First Christian Church, Owensville, IN
May 31, 2020
Quotes on prayer:
“Prayer is essentially the practice of the presence of God, and that is the road to Heaven. There is no alternative. God is the only game in town. All other roads are dead ends. Since we must give our all to the one true God, we must not give any part to idols, to the many false gods that now bite away at our lives.”— Peter Kreeft (2000). Prayer for Beginners, p.93, Ignatius Press via azquotes.com
“Prayer is fundamentally a transformation of will, a lifting of the heart and will to God.”—Peter Kreeft via azquotes.com
Adoration: After reflecting on the following verses, praise Sovereign God for His attributes, for who He is and what He is like:
Revelation 1:8: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”(ESV)
1 Peter 2:25: 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (ESV)
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. Are there any sinful desires you’ve given in to that should be confessed and repented of?
1 John 1:8-10: If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.* If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned. (TLB)
I confess ______________, forgiving God. Forgive us our sins. (If prayed aloud with others.)
Thanksgiving: In light of the following passages and anything else the Spirit reminds you of, let us thank God for what He has done & does.
Ephesians 5:20: Always thank God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (GW)
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)
• In addition to our nation’s current civil unrest, pray to our merciful God about anything/anyone the Spirit puts on your heart to pray.
For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.
After reading and thinking about the following passages, pray to our merciful God as the Spirit guides you.
1 Peter 2:13-17: Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government. (Msg)
For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.
1 Peter 2:21-23: This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.
He never did one thing wrong,
Not once said anything amiss.
They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. (TLB)
For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.
1 Peter 3:8-12: 8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. 10 For the Scriptures say,
“If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
against those who do evil.” (NLT)
For _____________, Merciful God. Hear our prayer.
Benediction: The Lord’s Model Prayer
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
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)