Tag Archives: prayer

A Prayer Prompted by Matthew 23

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Heavenly Father,

By listening to Jesus we learn that there is a great danger in hypocritical religion.  The scribes and Pharisees were guilty of it then, but many besides them have been guilty of it too. Many are still guilty of it now.

In response we ask you to please show us where the practice of our faith does not measure up to your standards.  Transform our hearts so that we become people who are inwardly pure.  Let our love for you and for others cause us to grieve over sin and truly fear the day of your coming judgment.

And let us always be prepared and eagerly waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In his name,
Amen.

A Prayer Prompted by Matthew 22

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Heavenly Father,

We say yes to your invitation to come to marriage supper of the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ. As we do, however, we admit that it is only by your grace and his shed blood that we can come.  It is not on the basis of our own righteousness.

We then confess our belief in Jesus as both our human Savior and our divine Lord.

We acknowledge our belief in the resurrection of the dead, and to that end we cry, “Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus,” as we await his soon return.

We also pray that you would help us to be model citizens while here on this earth, obeying those in authority and faithfully paying what we owe. At the same time help us to remember that all earthly authority is still subject to you.

Finally, we ask your help in doing all that we do in love, first of all in love for you, but also in love for others – a love that no one could deny in both our attitudes and our behavior.

And we pray all of this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

A Prayer Prompted by the Triumphal Entry of Matthew 21:1-10

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Heavenly Father,

When Jesus came into Jerusalem that day, the crowds hailed him as their coming king.  In a few days, however, it is likely that some of these same people were crying out against him, which resulted in Christ being crucified.

I have already contributed to the sin for which Christ died.  From now on, by your grace, I hope to hail him and serve him as king.

Let me always be among those who worship and honor Jesus.  Help me to give him his rightful place in my life, my priorities and my desires.  Let me know more what it means that Jesus saves, even as the crowds cried “Hosanna!” or “Save now!”

Whether they imagined their Messiah’s ministry properly or not, this Palm Sunday crowd had one thing right.  Jesus was their king and their Savior.  He was worthy of heir worship and praise.  Help me to continuously bring glory to Jesus.  He is worthy of all the praises that have ever been uttered or will ever be uttered by every worshiper in all of eternity.

It is him that we serve, that we worship and that we will praise forever.

Amen!!

A Prayer Prompted by Matthew 19

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Heavenly Father,

Our lives belong to you.  Help us to trust you completely as obedient children.

If there is anything standing in the way of our complete commitment, we ask you to reveal it to us so that we can serve you with all that we have and all that we are.

We admit that we have ignored your instructions for marriage as you intended it. We have made marriage more about our personal wishes than your perfect will.  Again, since we belong to you, help us to serve you, whether married or single, with contentment and with willing hearts.

In the end we see that eternal life is nothing more, nothing less and nothing other than life given to us as a gift from you and to be lived completely for you.  Make us people whose lives reveal that to the world.

In Christ,

Amen.