Grace and peace on this Saturday morning. We’ve come to the end of another week (they seem to “fly by”) in the Pastor’s Workshop.
After a busy week of exploring, thinking, and writing it’s always good to come to a time of praying. Prayer takes all we have done and places it in God’s hands. Prayer recognizes that the true work of the week is not ours, its God’s. Prayer realizes that our words and work are “offerings” to be used by God. Prayer understands that when minds are opened and hearts are encouraged that’s not anything we have done or can do, that’s what God does. On Saturday we reflect upon the “weekly miracle” we’re privileged to participate in.
And the amazing and great blessing is that God chooses to use us in that blessing. God does work in and through our words to bring God’s Word. Our prayers are an important part of the whole “process”. As we pray, we pray with that understanding and that intention.
And so, believing that your and my prayers matter in what happens tomorrow in worship for you and for others, what will you pray? Particularly in relation to the reality of God’s creating love, how would you be praying that reality for your life and for all others who are joining in worship? How would you pray the Scriptures, Genesis 1:1-3 and Isaiah 43:1, 18-21 for all?
Here are a few of my prayers –
· I pray we believe we have a living God who is constantly creating in our lives in love.
· I pray we know that in Jesus Christ we are invited into that creating love as we live in a relationship of covenant.
· I pray we experience how that creating love is going to work in us, creating in us, so that we would be a “people prepared for God’s praise”.
· I pray we claim our own “capacity to be creative” for God’s Kingdom.
· I pray we ask “right questions” that inspire our imagination about what God is doing in and through my life, our lives, and our life together as a church.
· I pray we not only ask the “right questions” but that we also “Get Creative” in how we live with Jesus into the answers God has for our prayers and Jesus’ prayer (the Lord’s prayer --- “Thy Kingdom come and Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”)
Those are a few of the prayers on my heart. What’s on your heart? How are you praying? I strongly encourage you to take time to think about and write down your prayers. Putting “pen to paper” brings clarity to your hopes. Your prayer notes become your journal on how God is working in your life and answering your prayers.
In the gift of prayer, I’ll stop now and let you get to praying. Even as you do, I thank you! Your prayers make a difference for us all in regards to what will happen in worship tomorrow.
In the blessing of prayer and worship, thanks again for being with me today and I look forward to being with you tomorrow in worship (svumc.org – “Join us online”).
Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for the gift of this day and the blessing of prayer. Thank You that in prayer we can open our hearts to your Holy Heart. Thank You for how you hear and answer our prayers. Thank You for the ways that prayer awakens us to how You are at work in our worship. Lord, use the prayers we lift today to strengthen us in Your Spirit and guide us into Your service. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord.