Sunday’s Congregational Prayer
Let us come to God in prayer with a little help from Psalm 103.
Our Father, we give you praise this day for your mercies. Among those mercies is the gift of your word to guide us in your will and the way to please you.
We confess that we do not please you as we ought. We sin against you in thought, word, and deed. And so we confess our sins to you.
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We praise you because you are merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. You do not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities for the sake of your Son Jesus, who died for our sins to bring us to you. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is your steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far do you remove our transgressions from us.
Thank you for the opportunities we’ve had this month to strengthen our muscles for loving our adult children and our Roman Catholic neighbors. Help us as we seek to love those around us from the South Asian community. You have brought people from parts of Asia where many do not yet know you, and so we pray that you would help us to respond to their coming with courage, faith, and kindness. We also marvel at the Christian heritage there, which Indians trace back to the Apostle Thomas. What a testimony this is to the enduring nature of your church and the beauty of your coming kingdom.
We now pray for peace and justice in the parts of the world where they are lacking. In particular this Sunday we pray for an end to the war with Iran. We pray for a breakthrough to allow mariners to exit the Persian Gulf, for protection for U.S. service members operating in the region, and for a lasting solution to the conflict. We pray for comfort for those in Iran and Israel and around the region who have lost loved ones during the war. May your gospel spread far and wide and bring hope to this troubled region.
Closer to home, we pray for those among us and around us who give their time and energy and creativity to teaching our children. We pray especially for teachers in the public schools here in Naperville, that you would grant them strength and skill to teach well. We pray for protection for the schools in our community and that administrators would lead wisely.
We pray for our church to be a faithful witness to our children. We thank you for the Wonders of Worship team who have continued their ministry through the summer months. Bless their efforts and help the children of our church to see your goodness, wisdom, and power.
We ask for you to work among us to strengthen us in the gospel, that we might trust you as the God who never changes. Guide Pastor Chris as he opens your word to preach this morning, and give us hearts eager to receive and believe and follow your word.
We pray as well for those who cannot be with us, especially Ed Chapman and Bob and Diane Ooms. Would you help Ed to regain his strength for the days ahead? For Bob and Diane, we ask for courage and faith as Bob’s body fails.
We find hope in the fact that you are our Creator, your Son, Jesus, has purchased our pardon, and your Spirit gives us life. All glory to you through Jesus Christ, amen.