Pastoral Prayers 6-10

Prayer #6
by Ed Vasicek

Our Father, we thank You that You are the God of Providence. Not only have You created all things, but You sustain, maintain, and set the course for the work of Your hands.

Not only do You govern the universe, but Your Son is "the radiance of Your glory and the exact representation of" Your being, sustaining all things by his powerful word" (Hebrews 1:3).

You interact with Your creation, and You specially interact with those of us who are in Your new creation, being found righteous in Christ. We thank You that we stand clean before You, dressed in white garments, namely the righteousness of Christ. Therefore, through Him, we can enter your throne room with boldness.

Lord, when we look at our lives, we must confess that all is not well. Every one of us has qualities, habits, sins or weaknesses that we would love to get rid of, but they seem to hang on. To grow in You means to change, and change often comes the hard way. We wish we could snap our fingers and be fixed for ever. We know that when Jesus returns, we will be like Him and our inclination toward sin will be a thing of the past.

But right now you want us to die to ourselves, to partake in the sufferings of Christ so that we might live the resurrection lifestyle now. Help us to nurture our walk with You, confident that You are working in us both to will and to do of Your good pleasure.

Lord, our families need You. Our friends and neighbors and co-workers and civic leaders: all of us need You desperately. Some of us are aware of that; others are oblivious. Oh, Father, through Your Spirit, convict those friends and family members and acquaintances who need Christ. Use us to reach them, we pray.

As a church family, sometimes it is hard for us to get along. We are offended, we feel our opinion doesn't count, or we cannot understand how people can see things differently than we do. Rather than be frustrated, help us to look not on our own things, but also upon the things of others. Help us to stop asking what we want, and instead to ask what is in the best interest of our church. Help us find our sense of self-worth by growing in You, not by demanding our own way.

Lord, we thank You that we extend our church's ministry by choosing to fellowship with missionaries and evangelists, both locally and abroad. Multiply our efforts to bring to the Gospel to all people. Expedite Bible translation, and may Your Spirit draw the masses to Yourself.

So Father, we bring You all our needs: the small troubles we have and the mighty burdens that weigh us down. We deposit them at Your feet, marveling that You want to help bear them. Change situations where appropriate, help us to accept situations that You are unwilling to change. In all, we trust Your wisdom and love.

For we pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Prayer #7
by Ed Vasicek

We thank You, Our God, that You do whatever You please. You are not limited by what is possible, for with You all things are possible. You are not limited by a lack of knowledge, for You know all things: past, present, future, actual and possible. You are not limited by location, for You are everywhere. The only limits You have are those imposed by Your own nature: Your holiness, Your justice, Your love, and Your goodness.

Father, we confess that life is rough. We struggle sometimes day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.

Sometimes we may not feel like going on, and none of us are strangers to discouragement. But, Lord, by yoking ourselves to You, we have begun an adventure that will take us through eternity. Forever we will be the companions and siblings of our Lord Jesus Christ. Forever we will be students of the nature of Your kindness and grace. We will never be bored, never be unchallenged, never be unhappy.

Dear Jesus, thank You for freeing us from ourselves, for breaking the bonds of sin, for bringing us from death in our trespasses and sins to life, legally seated with You in the heavenly places already! Thank You for choosing to be the "lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world."

Holy Spirit, thank You for regenerating us, giving us new birth. Thank You for baptizing us into the body of Christ, for dwelling within us as the down payment and guarantee of what is to come. We ask You, Divine Comforter, to fill us and control us. Empower us on a daily basis that Jesus Christ might live out His life in us.

Lord, we remember our brothers and sisters who are suffering persecution. We pray that You would help them to be able to evade persecution. When this is not possible or not Your will, help them to stand firm. We pray that the world will soon recognize the right You have given us to believe as we choose.

Lord, Your Word tells us to pray for our leaders, and we do so now. Please bless and guide our president, vice president, and governors. We ask the same for our judges, senators, and representative on both national and state levels. We ask Your blessing upon those who protect us: our police and fire departments and our armed services.

God of compassion, we also bring our personal needs before You. We know that You keep track of each sparrow that falls, and you know the number of hairs upon our heads.

You care about the details of our lives, so we ask for Your will to be done in each situation.

As we sing Your praises and study the Word, we pray that Your Spirit would minister to us.

We pray these things in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Prayer #8
by Ed Vasicek

Almighty One, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You and worship You for countless reasons. Right now, we worship You because You are patient and long-suffering. We know Lord, that Your patience is seen in Your desire that none perish, and that all come to repentance. We know that You often delay Your wrath. We also realize that You are patiently nurturing those who have been born again into Your family, helping us to be conformed to the image of Your Son and patiently working, despite our countless failures.

Lord, we need Your guidance within our church family. It seems we are surrounded by choices, and sometimes we feel like we are choosing between lesser evils and other times between greater goods. Your Word promises wisdom if we but ask, and, so Lord, we go on record before You as asking for that wisdom.

We also ask for your protection for our missionaries, as well as for we who serve you right here. We know, Lord, that life holds many dangers. We know the Evil One is out to thwart the work of Your kingdom, and we know that often unbelievers and even misguided brethren intentionally try to hinder Your work. We ask You to bind Satan, send angels to protect us, and deliver us from ungodly and unreasonable men.

As the Body of Christ, we are made up of many members. Some of our members are suffering, others are perhaps feeling expendable and unimportant, while others find themselves slaves to destructive habits. Others are rejoicing and exulting in the blessings of life. Perhaps most of us are somewhere in between, not exactly miserable but not completely happy either. Lord, cheer our hearts, encourage our spirits, help us to view our existence in light of eternity and our positions -- whether humble or recognized-- as opportunities to serve You. Help us to remember that life is not about us, it is about glorifying You.

We pray for our leaders, our troops, and true Christians everywhere. We pray that this world will turn to You as never before, that the persecution of believers would stop, and that the Gospel would go forth mightily.

We pray these things in Jesus' Name, Amen

Prayer #9
by Ed Vasicek

Our Holy God,

You are the Sovereign, the Supreme Ruler, the One Who Determines and the King of Kings. As King Nebuchadnezzar confessed, "His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" (Daniel 4:34-35).

You truly set up kings and take them down. You are in charge and we are foolish to think otherwise.

But Lord, we are so limited: we are imperfect; You are perfect. We know a little; You know everything that was, is, shall be, or might be. We can be creative, but You created everything out of nothing by merely speaking the Word. We try to cover all the bases of life and we fall short. We rush from one place to another, hoping to be on time for our appointments. You are present everywhere at once. Yet, despite Your infinite superiority, Your love for us is strong. You proved it when Christ died for us. You proved it when Your Spirit brought us to new life in Christ.

Father, sometimes it is difficult for us to transfer our convictions into real life. We think our opinions matters as much as the decrees of Your Word. We are tempted to create a separation between spiritual truth and our daily lives and responsibilities. Biblical Christians are meant to live out their faith in the trenches and routines of life, to take the Word of God out of mothballs and put it to work. We are meant to hear the Word and then do the Word. And although doing the Word includes church life, it is just as relevant whether we are at work, school and especially home. Lord, unite our hearts. May each one here be one person, not two. The Kingdom of God is not about pretending.

Lord, as a church family, we have many needs. Some of us are hurting and need Your strength and aid. Others have lost family members or dear friends who are headed for a Christless eternity. Some of us are struggling with finances, health, shame, our marriages, our children, or are plagued by relational strife. Others are fighting enslaving addictions. Some of us might be depressed, worried and fearful. Perhaps some are so beaten down that they fear hoping for more joyful times lest they be disappointed. We have difficult decisions to make, sometimes choosing between lesser evils. We need Your wisdom, Your direction and Your Spirit's power in our daily lives. Help us to experience that abundant life You promise in Your Word. We reaffirm Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives.

We remember the missionaries that our church supports, the ministries we offer and the Lord we serve. Guide our church leaders into Your perfect will and grant us harmony and unity of purpose as a church. Bless our president, legislators, judges and local officials.

And now, Lord, as we sing our songs of praise and contemplate Your Word, may Your Holy Spirit minister to each of us as we have need, for we pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Prayer #10
by Ed Vasicek

Dear God,

Thank You for Your work in our lives. You bless us, You guide us, You discipline us, and You bless us by meeting our basic needs.

Lord, sometimes we are tempted to trust in our own resources. We scheme and plan without consulting You. In other instances, we forget that it is "not by might, nor by power, but by Your Spirit."

Despite our failures, You seek to prod us in the right direction. Sometimes You turn events or failures into great blessings for good, and sometimes what seems to be a blessing brings distress and unhappiness. You remind us how much we need You to interpret life and guide us through the confusing straits.

Father, we pray for our church family. Every one of us is struggling in some way. Some of us are struggling with patience. We find it too easy to fly off the handle or answer others harshly. Some of us are struggling with doubt.

Others are struggling with depression. Finances, marriage, children, parents, friends, siblings, the job, the neighbors, or our walk with You can be stresses for us. We need one another. We need to encourage and be encouraged.

We need to pray for others, and they need to pray for us. But more than these things, we need Your power, wisdom, and guidance for our lives. We ask You right now: please allow Your Spirit to fill us with His power, grant us wisdom for the challenges we face, and guide us in our decision-making. Whatever You want, Lord, that's what we want too!

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, demonstrated Your great love for us by freely laying down His life. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,"

Your Word tells us. You have certainly bought us with a steep price, and we want to faithfully serve You in response to Your love for us. We are Your representatives to this world, Your ambassadors. O Lord, help us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with our friends, neighbors, and family members. We pray that soon we would experience the blessing of leading someone to faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

And now, Lord, as we focus in upon Who You are, what You have done, and Your will and instruction for our lives, open our hearts. May the Word of God affect us in some small way so that, over time, our lives and minds would be conformed to Your image.

We pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.