Congregational Prayer, June 29, 2008
Offered by Amy Staples
God- I ask that your Holy Spirit would come down on this place and that you would open up our ears and our hearts to hear your Word. Hear our cries Father and speak to us in a way that is personal and intimate.
I am so thankful that you long for us to turn to you, you want a personal relationship with each one of us and I pray that those who don’t know this truth would be forever changed by an encounter with You.
God- thank you for your unchanging nature. In a world that is changing so rapidly it can sometimes be hard to trust or to depend on others but we can depend on You, because You are a faithful friend that remains by our side.
We come before You this morning searching for truth and for a reality that is bigger than we are. In a world that is telling us how to find happiness and fulfillment in the latest fads, how can we know what is of lasting value?
In Your Word in which we just read, You tell us to ask of You and we will receive and so I ask Father that you would grant us wisdom. May our faith as a community grow so that we don’t doubt your mercy and your generosity towards us. Help us to see the needs of those who are struggling in doubt. May we come alongside them and point them towards you, towards truth, and towards hope. For a relationship with You is a gift, a gift that comes from above. It won’t disappear like some of our relationships on earth have but we can trust that you are like the sun, you will shine your glory on us day after day.
God I ask that you would be with those in our midst who are ill or facing surgery. I pray their bodies would be made strong for the days ahead. I also lift up those who have strained or broken family relationships- You are a God of reconciliation and we ask that you would reconcile those relationships. I also pray for our government and for those running for office and for the decisions to be made. I pray our leaders would be in search of justice and equality among all people and may this freedom find its way into regions of oppression and war. Help us to see the needs of those around the world, help us to be a people who care for the orphans, the widows, the displaced in areas like Darfur, and those who live in war-torn regions.
Some of us carry heavy burdens but you are greater than these and we thank you for your mercy on us. It is in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that we pray these things, AMEN.
