For today’s pastoral prayer, I chose the familiar verse from Psalm 31, “Lord, be with me; the Lord comes to my help.” I find this verse to be powerful because I often forget that God is always there for me. We don’t hear too much about when God is associated with keeping us company, but he is extremely comforting. Scripture reminds me of this and gives me peace. I just returned from the church where I am pastor and I am pleased to share with you the latest pastoral prayer for today, which includes a scripture reading. Life is full of twists and turns and it’s easy to get off track. God wants you to go in the right direction, though. Is your prayer life a little dull or inadequate? These pastoral prayers can help you experience more of the God who cares so much about you.
Dear God, We come before you today, asking for your guidance and wisdom in the coming year. We know that you have blessed us with so many gifts already, and we pray for the strength to continue doing good for those around us. We are grateful for all the blessings we have received in our lives, but especially for your grace and mercy. We thank you for helping us through difficult times and for never leaving us alone when we need it most. We pray that these gifts will continue to be with us as we enter a new year of life together. We pray that your love will shine through our actions and words as we go about our business this year. And finally, we ask that you give us wisdom and courage when making decisions about how best to serve others during this time of transition between years! O God, you are the Creator of all things.
Pastoral Prayer For Today
You are the giver of life and the source of all good things. We praise you for your loving care and providence over us; we give thanks for your gifts that sustain us; and we ask that you continue to bless us with abundant health and vitality. We thank you for our dear brother [name], who is struggling with a serious illness. Please comfort him in this time of trial and strengthen him so that he may grow in faith and hope. Give him courage and peace as he faces his own mortality. Grant his family strength to bear their loss with dignity and grace, knowing that they may rely upon your sustaining power through this trial. We ask these things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
1. Heavenly Father, we come before you with hearts full of gratitude for the gift of life you have given to us. We thank you for the breath in our lungs and the beat of our hearts. We acknowledge that you are the giver of life and the source of all good things. Help us to remember your goodness and faithfulness, even in the midst of trials.
2. Lord, we lift up our dear brother [name] to you, who is struggling with a serious illness. We ask for your healing touch to bring comfort and relief to his body. Strengthen his spirit and fill him with hope and courage as he walks through this valley. May he feel your presence near him, guiding and sustaining him each step of the way.
3. God of all comfort, we pray for [name]’s family as they support their loved one through this difficult time. Grant them peace that surpasses all understanding and give them the strength to endure the days ahead. Help them to draw closer to you, finding solace in your promises and hope in your unfailing love.
4. O Lord, we ask for your mercy and grace to surround [name] as he faces his own mortality. Fill him with your peace that transcends all fear and grant him a deep assurance of your presence with him. Help him to cling to the hope of eternal life in you, knowing that you hold his future in your hands.
5. Father, we pray for the doctors and healthcare providers caring for [name], that you would guide their hands and give them wisdom in their treatment. May they be vessels of your healing power, bringing comfort and hope to our dear brother in his time of need.
6. Lord Jesus, we remember your words in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” May [name] find deep peace and rest in your promises, trusting in your goodness and faithfulness.
7. Holy Spirit, we ask for your comforting presence to fill [name] and his family with hope and strength. Help them to lean on you in times of weakness and find solace in your abiding love. May they be reminded of your promise in Isaiah 41:10, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
8. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the community of believers surrounding [name] and his family with prayers and support. May their love and care be a reflection of your unconditional love and bring comfort and encouragement in this difficult season. Help them to bear one another’s burdens and uplift each other in prayer.
9. God of all grace, we entrust [name] and his family into your loving hands, knowing that you are a God who hears our prayers and answers according to your will. May they find strength and hope in you, knowing that you are working all things together for their good. We trust in your unfailing love and rest in your sovereignty over every situation.
Pastoral Prayers 2022
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Holy God, you are so much bigger than we know.
Our God is a great God. He is so much bigger than we can comprehend, and he holds our lives in his hands. He sees every detail of our lives, even the ones we try to hide from him.
He knows your name and cares about you as an individual. You are not just another number on his list of people to care for; you are someone he has created for a purpose that only he knows about!
You may feel like your problems are too big or that you don’t know where to start when it comes to overcoming them, but God can use those very things in order to help you grow closer to him and experience true freedom from whatever challenges you may face!
In Luke 5:17-20, Jesus says “It is not those who want health who need a physician but those who are sick.” The word ‘sick’ means ‘to be disturbed or troubled.’ We all struggle with sicknesses at some point or another – whether physical (disease), mental (depression), emotional (fearful thoughts), spiritual (sin). But because we belong completely to Christ through faith alone – nothing can ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39).
You are present in our lives even when we don’t feel you there.
God is always present. In times of joy and times of sorrow, in the midst of peace and chaos, God is with us. He is close to us now and will be close in the future no matter what happens in our lives.
We come to you today with open hearts, seeking your love and grace.
In our world of busyness, stress and exhaustion, we are often tempted to forget that God is always with us. The Holy Spirit is our helper; he helps us to live a life of faith. As we pray with open hearts today, let us ask God to guide us through this journey with him as our guide.
Faith is a journey. It’s not something that comes overnight; it’s something you work on every day. So today, when we turn over all the worries and concerns of our lives to God in prayer, let’s ask him to help us find peace in the midst of whatever it is that’s weighing on us right now
Forgive us when we forget that you are in control.
We have all had moments where we forget that God is in control. Perhaps it’s when you get into a traffic jam on the way to work, or when your dog runs away, or when your child gets sick. We can be so quick to blame God for our problems and forget that He is there for us and loves us.
The best way to remember that God is in control is by spending time with Him each day through prayer and reading His Word. As you read through the Bible, ask yourself how it applies to your life today and how it will help you lead others who are facing similar situations.
When we remember that God is in control of every part of our lives—and not just some parts—we will be able to live each day more peacefully than before because we know that no matter what happens we are never alone; Jesus Christ has already overcome death (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).
We so often try to figure things out on our own.
When we try to figure things out on our own, we find ourselves in a vicious cycle of control. We never feel like we have enough control over the situation, so we try to get more of it. This is not the way that God has intended for us to live.
We must remember that God is in control, and we are not. We can trust Him completely with all things, including our pasts and futures.
It is easy for us to forget this because even if something seems bad now, there could be a blessing hidden inside it—perhaps I was meant for this job because of my passion for helping others or maybe one day I’ll be able to use these new skills when I’m doing ministry work overseas! We should always look forward and ask ourselves “What does this mean?” rather than just focusing on how terrible things might seem right now
We run ahead of you when we should be following.
This is God, who moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.
We run ahead of you when we should be following.
Our feet find no rest and our minds are full of worry, but still you have called us and told us to follow you.
We are afraid of what the future may bring and we wonder if it will be better or worse than today–but right now I am with you in this moment and I can feel peace because I know that whatever happens tomorrow will only happen because you allowed it to happen, not because I was trying to control the outcome myself.
Help us remember that our ability to trust is dependent upon your presence.
This week’s lectionary passage is from 1 Samuel 5:8-10, where the Philistines capture the holy Ark of God. The priest Eli realizes that it is God who has abandoned Israel. In his confusion, he asks his servant to give him a drink. When he does so, “he fell backward from his seat into the doorway; for he was old and heavy” (verse 19). He dies in this doorway because when we shift from one state of mind to another without first letting go of what we were doing before, we fall backward.
In our lives today, let us trust that when you lead us from one place or state of mind to another it will be for our good and not ours alone but also for yours and your purposes here on earth.
Our strength is in the power from the Spirit living within us.
Today, we will look at the power that comes from the Holy Spirit living within us. The Bible says that “God gives his Holy Spirit to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32). We receive this gift when we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. With it, God blesses us with strength and power to live for him today.
We also need that same power to grow in faith as well as resist temptation so we can remain faithful followers of Christ throughout life’s challenges. When we are tempted by sin or discouraged by difficult circumstances, it is helpful if we remember that our strength comes from God himself through his Holy Spirit.
Strengthen our faith, O Lord, so that we may know without doubt that you have a plan for us and it is one of peace and hope and joy.
Strengthen our faith, O Lord, so that we may know without doubt that you have a plan for us and it is one of peace and hope and joy.
O God, who has chosen to dwell in the hearts of your people: grant us the grace to believe in the power of your love; that we may be strengthened by our confidence in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Move in our hearts and minds and give us vision in all things small and large – for each day as it comes and for a lifetime as it unfolds.
- Remember that God is in control of all things.
- Pray for the strength to keep our faith and to trust in Him, no matter what happens.
- Ask God to move in your life, so that you may see things clearly and know how to respond.
May the grace of God empower you to live a life of faith.
May the grace of God empower you to live a life of faith.
When we think about God’s grace, we tend to think of it as something that washes over us and makes us feel better. Yet this is only a small part of what God’s grace means to us. The Bible tells us that it is also a gift from God that gives us strength when our own is failing, so that we can live out our faith even in difficult circumstances.
The Pastoral Prayer
THE local elder is often asked to offer the pastoral prayer for the worship service. This is a solemn responsibility, and one that many an elder would much rather shy away from. Nevertheless it will continue to be expected of you as one of the spiritual leaders of the church. Here are a few suggestions that may guide you in making this prayer what God would want it to be. . .
- The Pastoral Prayer
THE local elder is often asked to offer the pastoral prayer for the worship service. This is a solemn responsibility, and one that many an elder would much rather shy away from. Nevertheless it will continue to be expected of you as one of the spiritual leaders of the church. Here are a few suggestions that may guide you in making this prayer what God would want it to be.
Prepare Yourself
In this prayer you speak to God for the congregation. You seek to express their joys, their needs, their soul hunger. To adequately enter into this experience your own heart must first be touched. So as you consider the awesome needs of the congregation, and how you can rightly represent them before the Lord, pray most earnestly that God will refill your own heart with His love and Spirit. Remember, the spirit and nature of the prayer can have much to do with the measure of blessing bestowed on the rest of the service. Pray that God will use you as an instrument during the precious moments of prayer to draw the hearts of all into His presence, and prepare them for the message to follow.
Prepare the Prayer
It is not necessary to write out the prayer, although to do this occasionally can be very helpful. Even then, however, it should not be read. The point is that the prayer should be carefully thought through.
As a general guide to the prayer pattern it would be well to keep clearly in mind the following five essentials: 1. Adoration.
2. Thanksgiving.
3. Confession.
4. Intercession.
5. Dedication.
Adoration, Thanksgiving, and Confession
First, we approach God in the spirit of praise. We adore Him. We love Him. Not just because of what He has done for us, but because He is God—the Creator and Redeemer—the One in whom we live and move and have our being. Second, we thank Him for the blessings we have received from Him, for the privilege of worship, song, and prayer. We are grateful for the plan of salvation, for the forgiveness of sins, for the hope of the gospel. Third, we confess our sinfulness, our proneness to for get Jesus, our ill tempers, our hasty words, our disregard for the needs of others, our selfishness and pride. We claim both forgiveness for sins of the past, and power to be overtomers in the future. Our great burden is to be more like Christ.
Intercession and Dedication
Fourth, our prayer leads to intercession or petition, taking into account the varied needs of our congregation. We pray for the church, for the pastor and his family, the church officers, each family, the young and the elderly. We pray for the community, for leaders in governments. We should have a special burden for revival and reformation, pleading for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and for God’s direction and blessing on every soul-winning endeavor. The praying one will pray especially that rich spiritual blessings will result from the message of the morning. Finally, the prayer should conclude with a statement of commitment or dedication. “Lord, we thank Thee again for the privilege of worship. We surrender our hearts to Thee anew. Make us conscious of Thy presence as we continue to wait upon Thee. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
As you think over these five foundation stones of prayer, you can readily see how logically a rightly balanced prayer can be developed around them. The prayer will not always reflect each in the order here suggested. By all means avoid a stereotype outline that can become a rut. But have these principles firmly fastened in the mind. So often our prayers are almost entirely petition. How often the elements of praise and gratitude are omitted. This should not be, and, with this suggestive outline in mind, it will not be.
Avoid Wordiness
Special study should be made to make the prayer meaningful and to the point, avoiding wearisome repetition. On one occasion as we got up from our knees after one of the elders had offered an exceptionally lengthy repetitious prayer, another elder at my side whispered, “Wasn’t that a dilly?” Perhaps his remarks were out of place considering the occasion, but on the other hand, the prayer was all of that and more. Unfortunately, ofttimes prayers ascend to heaven that weary even the angels. About three minutes is generally thought to be an appropriate length.
Pray in the Spirit
Some prayers are as formal and dry as the weather report in midsummer. If our prayers are to be effective, we must first have a sense of real need, and then the need must be expressed in earnestness and sincerity. There must be passion in our prayers. I do not mean sentimentalism, but intensiveness, earnestness, and spiritual enthusiasm. There must be warmth and life—a holy passion for personal righteousness and for the triumph of God’s cause.
“We” Not “Them”
Identify yourself with the needs of the congregation. This is very important. Study carefully the prayer of Daniel in Daniel 9:4-19. Notice how he prays, “We have sinned,” “Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets,” “We have rebelled.” Daniel, a righteous man against whom even his enemies could find no fault, looked upon himself as a needy sinner, along with his captive people. When praying for the congregation, re member you are one of them. It is “we” not “them.” Otherwise it gives the impression of self-righteousness, you interceding for the less fortunate “sinning” congregation (see also Ezra 9:5-15).
Simplicity and Sincerity
Keep in mind that in the prayer you are talking to God as to a friend. Talk simply and sincerely. Don’t try to “put on.” Don’t be unnatural. If your heart is right, and if you have a real concern for the church, its people, and its mission, the prayer will be effectual and pastor and people will be blessed.