Prayer 4th Jan

Psalm 50.

Our great heavenly father

The Mighty One, God, the Lord,
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to where it sets.

From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

Our God comes and will not be silent;
a fire devours before you,
    and around you a tempest rages.

You summon the heavens above, and the earth, 

       that you may judge your people…

And the heavens proclaim your righteousness,
    for you are a God of justice.

Lord, who can stand before you in your perfect holiness and justice? You made us in your image, and yet we have corrupted ourselves. You made us to to be in relationship with you, but we have each rejected you. You are patiently waiting until the day you summon the earth to judgement and restore all things in a new creation, and we don’t deserve to be spared, we don’t deserve your mercy. Our hearts carry so much evil, so many regrets, so much damage to ourselves and others, and only you can wash us clean.

Colossians 1

Thankyou that you have not left us in this helpless state. You have given us Jesus, your Son—the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For all the fullness of God dwells in the Son, to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross.

Once we were alienated from you and were enemies in our minds because of our evil behaviour. But now you have reconciled us by Christ’s physical body through death, to present us holy in your sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if we continue in the faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

Thankyou that you have drawn us to yourself, and into the family of believers. We thankyou for the blessing of belonging to a church family. We thankyou for the times we can pray for each other and provide practical support. We thankyou for the relationships which develop our character, as we learn to serve each other. We ask that you preserve us from selfish behaviour which hurts others and damages the body of Christ, and may our love for each other flow out into the community of Maitland so that others will want to know you. We pray that we would be observant of needs around us, and particularly that we would be welcoming to newcomers and visitors.

We pray for those of us in youth ministry, as they plan for the term ahead. Give them wisdom as they lead and love our young people, and endurance as they make the sacrifice of time each week among the other commitments in their lives.

Thankyou for those of us who are going to teach SRE this year, teaching about the bible in schools in our area. We thankyou that we have this opportunity to make the gospel known in schools. We pray that planning and training goes well and we ask for boldness to those who are nervous about doing this. Thankyou that they ARE willing to trust you as they go outside their comfort zone. Please bless the seeds of the gospel that are planted in classrooms this year, that in years to come they bear fruit.

We thankyou for the rain we’ve had this weekend, and we pray that farmers get the rain they need to support their livestock and crops. Thankyou for the food we have in abundance due to the labour of our farmers and the agriculturally rich land you have given us.

We give thanks for the news that our gospel partner Gert completed his studies at the Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary in December and will graduate in March.

We pray for him as he leaves the college and moves into the next stage of his life and ministry, as he returns to serve in Opuwo Christian Community Church. We ask that as long as he is single he can serve you with all his heart, and that if it is your will you provide a godly wife to help him serve you. Please keep him strong in the faith, living a holy life, and holding out the gospel to those who are perishing.

We also pray for the new CMS missionaries who are joining the staff team at NETS this month. Please be with them as they meet many new people and get used to a new city and dozens of new cultures. We pray that NETS would be able to move on from its financial issues and mismanagement, and rebuild its staff team of local academics. We pray that you keep using NETS to reach Namibia and beyond for Jesus.

We pray for our brothers and sisters in Qatar. We pray that they find comforting fellowship with other believers. We pray that missionaries in Qatar can avoid being deported and can continue to share the gospel. We pray for the government and the royal family to allow more religious freedom. We pray for anyone facing direct persecution from family or the legal system, that you would strengthen them and that it would witness to Jesus.

Eph. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.