Tag: church

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Set the Tone for Sunday Worship

Good Lord,
One of the best ways to prepare for worship on Sunday is to set the tone on Saturday. Saturday is a day that is often set aside for projects and recreation, each of which are blessings in their own right. I am grateful for those opportunities, but also ask that you help me approach them with balance in mind. Guide me to avoid overexerting or exhausting myself so much that I am still worn out on Sunday morning, providing an extra and unnecessary obstacle in the way of worship. 

Let me set aside even a small portion of time each Saturday both to reflect on last week’s worship and message, and to prepare for worship tomorrow. Where resources are available for me to look ahead at the Scriptures, hymns, or songs, help me establish the practice of readying myself with them, if even just briefly looking over them. As I go to bed tonight, let my prayers include the request to wake up refreshed and with a spirit that is eager to gather together with others in your house for worship. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Accessibility of Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. While worshiping together with fellow believers is the ideal, thank you for all of the many ways you make services and parts of worship available for those unable to gather in person. Hymns and worship music can be heard and sung in a variety of ways. Sermons can be read, listened to, or viewed live or on demand via all kinds of media. We can pray along with other believers in real time, or pray written prayers whenever we wish to. Use all of the means of providing these digital and recorded blessings to edify believers everywhere, and even draw in unbelievers, too. At the same time, may their usage not be viewed by believers as a preferred option to gathering in person with the body of Christ. Keep the gathering together of the saints for worship as a high priority for all believers everywhere.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Prioritize My Salvation

Lord of Salvation,
Nothing should concern us more than the matter of our salvation. Scripture paints such a terrifying picture of hell that we must conclude that Satan and sin are nothing to be trifled with. Yet the same Scripture points to the clear certainty of salvation solely through the work of our Savior. It leaves no doubt for anyone seeking the answer to the question of what happens to us after this life. 

Keep us from allowing other concerns and distractions in our lives to crowd out the matter of our salvation. Although Jesus took care of it entirely for us, Satan tries relentlessly to take it away from us. While he cannot undo the work of salvation carried out by Jesus, Satan can convince us that our busy schedules don’t permit the time it takes to keep us close to Jesus. Since he cannot take salvation away from us, he tries to take us away from our salvation. He does this by trying to cut us off from Word and Sacrament. Help us fight that battle daily and remain tethered to you by faith, so that our salvation is never in jeopardy. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Be More Kingdom-Minded With My Possessions

Loving Savior,
You praised the shrewd manager who made the most of his situation and worked it to his own advantage. Your praise, though, is not intended to compel us to follow in his footsteps concerning his pursuit of personal gain. Rather, we can imitate his shrewdness in a spiritual sense as we consider how our station in life and the connections we have could be advantageous to the kingdom.

You place worldly resources all around us that can certainly be used in support of gospel ministry. Grant me greater awareness of my own personal connections and the resources at my disposal that can be utilized in kingdom-minded ways. Expand my view beyond the local ministry of my own congregation to also consider how I might be in a position to help facilitate the ministry of other congregations or organizations, on a larger scale or in different ways. Shift my perspective more and more to see all that you have entrusted to me as a means by which your gospel reach can be extended.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Dealing with Difficult Church Members

Lord of the Church,
You call us to gather together and unite with fellow believers to carry out our mission and ministry together. When this happens at the local congregational level, you use us both to be a blessing to others and to be blessed by others as the body of Christ. Thank you for the many influential believers you have brought into my life through my church family.

Yet, just as in all other areas of life, church is not without difficult people. While this doesn’t surprise us, knowing your church is made up of sinner saints, it can be a unique challenge because believers are called to hold each other to a higher standard. Forgive me first of all for the many times and ways I’ve personally fallen short of those standards and been difficult for others. Let me extend to others the same grace and patience that have so often been extended to me.

At the same time, don’t allow others to mistake that patience for permission when they are in the wrong or need to repent. Help me distinguish between spiritual immaturity and obstinance, and to separate ignorance or eccentricities from deliberate disobedience. Lead me to assume the best of all of my fellow church members, especially the particularly difficult ones. Guard any differences from becoming divisiveness, and continue to build up your church through the unique members of the body of Christ.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Churches Without a Place to Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Those of us who have churches or locations in which to gather for worship can easily take them for granted. Believers all over the world gather without a building or sanctuary to call their own. Other churches struggle to make less than ideal spaces work for corporate worship. While worship doesn’t require walls or a roof, there are tremendous blessings that come with having a sacred space of one’s own for worship. Through things like intentional design components, architecture, artistic elements, and the layout of the sanctuary itself, there are many powerful ways to ensure that Jesus is clearly the focal point of our worship and life. Help believers without a space of their own overcome whatever obstacles stand in their way. Bring gifted people to their flocks who may have the talents or connections to get done what needs to get done to establish their own sacred space. While they wait on your timing, continue to nurture and edify them with your Word however and whenever they gather, building up the body of Christ while it waits for its place to worship Christ.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Access to Public Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. While we take for granted the ease with which Americans are generally able to attend church, that isn’t the case all of the world. In many countries opposed to Christianity, believers put their lives at risk every time they travel to gather for worship. In other countries, even where Christians are free to worship, geography or distance can make traveling to church a tremendous challenge. For many, poverty puts a strain on reliable transportation. Bless the sacrifices so many believers make just to attend worship, and lighten or remove whatever obstacles stand in their way. Make clear paths readily available to all who desire to come together for worship. Where that isn’t possible, let your Word satisfy and nourish the spirits of your people in other ways.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Pastors

Lord of the Church,
Thank you for the gift of pastors. Through their service, you lead and feed your sheep. Keep them fervent and faithful to the task. Send your Spirit to guide their handling of your Word so that it continues to be proclaimed and taught without error. Guard pastors from apathetic attitudes and laziness. Let them carry out their calling with respect and the highest regard for your ministry. Bless their efforts and use them to equip your people and build up your church.

Along with the rich blessings that accompany ministry, there are also many challenges. When pastors are frustrated or discouraged, restore them with your gracious promises. When they have to oversee difficult situations or individuals, provide them with the counsel and support they need. When they struggle with feelings of inadequacy or insecurity, remind them that you are their rock and the rock on which your church is built. When they feel lonely or isolated, move them to look to brothers in ministry for encouragement and hope. Guard pastors from enticement or temptation that would not only threaten them spiritually, but potentially put their ministry at risk. Hold your heavenly prize always before them, and fill them with peace and purpose through the assurance that you are ever-present in their lives and ministries.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Grace to Abound

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. As so many all over the world gather together in your house, they bring so many different experiences and emotions to worship. Nevertheless, we all have one need in common that unites us: grace. What we cannot find anywhere else apart from your Word and Sacrament, pour out in abundance to all. Let it not be subtle or hidden, but rather preached clearly and sung loudly for all to hear.

Since we could have no relationship with you apart from grace, nor would we have the guarantee of a place in heaven without it, let it abound. May it wash over hearts heavy with guilt and shame. Use your grace to stir up passion and zeal among believers to carry out your mission and ministry with relentless fervor. Through us all, flood the earth with your grace.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Eagerly Serve My Church

Selfless Savior,
While most people think of Sunday morning worship when they think of church, the local congregation is really about so much more. Yes, worship is the highlight of the believer’s week, serving us Word and sacrament, and providing a foretaste of what awaits us in the future, but you build up the body of Christ is in so many other ways, too. Churches carry out your work through schools, Bible studies, and various other ministries and acts of service both internally and externally.

While we are grateful for church workers who are called to guide and equip us for this work, help each of us to see the important roles we have in helping carry this work out. Service isn’t about official roles or titles, but about a willing spirit – a spirit willing to imitate Jesus and wash my neighbor’s feet. Move men everywhere to demonstrate servant leadership in your church, looking to serve first rather than be served. When opportunities or needs arise, grant us the faith-focused desire to get our hands dirty and eagerly jump in. Lead us to support our church workers and each other by making their work a joy and not a burden. Compel us to serve our congregations because through our service, you’re not just getting work done through us, but also in us. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.