Tag: worship

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Special Occasions in Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. At times, the weekly blessing of gathering in your presence with fellow believers is amplified even more by the celebration of special milestones. What a joy it is to highlight festivals from church history, recognize special observances in the church year, and celebrate ministry milestones! Thank you for these and all memorable occasions and for the chance to draw attention to them through our worship. They often provide us with welcome variety in worship and additional ways to express our gratitude. Thank you for the gifts you’ve given to those who plan special services like these to edify and build up so many. Bless all such occasions with a Christ-centered focus that leaves worshipers continually longing to rejoice in the Lord!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Focus on My Prayers in Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. When we set aside this day of Sabbath, we do so to engage with you together in worship. There you speak to us through your Word, guiding and directing us, but also convicting and comforting us through your law and gospel. In doing so, you feed our faith.

One of the natural responses of a healthy faith is to speak to you in prayer. Worship provides us with many opportunities to bring our requests and intercessions to you in prayer, and to thank and praise you as well. Let me be particularly mindful of my prayers this morning, focusing on the words being spoken while also expressing them with the confident faith that you are listening and will answer according to your rich grace. Let my worship set the tone for a prayer-filled week, regularly tapping into the privilege of talking to you and bringing before you all that is on my mind and heart.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Blessing of Hymns and Songs in Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. When we worship together with others, we have the opportunity to proclaim your promises and your saving acts through music and song. Thank you for the contributions of the skilled writers and composers of each generation who have gone before us and left their mark on the church. Their timeless hymns, musical arrangements, and choral pieces have edified and blessed believers in corporate worship and in personal reflection for ages. 

Let those hymns which have stood the test of time not be buried and forgotten in our generation. Continue to raise up in your church those with the musical gifts and abilities to put your Word to song, not only to move and inspire, but also to teach and instruct. Guide them to craft theologically strong and substantive hymns and songs that will feed your flock for generations to come. Let the music of worship consist of such more than catchy tunes; let it nourish souls and satisfy spirits with the timeless touch of your gracious gospel.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

The Needed Privilege of the Public Ministry

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(Luke 10:1-12, 16-20)

You never seem to have enough. Of what? While the answers may differ, none of us would have too much trouble identifying something in our lives that seems to be lacking; some area where we don’t have enough. We don’t have enough hours in the day to get it all done. We don’t have enough time together. We don’t get enough sleep. We don’t have enough money. We don’t get scheduled for enough hours at work. We don’t have enough gas, enough time off, enough rain, enough… the list goes on. We know the feeling, whether our feeling that we don’t have enough is backed by data or merely based on our perception. As ironic as it is for us who live in the country with the world’s largest economy, we’re not strangers to the feeling of not having enough,

But maybe that shouldn’t surprise us. After all, doesn’t it seem like the Lord delights in dealing with perceived deficiencies, in our not having enough? We have two very clear commands in Scripture: to trust God to provide and to be content. Each of these is put to the test when under perceived deficiencies, when it seems there isn’t enough of something. In other words, it isn’t as difficult to trust that God will provide when I have more money than I know what to do with, right? And doesn’t contentment seem to be much easier to achieve when I have plenty and am more than satisfied in every area of life? 

Therefore, when it appears that we don’t have enough of something, does God allow that to happen so frequently in our lives because, well… we’re half right? Maybe there is something we need more of?

Yes… but it isn’t what we think; instead, what we need more of is trust and turning to God. So he allows us to go without so that we look less within and more to him. Then, when we do just that, he shows himself to be the trustworthy God he has always claimed to be, delivering on his promise to provide whatever we need.

Jesus pointed to something that was lacking during his ministry, something there wasn’t enough of. What is that “something,” or better “someone”? Workers. People dedicating their lives to the work of the church, which we refer to today as the public ministry. Jesus was saying that there weren’t enough church workers in his day.

Not much has changed in over 2,000 years, has it? It appears we’re still short of workers for the harvest. We currently have around 120 pastoral vacancies and about the same number of teacher vacancies in our church body (WELS). Now, not all of those represent a single congregation without a pastor or school without a teacher; some have multiple pastors and are functioning with fewer than are ideal, as are schools short on teachers. But regardless, they are not at the full capacity they feel they need to carry out their ministry.

More important than the actual number of how short our churches and schools are is the solution to the shortfall. How would Jesus have us address this shortfall? He gives two pretty clear directives: “Ask” and “Go!”  

When you ask someone for something, it demonstrates two things. First, it shows you have been giving thought to whatever the topic of your request is. When we ask the Lord to send out workers, it demonstrates our concern for the important work of his church, the need to flood the earth with the good news of the gospel. To ask for workers shows the Lord that he and his church are on our hearts and minds. Second, it shows that we know he is the One who can do something about it. We don’t have to come up with clever gimmicks or try to make ministry appeal to others with attraction marketing. The Lord sends the workers. He just wants us to ask him.

Then immediately after the invitation to ask for workers, what does Jesus do? He sends out the seventy-two, telling them, “Go!” So when we ask, as the Lord directs us to, we also have to be open to being an answer, as the seventy-two were. If all of God’s people only ask the Lord of the harvest for workers, while at the same time avoiding any consideration of the call into ministry, there would be no workers! There would be no answers to the asking. So be open to both the asking and the answering, the praying for the workers and potentially playing the part of a worker.

Recall in the last post in this series, we had the opportunity to see what it looks like when one answers the call to go. While we focused on how undivided attention means complete commitment, we saw what that looked like in the example of Elisha. I want to return back to that incident to highlight two aspects of Elisha’s behavior that reflected that his heart was in the right place for public ministry. 

First, he cared about people. Yes, he went back to say goodbye to his parents. But he didn’t stop there. He threw a big party with a steak dinner for everyone! He cared about others and serving them – sacrificing his own plowing equipment and oxen in the process – which leads to his second ideal attribute for ministry: he trusted the Lord to provide.

I don’t know about you, but if I was asked out of the blue to make a big life change like that, facing all kinds of uncertainties, one thing I would want to make sure of is that I had enough in my piggy bank to ride out the rough times. Couldn’t Elisha have sold the plowing equipment and oxen and at least had a little financial cushion in his pockets as he went on his way into the unknown? Instead, Elisha made a clean break from that chapter of his life and followed God’s call, completely trusting that God would provide for him. He cared for people and he trusted in God’s providence. 

It has been my own personal experience that God often uses the one to deliver on the other. It shouldn’t just be on anniversaries or special occasions that a pastor gets to express his gratitude, so I am grateful for the care my congregation provides for my family and me. We have been blessed through our congregation’s generosity our whole time serving at Shepherd of the Hills. A pastor gets to take care of God’s people, and God uses his people to take care of their pastor. It really is a beautiful thing, and it’s right in line with the words Jesus spoke this morning. 

That kind of care allows the called worker to keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus made sure the seventy-two didn’t lose sight of that upon their return. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name’” (v.17). They were like the kid in the world of superheroes who just figured out his superpower – only this wasn’t made up; this was real power they had been given to even put demons in their place!

Jesus then validated their abilities, reminding them that demons were real, in service to the very real Satan whom Jesus himself had seen “fall like lightning from heaven” (v.18). Then, Jesus raised the bar and foreshadowed more of the amazing abilities he would give them as they served in his name, along with the promise of safekeeping. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (v.19). 

Yet even in light of all this power and authority they would be wielding as they went out with the Word, none of it was to be the ultimate source of their joy. That ALWAYS must find its foundation elsewhere. Jesus made it clear where. “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (v.20).

I can also relate to Jesus’ final words in these verses. Do you what I love about getting to be a pastor? My name is written in heaven. Is it written in heaven because I’m a pastor? Is God somehow especially pleased that I chose this path over any other? Of course not. He is no more pleased with this path than he is with the faithful gas station clerk. One is not better in his eyes.

But, every single day I get to spend time in the Word, and it reminds me that my name is written in heaven. And no, one doesn’t have to be a pastor to spend time in the Word every day to find that out. But it is just one of the many perks of the job that you take home a paycheck for reading the Bible, teaching the Bible, preaching the Bible, and studying the Bible with others. It’s a sweet gig!

I began this post by pointing out how often we don’t seem to have enough. But I have to conclude with the reminder that God also promises to provide more than we can even ask for. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). Do you suppose this promise is limited to any one area of life, or could it be applied to workers for the harvest, too? Is God able to fill all of the current vacancies in our church body with pastors and teachers? Could he exceed that by providing even more than necessary?

Yes, in fact that was the case when I graduated from the Seminary. In contrast to not having enough pastors at that time, the concern was about not having enough spots for all the soon-to-be pastors. This need prompted the class ahead of me to come up with a plan for tent ministry, or bi-vocational ministry. While that class didn’t end up needing to utilize that plan, as all of the graduates were assigned to pastor congregations, my class did have an opportunity. And in fact, I was one of the two graduates assigned to a tent ministry mission field in Tucson, AZ. That is where I served for three years prior to arriving at Shepherd of the Hills.

So yes, God can provide more workers that we can imagine. Yet, rather than thinking in terms of shortages or surpluses, let’s simply be confident that the Lord will provide exactly what is needed. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Rest assured, this applies to called workers, too.

In fact, that is exactly what Jesus promises regarding the plentiful harvest and few workers, when he invites us to pray, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2). From our vantage point, it appears we’re short on workers, we don’t appear to have enough of something. So what do we do? Turn to God in prayer. Ask. And, while asking, consider the ways we can also go and be an answer to that prayer. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Worship to Spur on Ministry

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Use your Word and worship today to equip your people to carry out the mission of your church. Let worship serve to remind believers about the unique role the church serves in both growing and going. As we carry out our calling together, we use the same gospel to grow in our faith and to go bring others to faith. While your Holy Spirit does all the heavy lifting of converting souls and nurturing spiritual growth, he does that important work through us.

Since you send pastors and teachers to help prioritize that work and equip and train believers for it, lead many more to choose the path of public ministry so that our congregations and classrooms are not lacking in manpower. Raise up around them zealous disciples who are eager to work together in ministry and give focused attention to your mission of growing and going. Spur on your people all over the world to embrace the joyful privilege of ministry, to be faithful and diligent in carrying it out, and to fully trust in you for the results. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Let Your Forgiveness Flow in Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Worship is valuable for so many reasons, but there is nothing believers long to receive more than the assurance of forgiveness. You distribute your gracious gift of forgiveness to so many in so many different ways. May it provide peace to those who are struggling with shame. Use it to uplift those who never feel like they are enough. Let it ease consciences burdened by guilt. Wherever and by whomever your forgiveness is needed, lavish it richly. Let it ring loudly through songs and hymns of worship. Let preachers proclaim it. Let the readings of Scripture declare it. Let the Supper serve it. Pour out your forgiveness Lord, and through it, build up and equip your church. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Preparing to Worship

Lord God,
What happens – or doesn’t happen – the day before can determine how Sunday morning worship goes. This is often true of everyone involved in worship, from those planning, to those participating, and even the ones preaching. When details are left until the last-minute, the goal shifts from preparing for excellence to just scrambling to get it done. When practice or rehearsal is neglected, it is often reflected in worship. When Saturdays are jammed with activities and there is no thought or attention given to the Sunday morning ritual of getting ready for church, that seems to be when there are no clean clothes, there is nothing for breakfast, or the car needs gas. Then, when worshipers show up for church, they bring unnecessary stress and irritation with them, which can negatively impact their attitude and demeanor in worship.

Guide all worshipers to be mindful of all these considerations so that as much as possible, humanly speaking, we remove all barriers and hindrances to the powerful Word as we come into your presence. And, even when we fall short in our preparation, Lord, let our time in your house nonetheless always edify our spirits and enrich our faith.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For a Clear Flow in Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. There are many elements of worship every time we gather in your house. The goal of each of those elements is to highlight Christ and draw our attention to him. In doing so, the Holy Spirit creates, sustains, and strengthens our faith.

However, sometimes the variety of elements in worship can seem disconnected or confusing. This can be so overwhelming that any theme or main point is unclear or lost altogether, resulting in frustration or discouragement for worshipers. Guide pastors and worship planners to be aware of the importance of establishing a clear focus and connected flow in worship. Where encouragement can be given, may it always be done with a loving spirit and a concern for the whole body of worshipers and not simply personal taste or preference. In all our worship planning and efforts, lead us to continue to keep Christ at the center of worship. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Fathers, Take Your Lead from the Son

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(John 16:12-15)

A father and his son each pull up a chair at the kitchen table. “I’ve always appreciated your wisdom and counsel, so I’m hoping you can help me work through a few things. I’ve been struggling a bit, and I’m looking for some advice and guidance. You’ve always said I can come to you with anything, no matter what, so I’m hoping that is still the case.” “Of course it is, dad,” the son responded, “I’ll always be here for you and will help you in any way I can. Tell me, dad, what’s on your mind?”

That’s not how you expected the conversation the kitchen table to continue, is it? We would assume that in a scenario like that – a father and son sitting down at the kitchen table to talk – the son would be the one seeking advice from the father, not the other way around. Dads are the ones with the knowledge and experience, so it’s natural for a son to look to his father for guidance and direction.

But God wants fathers – and really all of us – to see how important it is that we take our lead from the Son. Jesus had much more than just three years’ worth of guidance for his disciples – there was plenty of instruction and guidance they still needed. He made that clear with his words, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear” (v.12). 

How well does Jesus know his own! Even as he was preparing his disciples for his departure, he cares enough to continue shepherding his sheep, knowing full well that they – and we – will always be in need of instruction and guidance. No follower of Jesus has or ever will come close to achieving a PhD in discipleship. No believer can possibly achieve expert status in knowing and living according God’s will through God’s Word. There will always be more that he has to say to us. Pray that we are always willing to listen!

Jesus also showed how aware he is of how and when to unfold important spiritual truths in our lives. What was going on in the disciples’ lives that they couldn’t at that moment possibly bear whatever else Jesus had to tell them? Jesus had been starting to prepare them for when he would no longer be with them in person, and had just shared some pretty heavy things with them.

For example, he warned them that the world would hate them because of him (15:19), and that the time was quickly approaching when those who put believers to death would actually think they are serving God (16:2). Jesus knew that was a lot for them to process as they counted the cost of being his disciples. So he deliberately spread out his instruction, spacing it so that he would give them a little bit now, and more later through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on and after Pentecost. 

Notice also two things in these words of Jesus. First, he speaks with authority. When Jesus provides the details regarding his sending of the Spirit, he explains, “[The Holy Spirit] will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you” (v.14). The Holy Spirit wasn’t going to be a free spirit, revealing and proclaiming whatever he wanted to on a whim; rather, he was being sent specifically to communicate the ongoing truths and teaching of Jesus.

And from where did Jesus receive that authority? From the Father. “All that belongs to the Father is mine” (v.15a). The Father had entrusted all things to the Son for the purpose of carrying out his plan of salvation, and then making that salvation known to the ends of the earth through the work of the Spirit. Jesus had been given that authority from the Father. 

Secondly, while Jesus speaks with authority, he doesn’t speak as an authoritarian. Jesus was not a dictator. He was not the power-hungry boss who relishes reminding those beneath him that he’s in charge. No, with these words, Jesus gives a glimpse into the wonders of the Trinity – a three-in-one God dedicated to working in beautiful, perfect harmony for the salvation of all.

God hasn’t revealed himself as the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – to confuse or confound us, but to comfort us. There is a certain confidence that comes from realizing that my inability to comprehend this mystery is indicative of a God who is absolutely out of my league in terms of my simple understanding. I will never grasp the mystery of three persons, yet one God. But by faith I find supreme comfort in knowing that this out-of-my-league God is not interested in keeping me confused and in the dark, but rather in enlightening me to the certainty of salvation that he alone has secured for me. 

When I preached on these same verses from John 16 years ago, I referred to the three persons of the Trinity as the Giver, the Grunt, and the Guide. The Father, as the Giver, ultimately provides for our every need, including both physical and spiritual needs. It is together in perfect harmony with the Son and Spirit, that he delivers our spiritual needs. Without the Son carrying out the grunt work of our salvation through his perfect life and sacrificial, substitutionary death, there would be no spiritual goods for the Father to give. Finally, without the Guide, the Holy Spirit, who opens our eyes to see and believe the salvation secured for us through the Son, the Son’s work would have been in vain. So we stand in awe of the divine synergy that exists within the Holy Trinity, all for the focused purpose of soul-saving. 

Fathers, do you know what that means? It means that what God calls you to do and be in your home and family, he does not call you to do and be by yourself. “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). You have the Triune God at your disposal as you carry out this high calling! God doesn’t leave you hanging in your role as father and spiritual head of your home. Everything he calls you to, he also equips you for. And fathers, the best way you can carry out your role is by taking your lead from the Son. 

What does that look like? You can’t take your lead from the Son if you don’t first spend time with the Son yourself.

Dads, let me ask you, how well do you know your children? While answers will vary, can we agree that the solution is the same for any dad who wants to know his children better? What has to happen? You have to spend time with them. There is simply no substitute for spending time together. Sure, mom can often provide a wealth of information about a child’s. A teacher can speak to their learning abilities. A coach can share their successes and struggles.

But that mere passing along of information alone isn’t sufficient to develop a deeper relationship with your child. You have to spend time with them.

So then, if we are going to follow God’s direction, fathers, and bring up our children in the training and instruction of the Lord, then it’s absolutely necessary that we first spend time with the Lord.

Most of us know the hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” But maybe we should consider if “What a Familiarity We Have with Jesus” might be a more accurate title. We know who Jesus is. We know what the Bible tells us about him. We know what others have told us about him. But can we honestly say he’s our friend… if we don’t spend time with him? Friendship requires time together, so if we don’t spend time regularly with Jesus, can we really call him our friend?

That actually leads into the most important reason to spend time with him. Because, unlike other friends who will eventually move along to other friendships if you don’t have the time for them, Jesus never will. His friendship is founded on forgiveness. His friendship is grounded in grace. He won’t ever allow your friendship with him to sour on his end, but he’s always waiting for you to deepen it on your end.

Spend time with him. Quit boring others with your lame excuses about not having the time. Prioritize getting to know Jesus more. I always say that if it matters to us, we’ll find a way; if it doesn’t, we’ll find an excuse. Don’t complicate it. Jesus invites us to know him personally as we follow his words and wonders recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Befriend him through his Word.

When that happens, you change. He changes you. Jesus changes you – for the better. And then you’ve got something to share with your children.

Without friendship with Jesus, what training and instruction would you be qualified to pass along as a father? We’re not just talking teaching your kid who to change the oil or hammer a nail – we’re talking about the divine truths and treasures that will serve them far more effectively both for this life and for eternal life. The training and instruction you’re then able to give them involves introducing them to your best friend, Jesus, and starting to encourage them to build their own friendship with him.

But one more thing has to happen. Just as you prioritize time with the Son, so you also have to prioritize time with your children. We’re all busy, and often it is with work, working as hard as we do to provide for our family. Yet how many children have ever looked back on their childhood and said they wished their dad had worked more? None.

What if I told you that you don’t need more hours in the day? Chances are, you’re already coaching them, shuttling them to practice, or watching their games. You already take them outdoors and on fishing trips. You watch their dance recitals. Take those moments you already have together and use them to bring Jesus into the conversation. For starters, don’t worry about adding additional planned spiritual interactions into an already packed calendar; rather, utilize the time you already spend together to serve as openings for talking about Jesus.

Also, bring them to church. Especially you, dads. The statistics are overwhelmingly obvious that your presence in church has a far greater impact and influence on your children’s spiritual formation than if they come by themselves or even with just mom. Spend time with your children in your Friend’s house every Sunday. Don’t settle for anything else. In a society that has embraced and even encourages lowering the bar across all areas of life, refuse to do so in this area. Set the bar high. Make worship together a non-negotiable every week. That’s where your best Friend is every Sunday. 

And that best Friend, the Savior Jesus, promises that together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, he will equip fathers with everything they need to bring up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. Fathers, keep looking to the Son to be the father you want to be, and the father God calls you to be.

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Bless First-Time Visitors in Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. However, there are many throughout the world setting foot inside your house for the first time ever who don’t know that. Thank you for their willingness to take this courageous step, and for whatever took place in their lives to prompt them to seek something in worship. Regardless of what it is they’re looking for, show them Jesus and the salvation that comes through faith in his name.

Remove any roadblocks or hindrances that could sour their experience, and see that they are warmly welcomed and looked after. Bless their worship and grant them such a favorable experience that they are eager to return. As you did on the first Pentecost, send your Holy Spirit and work on their hearts to open their eyes to the joy of forgiveness and the certainty of their salvation.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.