Pastoral Prayer - Extravagant God

O Extravagant God,
You give us so much. You not only provide our daily bread but innumerable joys as well. The warmth of our beds and homes. The excess of food in our pantries and refrigerators. So many clothes that we need to get rid of some. Jobs and friends. Art and music. The sound of laughter. Automobiles. The squirrels that play in my back yard. The crystalline blanket of a world covered in snow.

Every day of life speaks to Your prodigal generosity. You give us so much. We thank You for these uncounted blessings, and we confess that we do not count them as we should.

Nonetheless, we come and ask that You would continue to provide. Our blessedness doesn’t remove our need to trust You for tomorrow, and we pray that You would teach such trust to our hearts. In those ways where we are anxious, remind us that You are a God who provides. In those areas where we are struggling, give us the strength and courage to continue in faith and follow Your wills.

More than that, teach us to recognize in Jesus Christ the true bread and drink that we need. Do not let us become satisfied only with the things of this world; teach our hearts to be satisfied ultimately in Him. Show us the true life that is His life, the true grace that is His death, and the true power that flows from His resurrection. Give us a holy discontentment with the things of this world and a holy longing for a relationship with You through Him.

As You so meet our needs, teach us also to meet the needs of others. Teach us to be Christ’s hands providing them bread for today. Teach us to be Christ’s ambassadors, showing them that what they truly need is Him. Teach us to have hearts of humility, seeing in the neediness of others a pale reflection of the neediness with which we come before You.

Likewise, Father, feed those whose needs weigh heavily on our hearts. Give peace to broken relationships. Give healing to the sick and suffering. Give encouragement to the battered and strength to the stumbling and rest to the weary by Your Holy Spirit.


Do all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, the ultimate embodiment of Your extravagant love.
AMEN

Comments