Tag: Sacrament

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Grow My Faith

Holy Spirit,
How can we possibly determine the value of the priceless gift of faith which you have given us? By faith, our eyes have been opened to see our Savior, who has secured our salvation and who provides us with peace and purpose in life. Therefore, I ask you to increase my faith so that it continues to cling ever so tightly to you and does not waver or doubt. Since I know you carry out this vital work through your Word, draw me into it more consistently and direct me to think on it deeply. Lead me also to crave Communion, by which you refresh and restore my soul, and to rejoice in my baptism, by which you claimed me as your own. Use your Word in all these wonderful ways to grow in me a faith that delights in fixing my eyes increasingly on my Jesus. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For My Home Church and Church Family

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Thank you for the blessing of being able to worship in my home congregation. Whether away for school, traveling frequently for work, or simply being unable to attend in person for one reason or another, it is a joy to worship in our own church. We get to smile at familiar faces, share laughs, and catch up with our church family. The sanctuary itself is a sacred space, a collection of ministry milestones and memories over the years that will forever be held in our hearts. Siblings were baptized, co-workers finally confirmed, family friends joined in marriage, and saints with secret struggles were renewed by your Body and Blood to keep battling. These are all woven together to form the unique and beautiful patchwork of people who are yours – and people I am blessed to call mine, too, for they are treasures to me. Thank you for each and every one of these trophies of grace who make up my church family, and for the cherished space where we gather.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Gift of Holy Communion

Lord Jesus,
On this Thursday of Holy Week, we thank you for the sacred Supper you instituted. By it, we commemorate your death and recall the significance of the sacrifice you made for all. Together with the bread and wine, the very body and blood we receive in Holy Communion take us back to the cross, where you secured our forgiveness and eternal salvation. By the blood you shed for us on Calvary, you still forgive and cleanse us through this miraculous Meal. Feed your church continually with this sacrament, strengthening and sustaining the weak and the strong. Lead believers everywhere to treasure the Lord’s Supper and receive it regularly. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Christ to Be Exalted Through Places of Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. When believers gather in church for worship, they experience so much that points to Jesus. The means of grace – the gospel in Word and the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism – will always remain front and center. But do not let the richness of liturgical worship or the design and details of the worship space be lost on worshippers, either. Bible stories stained in glass help us fix our thoughts on Jesus. The placement of the baptismal font reassures us that we belong to your family through baptism. The cross and the altar lead us to recall your precious sacrifice for our sins. Christian symbols on display help cement Christian doctrine and teaching. May churches always give thought to the rich variety of ways Christ is proclaimed, and may worshippers always be edified and drawn closer to their Savior through them.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Keep Christ at the Center of Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. We keep them sacred – holy – by coming together with fellow believers to be fed by your Word. Prevent all efforts at supplanting your Word and gospel with anything else in worship. Your house is not the place for political rallies or protests, but for the proclamation of your Word. Let Christ alone and the hope of salvation through faith in him be the focal point of worship in Christian churches everywhere. Guard the walls of churches from false teaching, but also from anything that doesn’t serve to advance your glorious gospel. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Thank You for Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. On this first day of Thanksgiving week, we are especially thankful for the blessing of worship, by which you dispense the riches of your grace. Where your Word is preached and your sacraments are administered, there you are placing your divine banquet before your people. Through it, let the Holy Spirit continue to kindle in believers old and new a genuine longing for and love of worship. Use worship to draw them more deeply into your Word and to strengthen their faith’s grip on your gracious promises. As believers grow in their appreciation for worship, lead them to be protective of their time in your house and encourage each other to do the same. The more they come to gather, equip them also to go, shining the light of their faith brightly, and eagerly speaking about what they have seen and heard. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Treasure Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Today I reflect on the countless saints throughout history and in the present who have shared the common experience of being able to gather together in your presence around your Word and Sacrament. Although that worship has varied drastically during different periods of history and among different cultures, how beautiful it is to know that we have shared and celebrated the same Savior. It is the blood of that Savior, Jesus, which makes saints out of souls – regardless of language, social status, age, and skin color, creating a magnificent tapestry within your Church. Lead believers to regard worship as one of the most precious activities your saints can ever participate in, for it is a foretaste of when we will all be gathered together with saints past, present, and future in your glorious presence. 

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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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.