Father God, You have prepared the Wedding Feast; the marriage of Your Son, Jesus Christ, to his bride, the Church. You have spared no expense for Your glory has no price. You are more precious than diamonds and more costly than gold. Your worth has no number for You are holy beyond anything I can image or know in this life. And though I am a sinner, You have extended the invitation — to me. Through faith in Jesus by the Holy Spirit, You clothe me in righteousness. In the here and now, I continue to walk through dark, dangerous, and scary valleys, but I do so with my Good Shepherd leading the way. May my eyes always be fixated on Your rod and staff; Your holy provision, faithfulness and love. May I stay the course with You; having my soul refreshed and sustained until that day I dwell in Your house forever and ever. To You be all glory and honor through Christ Jesus my Lord, Amen.
Preaching prayer
Preaching Preparation Prayer
Holy God, Your Word is truth. Your Word is Life. Your Word is living and active. Your Word speaks to the heart and inflames the soul. Oh God, speak to us this morning through Your Word and through the words that I speak. May this not be a self-glorifying speech but a faithful proclamation of Your Word; for I am not a good speaker, preacher or writer therefore if this were left up to me I would surely bring it all to ruin. And so, I beg of You to send now Your Holy Spirit, not just to guide me but to open our hearts to receive this Word, for Your Word is truth. Your Word is Life. To You be the glory now and forever. Amen.
Be Revealed To Us
Holy God,
Mighty in power,
Great in mercy,
Awesome in love;
as You heard the cry of Your people in captivity in Egypt
and sent Moses to lead them to freedom,
You heard the groaning of Your creation
and sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to give us freedom.
He was born King and quickly upset the powers that be.
Jesus rose to prominence only to be crucified
and then raised to complete Your plan of redemption.
Therefore,
as the magi traveled far to worship this King,
may we too humble ourselves before our King.
May our pride be dismantled,
and our kingdoms be destroyed,
that we may live forever in the Kingdom You have established.
Send Your Spirit that we may see Jesus revealed again and again
as Savior and Lord of our lives;
that we too may return;
walking by the Way of the magi;
praising You,
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Worship Prayers for 04/19/15
I was on vacation last week so that is why you didn’t see any worship prayers posted. But now I am back in the saddle and excited to be leading worship and preaching again.
Below are some of the prayers I wrote for worship today.
May God be praised, worshiped and glorified.
——————–
Opening prayer
Your holy Word, oh God, in Revelation 4 says, “Worthy are You…to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.” And it is for this reason and this reason alone that we gather here this morning. You are the Creator and the giver of all good things. You are the author of life and the giver of New Life through Jesus Christ. You are the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end. And no one else is worthy of our praise. So we beseech You to turn Your ear towards us and receive our praise and worship this morning. Bless our hearing of Your holy Word and send us forth to make disciples of all nations. May You be glorified. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Prayer before preaching (Sermon text ~ Mark 9:33-37)
Holy and Faithful God, send now Your Holy Spirit to stir our hearts that we may receive this word. And may this holy word, convict us of sin and our need for a Savior. And may we run to this Savior, Jesus Christ, and cling to the life he brings. And may we proclaim this life to the world around us that others may come to know salvation. And may this salvation be the greatness we focus on in such a way that You, oh God, are glorified. Bless these words and our hearing of them. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Closing prayer
[From Charles Spurgeon] We cry to Thee this morning for the preservation of Thy church in the world, and especially for her purity. Oh Father, keep us, we beseech Thee, with all keeping, that the Evil one touch us not. We shall be tempted, but let him not prevail against us. In a thousand ways he will lay snares for our feel, but, oh, deliver us as a bird from the snare of the fowler. May the snare be broken that we may escape.
Holy God, I pray that this worship was pleasing to your ears as You are deserving of all worship. Send us now into this great mission field as we proclaim that Jesus Christ has been crucified and raised for sinners. May Your kingdom come among us. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
——————–
May your Sabbath Day be blessed as You worship this great God of ours.
The Pastor -|—
Palm Sunday Worship Prayers for 03/29/15
Below are a couple worship prayers that I wrote for today; Palm Sunday. Feel free to use them as you so choose.
Prayer before the reading of scripture/preaching:
Father God, with humility we waved palm branches to acknowledge Jesus as our King, and now with humility, we ask that you may send Your Spirit to bless the hearing of these words. For it is only through faith that we can receive the Word of Life into our hearts. It is only through faith that we accept Jesus, and him alone, as our King, Lord and Savior. It is through faith alone that we run to You, holy God, and submit to Your sovereign rule. So may the words of scripture and the words that proceed from my mouth be holy words that create faith and bring You glory, oh God. Through Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
Prayer following the receiving of the offering:
Creator God, giver of all things. You provide daily bread that we may live day to day. You provide blessings that we may bless others. You provide abilities that we may proclaim Your holy name through word and deed. And so it is through these offerings that we worship you and thank you for your provision. May You multiply them according to Your will; that Your kingdom may advance and that Your name may be glorified. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
May God bless your day and may your worship bring praise and glory to God.
The Pastor -|—
The Heart of a Pastor 