Father,
You have saved us and you defend us, and we look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus when you will also vindicate us. You do shockingly wonderful things. We have many different authorities over us at different timers in our lives, each with different ideas, priorities, and rules. But you have authority over all others and are the source from which any real authority comes. And you never change. Your rules for our lives, we have come to love.
We want to pray this morning for those who hold political power over us for a little while. Stir up a love in them for what is just, that the force of the state may be against what is truly evil and support what is truly good. Whether their intentions are sincere or not, make for us, your people, a situation of peace that we may be able to spend our lives working quietly taking care of each other here, meeting for worship and prayer, and remembering our eternal home.
You know before we ask what it is that we need. You have told us to work for and organize our lives around heavenly, spiritual pursuits: being more like Christ, knowing you more, and loving our brothers and sisters. But even as we do those things, you don’t forget about our ordinary human needs: something to eat, something to wear, and somewhere to sleep. In fact we trust your promise that as we concern ourselves with your kingdom and as we hunger and thirst for righteousness, you will take care of our other needs as you care for the birds. Maybe our faith in your provision started when we read about it in your book. But we can add to that the testimony of what we have seen with our own eyes. Even this week you have listened to the public and secret prayers of your people as they went up and you answered. May you be honored for the help you've given. May you be honored just for listening and being so concerned for us. May you be honored for allowing us to participate in your work through prayer.
Help us with our natural weaknesses. Some of us are prone to sadness and then it is easier to be tempted into the sins of anger and bitterness. Please first forgive our transgression and then teach us in our hearts about the joys of your coming kingdom and let us experience now the work of the Holy Spirit who is the joy-bringer and the bringer of comfort and who arranges peace between brothers. Some of us are prone to temptation because of our natural happiness. We can forget about the coming judgment because we feel good and like everything is fine. Then we are tempted and drawn away into indulgent sins like slothfulness, and lust, and greed. Please forgive us for these things and then help us to remember that we must persevere to the end and give us strength for that struggle. Help us to fear lest, even though we initially receive the truth with joy, we fall away because of the lure of pleasures. Help all of us to walk soberly and circumspectly in the world.
Father, we are together in this place this morning because of the one that you sent. We thank you for his skillful and costly victory. You outsmarted the powers of this world, keeping your plan veiled from the beginning. Just as evil seemed to have reached its peak, when men had crucified the lord of glory, you suddenly prevailed. We thank you for bringing us into your kingdom of light, having stripped the power from the kingdom of darkness to which we once belonged.
Please be honored with our worship this morning, our singing and praying and speaking and listening and serving. Give us strength and wisdom to your servants to do zealously and circumspectly all the work that our hands have found to do for the advancement of your kingdom.