First Christian Church, Owensville, IN
Quotes on prayer:
“In order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer, is, to continue praying; for the less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray.” –George Muller, "A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealings with George Müller". Book by George Müller, First Part, 1837 via azquotes.com.
Adoration: Praise Sovereign God for His attributes, for who He is and what He is like in this passage:
Colossians 1:15-20: 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (NLT)
For ________________, Mighty God. We give you praise!
Confession: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything in your life that is displeasing to Him and confess it to Him.
Psalm 32:5: Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. (NLT)
I confess ______________, forgiving God. Hear our prayer. (If prayed aloud with others.)
Thanksgiving: Let us thank God for what He has done & does.
James 1:18: He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. (NLT)
For _______________, loving God. We give you thanks.
Supplication (Humble Petitions) & Intercession:
1 Timothy 2:1-2: I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. (NLT)
• Pray to our merciful God about anything/anyone the Spirit puts on your heart to pray. Especially consider the current disruption, uncertainties, challenges, and grief due to COVID-19.
For _____________, merciful God. Hear our prayer.
• After reading and thinking about the following passage, pray to our merciful God as the Spirit guides you.
1 Peter 2:2-3: 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. (NLT)
For _____________, merciful God. Hear our prayer.
• Meditate on the following passages, then with the Spirit’s guidance, pray to your merciful God what the passage is leading your pray.
1 Peter 1:22-23, 25-2:1: 22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God…And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
21 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. (NLT)
For _____________, merciful God. Hear our prayer.
• After meditating on this passage, pray as the Spirit directs you.
Philippians 2:3-4: 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. (CSB)
For _____________, merciful God. Hear our prayer.
Benediction: The Lord’s Model Prayer
9Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13, KJV)