep and pray as a reminder for myself and so I share it with you.]

Oh God, giver of all things seen and unseen. You have blessed your children to be a blessing to others. You have given us intellect and knowledge and reason so that we may earn a living. You have blessed us with the ability to provide for our families. But all these abilities come from you and therefore all that we have we owe to you. May we not be so selfish to think that we are entitled to anything and may we have the faith to give as an act of worship. So, Holy God, we ask for your blessings on these gifts given here this morning. May those called to leadership here have the knowledge and wisdom to use these gifts to advance the kingdom and to continue the ministry you have ordained us to do. And may you bless all the gifts you have given us: our time, talents and possessions, may we use them for your glory. And so we praise you and thank you, Oh God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

The reminder for me is that I own nothing. If it were not for God I would be naked and lost (not a pleasant thought so I’m sorry for that image). So I need to be reminded often to praise God for what I have and to bless others through what God has blessed me with.

So with that, may God bless your day that you may bless others.

Praise be to God!

The Pastor -|—

In preparation for God’s Word ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

[Prayer that I will be using before I preach this morning]

Holy God…

I can’t help but repeat the words of the psalmist when I think of you, O Lord:

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Oh Lord, our majestic Lord, it blows me away that You are mindful of us, miserable sinners. And therefore we so need Your Word. For Your Word, Oh Lord, guides us into all truth and righteousness. Your Word gives life to all who listen and receive it. Your Word is wisdom. Your Word is salvation. There is no other word that can do that but yet we find ourselves drawn away from the path of righteousness, not for Your name’s sake but for all other’s names sake. We listen to those false words and doctrines and are enticed by the false beauty that they maliciously proclaim.

Oh majestic Lord, block our ears from those false doctrines and strengthen our faith. Improve our listening skills that we may hear and listen and receive Your Word. Oh Lord our Lord, how majestic is Your name and Word in all the world. May we be filled with your Spirit so that you may be praised as you ought to be praised. In Jesus we pray, Amen.

God bless you as you hear His Word proclaimed. May faith be created or strengthen in you. And may you be sent to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Pastor -|—

Let us come and worship ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

Holy Father, gracious and merciful, you are worthy but,

We don’t worship You as we ought.
We don’t bring what we ought.
We don’t look at you as we ought.

For we are filled with the filthiness of sin, distractions of this world, worries of all kinds, anger, hopelessness, pride, jealousy, hatred. It’s a wonder that you put up with us.

But your graciousness and love and faithfulness is unending. You don’t give as we deserve but You give as You desire. So may you remove from our hearts all that impedes our worship and may you receive our thanks and praise. May we hear this morning the living Word of hope from your holy scriptures. If anyone here does not believe in Jesus, may they come to faith. If anyone here is wavering in their faith, may they find a sure foundation in Christ Jesus. If anyone here is standing firm, may they be humbled and know from whom their hope comes from.

Holy God, we praise your name and lift our voices to you. Here us, heal us and send us that you may be glorified in this world. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

May your hearts be filled with praise this morning and may you not hold anything back as you gather for worship.

All glory, praise and worship be to God our Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Prayer of healing and blessing

/ The Pastor

Oh God of mercy,

I praise you that we are wonderfully made by your caring hands. You knit us together and formed us in the womb. You created each of your beloved children into your very own imagine; unique but the same in relation from we came.

But I also echo the psalmist’s prayer when he says, When I look at your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? I echo this prayer and wonder who am I that you would listen to the ramblings of this tiny human.

Who am I?
I am your beloved child.

And so I appeal to you, Creator God; Father God; Holy God…

Have mercy and bring healing (if I may be so bold to pray).

We live in bodies that are frail and weak and vulnerable. Not by your poor design but because we live in a fallen world of sin and are fallen creatures ourselves. We are very much susceptible to illness and disease. Germs and viruses and bacteria attack these bodies. And this vulnerability causes much pain and suffering; worry and anxiety.

But even though I am sinful, I humbly come before you to seek your blessing for those who are hurting and for their caregivers:
~ Bless parents as they care for sick children.
~ Bless children as they care for elderly parents.
~ Bless those who are sick and yet called to raise children.
~ Bless those who are called to provide care (doctors, nurses, etc).
~ Bless those who suffer from dementia and other illnesses that rob them of memories.
~ Bless those who are suffering from chronic conditions.
~ Bless those who are suffering from terminal illnesses.
~ Bless those who suffer from the common cold.
~ Bless those who suffer in anyway.

May you grant healing in anyway you see they need.
May caregivers be given strength to provide care.
May health professionals be given knowledge and compassion.

It is so easy to lash out at You, Oh God, when these bodies seem like they are falling apart. Oh God, I confess and repent of any lashing out at you.

So I appeal to your mercy and loving kindness. I appeal to you as a child with a skinned knee running to a parent for comfort. I appeal to you that you may grant healing in anyway you see we need; whether it is,
Physical healing
Emotional healing
Spiritual healing
Psychological healing
Relationship healing
or whatever healing my frail and imperfect brain is forgetting.

Have mercy, Oh God, have mercy.

You are an awesome God and I praise and worship your holy name.

Thank you for hearing my prayer as I pray in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; Amen.

The Pastor -|—