Praying for the Church, Week 2

This week’s prayer for Clinton Bible Church is from Colossians 1:3-14 and is the result of both adult and youth Sunday School discussions. A quote from D.A. Carson’s Praying with Paul before we start: “…to live a life worthy of Jesus Christ is to overflow with joyful thanksgiving in the light of the salvation we have received from his hand. If we have been transferred out of the dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of the Son beloved by God, our only appropriate response is joyful gratitude.” And so we pray …

“We thank you again, God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father, for the faith and love displayed by your grace among Clinton Bible Church. We are grateful for a church that perseveres in meeting together, promotes unity in our relationships, continues in fun and sincere fellowship and shares a common desire to be a people who are biblically sound and motivated by the promises of Your Word. We thank you for leadership that is approachable, honest and not afraid of questions — and ready to say they don’t always have the answers. Many of us are thankful for family members, friends and churches in our past who led us to Your Son, the Author of our salvation. We have witnessed Your faithfulness and we know our hope for the future.

Lord, we pray in line with Psalm 143:10: “Teach us to do Your will” — a will already defined in Your Word. Fill us with knowledge to understand that will and fill us with desire to follow it with full devotion. We pray for a humility among us that will be pleasing to You; accepting Your instruction, willing to receive warning and accountability from each other — wearing no masks before each other, but able to be vulnerable and trust one another. We pray that we will bear fruit in being a light to the community, showing no fear of the world’s opinion of us. We ask to be strengthened for growth, endurance and thankfulness, knowing that You have chosen us and rescued us. And that You love us, keep us, and lead us with tremendous patience until we reach, with all the saints, our inheritance in the light of Your Son. In whose name we pray, Amen.”