COV LIFE BLOG

Pastoral Prayer – November 28, 208

Almighty God, we who, by your grace, have seen the wretchedness of our sin, repented of it, and surrendered to Jesus as Lord – humbly come before you now at His invitation; not on our own merits but on His. We come reprising the words of Isaiah, O Lord, you are our God; we will exalt you; we will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure (Isaiah 25.1).

Among the wonderful things you planned before the beginning of time were the salvation of Chih-Wei and Cassie. We cannot begin to grasp the myriad actions you ordained to save them. One born in Taiwan, who you brought to faith in Florida. One born in Florida, who you brought to faith in Nicaragua. As Paul declares in Romans 11.33, how unsearchable are your judgments and untraceable are your ways! We can but praise and thank you for the joy their baptisms evoke in us today!

In your kindness, Lord, you have given each of us many joys – more than we can recount. You tell us that joy is a fruit of the Spirit that should overflow from each believer’s heart. You say in the Psalms 5.11, let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. In Philippians 4.4 you instruct us to Rejoice in the Lord always. Likewise, in 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18, you tell us to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Yet we confess, heavenly Father, that we fail to obey these commands. Although we may have paused for a special day of thanks on Thursday, we are far from giving thanks in all circumstances. And the rejoicing we do is not continual, but sparse. In our self-centeredness, we too often ignore things that should make us joyful, and we too often let our joys be supplanted by our anxieties and our troubles.

Lord God, please help us to see things from an eternal perspective. May we follow Paul’s counsel in 2 Corinthians 4:18, to look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. We plead, Good Shepherd, that you will enable us to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7b).

Holy Spirit of God, make us ever mindful of these astonishing truths and so cause joy to erupt from our hearts! Allow us to see the wonderful truth of some statements in Scripture about what should make us joyful that we find difficult to comprehend.

We pray Lord, that you will allow us to grasp the immensity of Jesus’ command to rejoice that your names are written in heaven! (Luke 10:20). Impress on our hearts the wonder of our own salvation! Astound each of us with the truth that every Christian is no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God (Galatians 4:7). Stagger each of us with the fact that we now have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 3.4). Overwhelm us with the destiny that awaits each of us, as proclaimed by David in Psalm 16:11, that you will fill us with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand!

Holy Spirit of God, make us ever mindful of these astonishing truths and so cause joy to erupt from our hearts! Allow us to see the wonderful truth of some statements in Scripture about what should make us joyful that we find difficult to comprehend.
Make us see the truth of Jesus’ proclamation in Matthew 5.11-12, that when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account, rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…

May we hold fast to Paul’s encouragement to rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5.3-11)

Help us to heed Peter’s counsel, to rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:13)

Empower us to say with Habakkuk 3:17-18, Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Thank you, Triune God, for being the source of all true joy. May we exult in being rescued from your wrath, reconciled to you, and adopted by you. And may we rejoice in the sure hope of the eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17) that lies ahead. Let each Christian say, with David, in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy (Psalm 63:7).

Amen.