Sunday’s Congregational Prayer
Today’s prayer is based on Ephesians 4.
Please join me.
Dear gracious and holy God, You are merciful and mighty indeed. We worship You for calling us out of darkness by Your grace. We praise You for the unity You have given Your Church through one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Spirit.
Heavenly Father, we confess that we have not always walked in a manner worthy of the calling. We have been at times impatient, proud, and selfish, allowing frustration, anger, careless words, and unforgiveness to damage the unity of Christ’s body. Forgive us for grieving Your Holy Spirit. We confess that our own hearts are often divided, drawing us back into our old selves—with deceitful desires—rather than living as our new selves, sanctified and made new in Christ.
We confess silently to You now our own individual sin. …
Father, we ask for Your forgiveness. Thank You, that in Your Son we have redemption. We pray for renewal by Your grace and His Spirit.
We thank You for giving our church faithful pastors who preach Your true gospel, maturing and building us up into the body of Christ and equipping us for ministry to others.
Father, teach us to live well and to suffer wisely with transcendent purpose as Christ did for our own good, for the good of others, and for Your honor and glory. Empower us, Lord, to be spiritual overcomers of our difficult circumstances, not powerless victims of them.
We pray for our church congregants and any family members who are struggling physically, emotionally, or spiritually. May You shine Your gracious face upon them and give them peace.
We pray for our nation as midterm elections approach. We ask that You would grant wisdom and discernment to our voters. We pray that You would protect us as a nation from the evil of nihilism that threatens our founding principles and our institutions, granted to us by Your good will.
We pray for Pastor Chris as he preaches today from the Gospel of Matthew. Reveal to us, Father, through Chris’s words Your life-giving truth and Your irresistible grace.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.