Friday, November 11, 2005
Preparing to Pray 11/11/05
Lord God,
you have declared that your kingdom is among us.
Open our eyes to see it, our ears to hear it,
our hearts to hold it, our hands to serve it
as we worship you this week.
This we pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Articles for Prayer This Week
In public intercessory prayer this week, we pray…
- for peace in Jordan and Baghdad, where bombings took many lives this week (Jordan Times)
- for the underground church in Beijing, where a prominent pastor was jailed this week for distributing Bibles (Wash.Post)
- for persecuted Christian refugees from Burma in Guam (Christian Reformed Church)
Themes for Prayer and Worship This Week
- International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (U.S.)
This prayer is written to lift up the persecuted church:
O Lord, our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.
We pray this week for all your children who face persecution for their faithfulness
Grant them courage when they are threatened, healing when they are harmed,
justice when they are wronged, and comfort when they are grieving.
Through Jesus Christ, the ruler of the kings of the earth,
Amen.
This prayer is taken from Keith Getty’s song “O God Maker of Earth and Heaven”
Father look upon Your troubled children
Save them in their darkest hour
Strengthen them to speak Your Name with courage
O Lord God hear our prayers ...Guard them when they suffer persecution
Grant them the grace to stand
Faithful unto their testimony
O Lord God hear our prayers
- A Faith that Sighs and Sings: Habakkuk 3:1-19 (Calvin Institute of Christian Worship)
- Paul’s Third Missionary Journey: Acts 20 (Calvin College Healthy Habits: Apostle Paul Pedometer Challenge)
This prayer for the persecuted church is written to supplement the devotional reading for Week 8(PDF) from the Healthy Habits site:
Lord, may we pray with Paul, in the face of imprisonment and persecution:
We do not count our lives of any value to ourselves, if only we may finish our course and the ministry that we receive from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.
May we prayerfully support and be
“the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.”
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
- Lectionary Gospel Text: Matthew 25:14-30 and HC Lord’s Day 14 (Center for Excellence in Preaching); Revised Common Lectionary resources from textweek.com
Pondering the Purpose of Worship
In addition to our prayers in preparation for worship, we ponder the purpose of worship. This week, we reflect on these words of wisdom about worship as we gather.
Earlier: Preparing to Pray 11/2
More Resources for Preparing for Worship
Interdisciplinary Application • World • Worshipers • Worshipping Communities • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink