Prayer For God's Church As We Gather Again In Face-To-Face Worship

 Well, for the first time in many months our church will gather for worship face-to-face rather than digitally.  We thank God for the many ways we’ve been able to share worship together during the pandemic but our hearts are full of gratitude for God’s good plan to have us meet together, to sing together, to pray together, and to hear God’s Word taught to us.

Today we will pray for God’s church around the world.

We thank You God for the church and an opportunity to meet together again in Your name to worship You and to learn from your Word.   Assist us with your Spirit, that Your Holy Word may be written in our hearts for our comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to your own image, to build us up more and more so we honour Christ and grow to be more and more like Him. 

In a time of rewriting history and of people deciding what they will or won’t accept as their beliefs, we pray that Your church would stay true to the Gospel as it is written in Scripture.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  2 Timothy 4:1-4

Almighty and everlasting God, we pray that in all churches the pure Word of God may be preached and the sacraments duly administered with faith and obedience to Your commands. Strengthen and confirm the faithful; protect and guide the children; visit and relieve the sick; turn and soften the wicked; arouse the careless; recover the fallen; restore the penitent; remove all hindrances to the advancement of your truth; and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church, to the honor and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.  Ephesians 4:11-22

We pray for leaders in the church as they assume the ministries You have given them.  May they be faithful teachers and equippers of Your people so we all serve You faithfully and that Your church, the body of Christ may be built up.

Gracious Father, we pray for your church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior.  

And then Lord, we pray for unity among Your people, unity to Your heart of love and service, unity to the truth, and unity to fellowship as You intend.

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, “Peace I give to you; my own peace I leave with you”: Regard not our sins, but the faith of your Church, and give to us peace and unity, we pray.

Well, I hope where you are that you too can attend church and worship with other believers.  Let’s give thanks for this amazing freedom we enjoy since we also know that many in the persecuted church still suffer because of their faith in the Lord Jesus.

Be blessed on this Lord’s Day.