Ps 67 says,
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
and make his face shine on us—
so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
God, our God, blesses us.
May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
We have come here tonight to praise you, read your word, remember your goodness and love. Your power, your faithfulness, your plan for the world and each one of us.
Because of your love, not our good works, while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. The death of your only son brings us from darkness to life, from death and eternal separation, to life for eternity.
Please help us to remember Christs death, remember that we are forgiven through it, and remember that we are not slaves to sin anymore. Help us to trust in Jesus, obey him, give our whole lives to him, and love him. Help us also to love others. Help us to put others first, to be generous, to be forgiving, and to love like Jesus loved us.
We pray for the church in the world. Please help all Christians to know your word the Bible and submit to it. We pray for Christians who are persecuted for following Jesus, whether it is in the form of bullying at school or work, the real threat to life that many Christians in other countries face. Give our brothers and sisters courage to persevere. Protect them from harm and grow their faith through these trials.
We also pray for people in the conflicts of this world. We know they will end one day, when Jesus returns and all wars will cease, and every knee will bow before him. Bring on the day, we pray.
Father thankyou that we live in a peaceful and secure country. We thankyou for the resources that feed us and make us rich. We pray that our politicians will be wise and generous, and remember that the blessings we enjoy are given by God and are not ours to hoard selfishly.
Now we pray for our church. Thankyou for those who teach us your word here at church and in our home groups during the week. Thankyou for the many ways people serve you and each other in both public and hidden ways. Protect this church from Satans attacks, from false teachers, and from the temptations of this world. Keep us standing firm in the gospel, in unity and in love.
We pray for our partners in ministry in other parts of the world. We pray for the X in Darwin. As X returns to work full time at the prison, we give you thanks that the family had a restful holiday over the break. We pray for all who come into the prison to conduct church services and help at the prison that they would be faithful to God’s word, and we ask for some younger people to get involved in that ministry. We pray for X in France, and her time of intensive language learning so that she can build relationships and feel at home in France wherever she ends up working with the local church. Please keep her spirits up if she feels tired or discouraged and misses her family and friends, after 6 months away from Australia. We pray that you will prompt us to consider what we can do to serve you in the wider world and take the news about Jesus to gospel-poor people groups, and get behind our partners in those places.
We pray for your Holy Spirit to work in us for your purposes. Change our hearts by the power of your word so that our lives are changed and we shine like stars in this dark world. Give us also the strength to persevere when our lives feel repetitive, mundane, small and un-valuable, or when we face suffering or struggles. Help us to get to know each other over supper so that we can encourage each other. Be in every word that we speak, to bring you glory.
In Jesus name we pray all these things, amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment