Pastoral Prayer - Father of Blessings
Father of Blessings,
You have promised us blessings untold. We have tasted of them - the blessings of Your support and presence and care, of strength to persevere and new life and forgiveness and hope in an imperishable inheritance. You have promised these things, and You have worked them for us in Jesus Christ. We give you thanks for all that You have done, and we confess how often we take these blessings for granted.
However, You also promise us that there are deeper blessings hidden in Jesus, and we pray that You would pour forth these as well. Too often we content ourselves only with the shallow beginnings of faith rather than its fruitful fullness. Give us hearts that long for deeper things. Make us hunger for the full measure of life You have promised.
Grant us Christlikeness, to be formed more and more to be like Him. Teach us the full meaning of discipleship, the full measure of faithfulness, and the full assurance we have in Christ. Overcome the sin in our hearts and give us new ones that beat for You. Overcome the lies of the evil one and speak to us the surety of adoption as Your children.
Grant us the power of Your Spirit, moving in and through us to draw the world to Yourself. Wake Your slumbering children, and send us out into the harvest, for the fields are heavy with grain. Anoint our words and our actions so that we might build up Your church and gather in those who desperately need the good news of Your Son.
Grant us the love and vision of Your mission in the world. Let all people be drawn to You, that they might sing Your praises together as One new humanity in Jesus Christ. Revive us. Shake off our worldly slumber and giving us a passion for Your name. Usher in the true and final Jubilee, the year of the Lord's favor, the time when all chains are broken and all lives are valued and creation sings with the joyful chord You struck at its beginning.
Father, let all these blessings flow. Rain them down on us although we struggle with sin and doubt. Shower them on our heads even though we wrestle with opposition and failure. Let them be a refreshing rain when we are thirsty and a lifting tide when we are sunk beneath the waters of mortality and fear.
All of this we pray in the name of Jesus, the author and guarantor of these Your promises.
AMEN
You have promised us blessings untold. We have tasted of them - the blessings of Your support and presence and care, of strength to persevere and new life and forgiveness and hope in an imperishable inheritance. You have promised these things, and You have worked them for us in Jesus Christ. We give you thanks for all that You have done, and we confess how often we take these blessings for granted.
However, You also promise us that there are deeper blessings hidden in Jesus, and we pray that You would pour forth these as well. Too often we content ourselves only with the shallow beginnings of faith rather than its fruitful fullness. Give us hearts that long for deeper things. Make us hunger for the full measure of life You have promised.
Grant us Christlikeness, to be formed more and more to be like Him. Teach us the full meaning of discipleship, the full measure of faithfulness, and the full assurance we have in Christ. Overcome the sin in our hearts and give us new ones that beat for You. Overcome the lies of the evil one and speak to us the surety of adoption as Your children.
Grant us the power of Your Spirit, moving in and through us to draw the world to Yourself. Wake Your slumbering children, and send us out into the harvest, for the fields are heavy with grain. Anoint our words and our actions so that we might build up Your church and gather in those who desperately need the good news of Your Son.
Grant us the love and vision of Your mission in the world. Let all people be drawn to You, that they might sing Your praises together as One new humanity in Jesus Christ. Revive us. Shake off our worldly slumber and giving us a passion for Your name. Usher in the true and final Jubilee, the year of the Lord's favor, the time when all chains are broken and all lives are valued and creation sings with the joyful chord You struck at its beginning.
Father, let all these blessings flow. Rain them down on us although we struggle with sin and doubt. Shower them on our heads even though we wrestle with opposition and failure. Let them be a refreshing rain when we are thirsty and a lifting tide when we are sunk beneath the waters of mortality and fear.
All of this we pray in the name of Jesus, the author and guarantor of these Your promises.
AMEN
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