Praying for the Church, Week 1

A couple of weeks ago, I announced from the pulpit that our Sunday School class would be studying some of the prayers of Paul in the New Testament and from their spirit and content formulating prayers for our church. This idea is based on the book by D.A. Carson, Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation. The following paragraphs include a prayer based on our collective insight from our study of 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12. We hope this prayer will challenge you and that you will use it this week to pray for Clinton Bible Church and perhaps for other churches that you love and have had an impact on your life. This is our prayer …

“Gracious  heavenly Father, we are continually grateful to you for Clinton Bible Church. We are especially thankful that you have formed us into a people of faith, love and joy. You have built in us a persevering and growing faith and we have many examples in our small grouping of disciples of people who trust you even in difficult circumstances and who flourish in the process rather than wither. You have built in us a uniting love, accepting and full of generosity. It is a love expressed for each other visibly and behind the scenes. It is a love that recognizes different preferences and tastes, but comes together on the basis of one Lord, one faith and one baptism. It is good to live and learn in a group of people of genuine love and fellowship. As a result our joy is evident and our hope is sure.

Lord, we pray in that hope knowing that Your promises are sure. We are a people who love Your word and submit to its authority. So when You say you are coming again to vindicate the redeemed and judge the wicked , we say, “Amen, Come Lord Jesus.”

Father, You have called us into union with your Son by your glorious gospel — make us worthy of that calling Lord! You have given us so much; help us to put these blessings to use for Your kingdom. Give us boldness to be gospel-bearers, fearless and ready for outreach to a dying world. Give us the wisdom to plan and engage in witnessing to this community with humility (shunning our pride) and winsomeness and with pure motives out of a desire to do Your will and not as if we could curry more favor from You than You have already lavished on us. Let our plans and efforts be made with full reliance on You and Your power. Help us to be free of distraction as we intentionally plan for good. And let us never give up on reading the Bible and seeking Your truth that You might build us up and we might build up each other.

In all these things we pray that the end result would be to glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, knowing that we, too, will be glorified when He comes again and finishes the work He started in us by Your grace. In His sweet name we pray, Amen.”