Prayers by the Pastor for the People of God

 

Prayer for Healing

Wonder-worker, Jesus Christ,
In the Garden of Gethsemane, at the time of Your arrest, Your impetuous disciple, Simon Peter, took matters into his own hands, and struck Malchus, the servant of the high priest, with a sword and thereby severed his right ear.
Groping in the dewy grass, in the darkness of the night, You retrieved the ear, attached it to Malchus' head and healed him!
Performing Your last demonstration of Your divine power, before mounting the hard wood of the cross, You inspired us, Son of God, with Your compassion.
Lord, You are our Great High Priest and we are Your servants!
We in this place not only believe that You can put back a hacked-off ear;
we believe that You can stop the spread of cancer, reverse the damage of birth defects, dissipate disease and dry-up infection!
Laying hold of Your promises, we commit the sick to your care.
Working through both natural and supernatural means, restore them to health, according to Your purposes. Propel them, at this season of the year, Savior of the World, to join us as we journey to the Upper Room, to Gethsemane, down the Via Dolorosa, to Calvary, and to the Empty Tomb, for personal and corporate renewal.
Amen

 

Prayers of Praise

Based on the hymn: "His Eye Is On the Sparrow"

O Lord God, in a world, where many of us believe ourselves to be insignificant, forgotten, or lost, we are reminded by Your only-begotten and beloved Son, Jesus Christ, that You observe the flight pattern of sparrows. And surely, Heavenly Father, if You have complete knowledge of the movements of a tiny bird, then You have full comprehension of our individual conditions and circumstances, and problems and predicaments, and status and situations. We have loved to hear others sing "His Eye Is On the Sparrow", and we have just made melody in our hearts, by singing this gospel favorite. You gifted Civilla Martin, a wife of a traveling evangelist, to craft poems with Biblical truths. Having acquired notoriety with her text, "God Will Take Care Of You", Mrs. Martin received an even greater reputation, as the writer of "His Eye Is On the Sparrow." Inspired by the testimony of a sickly, elderly couple who were able to withstand declining health and a series of hardships. The husband and wife held to the assurance that Your watch-care was with them, as it was with the fluttering birds outside in their backyard. Teach us, Father in Heaven, of Your promises, of provision, pardon, protection and providence, throughout all the changing circumstances of life. And as men and women of faith, produce within us, a happiness and a freedom. "Happy is the people whose God is the Lord!" "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." "His Eye Is On the Sparrow" has been sung to Your glorification, and unto human edification, in the Royal Albert Hall, in Yankee Stadium, and at the White House. Lord, You took delight when it was sung by the Billy Graham Crusade vocalist, blues singer, film star, and national radio broadcaster Ethel Watters. Receive our song of sweet adoration, as we lip-sync with Ethel Watters. Bestow again the divine pledge, that Your eye is watching over our loved ones. Whenever I am tempted,
Whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing,
When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him,
From care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He cares for me!
Amen!

Prayer based on "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms"

In a world of unprecedented changes and unpredictable chances, in an age of set-backs and advances, and with each of us walking on a road with twists and turns, it is good to know that we have You, Lord Jesus Christ, to lean on. You are our Refuge and underneath are Your everlasting arms. We feel safe and secure from all alarms, cradled in Your strong arms. Grant that amid all the diseases, difficulties, dangers, discouragements and distresses, that we will be able to affirm that You are with us in the dark places, and that nothing can take us out of Your hands, Son of God. "What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, Leaning on the everlasting arms." Convinced that even before we reach up to You, You are reaching down to us; teach us,

Master, to approach life as a pilgrimage, and that You are our Companion. Walking beside You, we may have no idea where we are going, we do not see the road ahead, and cannot know for certain where the highway will end; but Christ instructs us, that You are our Starting Point, our Way, and our Goal.
Amen!

Based on the hymn: "Come, Christians, Join To Sing"

Lord Jesus Christ, Our Guide and Friend:
You invite us to make a joyful noise unto You; to serve You with gladness,
and to come before Your presence with singing.
During Vacation Bible School, bouncing boys and gyrating girls have raised the rafters in this room,
with the competitive antiphonal singing:
"Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah! Praise Ye this Lord!"

Bestow upon us, their sense of abandonment, and exhilaration and innocence.
In the award-winning "The Sound of Music," actress Julie Andrews, as Sister Maria,
joined the nuns at the abbey, and sang "The Alleluia!";
and in "Lilies of the Field," actor Sidney Poitier, as the hired hand at a convent, stayed up the entire night, singing "Amen!"
Give us, her spirit of reverence, and his spirit of spontaneity!
We in this place, on this day, have just said, "Alleluia! Amen!"
joining our voices with the congregation in this community, throughout the world,
and before Your throne: praise Your holy name.

Hear us as one great chorus.
Take our different voices---soprano, tenor, alto, bass, and baritone;
trained and untrained, melodious and off-key, and make us a cacophony of praise!
Son of God. when King Saul was troubled in spirit, he found comfort in the harp-playing of the shepherd-boy, David;
Your Word declares that You inhabit the praise of Your people,
and that there is power in praise;
and through Your Apostle Paul, You have admonished us to speak to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.
Great Musician, the Composer and Conductor of creation's symphony, enable the sick and the afflicted for whom we pray,
to minister unto themselves, through the gift of song.
And as we join with Your Church, and make preparation for the season of Lent,
we bide farewell to Alleluia, anticipating its return, on the joyful Easter Day!
And all the people said: "Amen!"