Worship through Prayer
Holy, triune God, we come to you this morning freshly aware of your majesty and greatness. We pause to consider who you are. You are faithful. You are sovereign. You are abounding in steadfast love. You are slow to anger. You are just. You are eternal. You are good. You are merciful. You are gracious. You are kind. We praise you for “the immeasurable greatness of your power toward us who believe according to the working of your great might that you worked in Christ when you raised him from the dead and seated him at your right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also, in the age to come.” Bless the Lord, o my soul, we bless your holy name.
O great God, occupy our hearts; own it all and reign supreme. Help us to know your goodness. Help us to not just understand truths about you, but to enjoy you and find you beautiful and compelling and delicious. Great God Almighty, we ask that you’d help us not just say “No” to sin, but say “Yes” to you and your ways. We cry out with the Psalmist, “Oh you who love the Lord hate sin.”
Father, by the power of your Spirit, show us our sin that we might repent of it; help us to be more aware of our sin than our neighbors’ sin or our spouse’s sin or our children’s sin. We confess that we use our lips to curse and not bless. We confess that we quarrel and get selfishly angry. We confess that we follow sinful passions and pleasures. We confess our envy of others. We confess our hatred. We confess that we often just don’t like other people. Would you show your grace and mercy upon us? Would you grant us repentance?
And we praise you; we praise you that we are not saved by works done by us in righteousness, but according to your own mercy shown to us in the cross of Christ. We praise you that through the Holy Spirit we are washed clean and made pure in your sight. Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for those here this morning that feel the weight of shame because of what they did this past week, or maybe they are haunted by memories from long ago. Would you show them the renewal and refreshing found in Christ? I pray for those who have been abused, who have been taken advantage of, who have been mistreated, show them the healing and mercy and hope found in Jesus. Holy Spirit, minister to those who are hurting and broken and burdened this morning.
Father, we pray that our church would adorn the doctrine of the gospel. By your Holy Spirit, cause Restoration Church to be a place filled with grace and mercy; a place where we take Jesus seriously and ourselves not so seriously; a place where we do not condemningly judge sin, but neither do we tolerate it; a place marked by selfless service, humble compassion, and eager gospel sharing; a place marked by gospel unity among all our diversity. I praise you for the many ways this marks our church and plead with you to pour out your abundant grace all the more.
Lord, we praise you for the wave of church planting happening in our city. We pray for Create Church and Triumph Church and Grace Capital City and Pillar DC and The District Church and Renovation Church and Good Hope Church of God and Waterfront Church and Grace Mosaic and All Nations DC and Anacostia River Church. For the glory of your name, for the fame of Jesus Christ multiply disciples through these churches. Keep them faithful to Christ and cause them to boldly herald the glorious grace of the gospel. Help our church be a blessing to those who labor alongside of us in this city.
We pray for our enemies this morning. We pray that you’d bless those who have wronged us. For friends and family members who we are not reconciled with, would you grant us the opportunity to seek that reconciliation? Give us the humility to seek forgiveness where needed and the gospel-eagerness to offer forgiveness when asked. We pray for those who desire to harm and murder your image bearers. Bring the leaders of ISIS and Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda to faith in Jesus. If your grace and mercy saved us, it can save them. For the glory of your name, richly pour out your saving grace on Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Ahmed Direye. Bring Ibrahim al-Asiri and Abu Omar al-Shishani to repentance and faith in Jesus. In your sovereign grace, use these men to not harm people, but to bring about their good. However you choose to work Lord, restrain the evil these groups are able to bring about.
Father, we pray for the spread of the gospel around the globe. Use R & E to bring Behdini Kurds to faith in Jesus. Use the thousands of workers through the International Mission Board to reach the unreached with the gospel. Raise up men and women from this congregation to take the gospel to hard places. Hallow your name Lord God. Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Use the rest of our time here this morning to behold Christ in all his sufficient goodness. Cause the affections of our heart to be warmed by gospel truth. Help us worship you and you alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Worship through Prayer
Father,
We read that the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all the people. Though we deserved nothing, you have given us more than we can comprehend in Christ.
We were once:
· foolish
· disobedient
· led astray
· slaves to various passions
· malicious and envious of others
· hating and being hated
But your goodness and loving kindness appeared and you saved us from all of this. Not by works done by us but according to your mercy. We have been justified by your grace. And in Christ we are heirs, sons and daughters who now anticipate the hope of eternal life.
Lord, despite all that you have done for us, we have failed to live the kind of life that is worthy of this high calling. Forgive us.
This week we have sinned through our actions not living up to our words. We have claimed to know you, but by our actions have denied you. We have slandered others and been double-tongued. We have been quick tempered and slow to entrust our circumstances to you. We have been greedy for unjust gain and have deceived others.
Help us and change us so that the profession of our lips is backed up by godly lives – whether in private or with each other, whether at work or in our leisure time.
We pray specifically today for our sister Ziada who is still in the hospital
We ask that you will bring great good out of this trial of sickness that she is going through. Heal her and restore her. We pray especially for her family members who have been meeting various of our members. We ask that they will see the body of Christ manifest in our care for our sister.
We pray that A’s visa will process soon and that he and his family will be able to move to be with us and the Spanish speaking community in Columbia Heights.
We pray for justice and prosperity in our city. Thank you for those who serve as DC government employees in many spheres. We pray that those in leadership roles would see themselves as accountable ultimately to you – and in so do everything in their power to make this city a place where those who hard work are rewarded and corruption and injustice is exposed.
We pray for the many thousands of refugees displaced because of the war in Syria and the activity of Isis. Please stir compassion in each of us that results in concrete acts of mercy. Give world leaders and relief agencies wisdom how to best respond to this crisis. As winter approaches we pray that basic necessities will be available to all those in need. We thank you that you are close to the broken hearted and save those who are crushed in spirit.
For ourselves, protect us as a church from the subtle influence of false teachers. Help Nathan as he opens your word to us in a few minutes. Give us discernment as a body since we you have warned us that there will be wolves in sheep’s clothing. Keep us from being seduced by fine sounding arguments. Help us hold onto the truth of the gospel.
Amen
Worship through Prayer
Thank you God for your Word which teaches us, rebukes us, corrects us, and trains us in righteousness. We're grateful for this church, and for the elders who love your Word and faithfully feed it to us. Thank you for men like R.C., J.B., D.K., H.T., K.M., and D.N., who during the men's retreat this weekend helped us recognize that often times our greatest sin isn't what we do, but what we often fail to do. In your mercy, you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, and through His life you showed your compassion, grace, and abounding love toward us. Jesus willingly carried our burdens and sins in the cross freeing us from the temptations of this world. In His resurrection, Christ restored the bond that sin once destroyed, and by your grace today we can say we are your children! Sweet Father, in Christ we pray that you'd forgive us for consistently failing to follow your will and obeying your commands. Through the Spirit, we pray that you'll give us the strength, the gentleness, and the confidence needed to speak up, to act on, and to respond to circumstances according to your will.
Father, in the name of Jesus, we praise you for the work you are doing here at Restoration Church. Fill us with your Spirit that we might increasingly look like Jesus; conform us to his image we pray. We praise you for Restoration Kids; we praise you for the members who serve in various ways each week; we praise you for the ability to lift our voice in praise to you; we praise you that we get to freely gather here each week. Your blessing and favor are upon us, Lord, and we praise your great and holy name.
We pray the Behdini Kurds. Save men and women from this unreached people group and start a church that your name might be hallowed. We pray for our petition for a visa for Alejandro and his family to be approved. Lord, help us start a Spanish-speaking church in Columbia Heights. We pray each one of us would be delighting in the supremacy of Jesus Christ and making disciples that do the same. Use us Lord; use us to advance your gospel and see many people come to faith and be built up in their faith.
Father, your word tells us to pray for those who are in charge over us. This morning we pray for our employers and our bosses. Give us the grace to respect them and serve them, not only when they are nice toward us, but at all times. We pray for our government leaders. Give President Obama wisdom and a sense of God-honoring justice. We also pray for congress and state and local elected officials. We pray that you would also give them wisdom and a sense of God-honoring justice. Use these officials for the good of your image bearers.
This morning we pray for our brothers and sisters worshipping at All Nations DC. Encourage pastor Wright Wall this morning. Build that church Lord for the glory of your name. And we also pray for Washington International Church. Give pastor David and the whole congregation an unquenchable love for Christ and a deep desire to serve each other.
Father, we pray for those here this morning who are struggling. Some are struggling with the guilt of sin they did this past week, or are under the burden of freshly remembering sins from long ago; others are overwhelmed by sins committed against them and the memories of such violating acts. Would you remind them of the hope of Christ? That in him, all our sins are washed clean; that our shame melts under the cross of Christ and that because he rose from the grave we can have new life defined not by what we do or by what’s been done to us, but by Christ Jesus and his purity.
We pray for those here struggling with discontentment and discouragement. Fill them with your Spirit and bring them rest and joy and hope as you minister to their soul this morning. Use those here that are presently encouraged and hopeful to minister to those who are a bit downcast. In the name of Jesus, use the webs of relationships here this morning to care for your people and point us to Christ.
This morning Father, we pray for our brother Nathan as he preaches for us. As we open your Word, show us your glory; show us how we can serve one another and build up the body of Christ. Grant Nathan clarity and passion and faithfulness to feed us from your word that we might be satisfied in Christ. It’s in his name we pray. Amen.
Worship through Prayer
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might and power and dominion before all time, now and forever. Glorious Father, we praise you for your eternal perfection. Eternal Son, Jesus, we praise you for your sin-defeating, Satan-crushing, life-giving death and resurrection. Holy Spirit, we praise you for your eye-opening, new-birth generating work in our hearts that might see and savor Jesus. Triune God, we lift our praise to you.
Holy Spirit, cause us to be overwhelmed by your grace in our lives and in the lives of our brothers and sisters. We confess our bitterness and ask that your mercy would shape our hearts to always be thankful. We confess our pursuit of sexual immorality. Forgive us Lord. Increase our desire and capacity for satisfaction that we might be empty until we drink deeply of Christ. We confess our selfishness and how we’re defensive even when we know we are in the wrong. Help us forsake our iniquity, O God. We confess our works-motivated self-righteousness and the way we see the speck in another’s eye before we examine the speck in our own. Cleanse us by the blood of Christ, we pray. Wash us. Sanctify us. Purify us. Remind us of the redemption we have in Jesus. Make us be a people who are zealous for good works.
Father, this morning, we pray for those who are experiencing difficult circumstances, remind them your grace is sufficient. For those who are discouraged or bored in their walk with Christ, minister to their souls as we sing this morning. For those who feel ashamed because of something they have done, remind them of the all-sufficient grace found in Jesus. For those who feel guilty and unworthy because of what’s been done to them, whether that’s physical abuse or sexual abuse or being violated in some other way, remind them of the safety, security, and purity found in Jesus. Remind us Lord that Jesus is our salvation, our satisfaction; he’s the one who takes our shame that we might smile. Encourage us this morning Lord.
This morning, Lord, we continue to pray for our sister Z. We praise you for the progress she’s made over the past week. We plead, in the name of Jesus Christ, that you would heal her fully; and we ask that you’d make this happen faster than doctors say it’s able to happen. Lift her spirits as your Spirit ministers to her. Use our church to care for her and her family well during this trying time. Father, for the glory of your name, cause this the help Z and us long for heaven that much more; to yearn for the time when there will be no more strokes, tears, pain or suffering.
Holy God, build up the body of Christ here at Restoration Church. Help every member live an intentional life in the gospel of our Lord. We thank you for the ways you use the ordinary people of this church to do extraordinary things. We praise you for evident gospel growth in S.Y. and D.K. and in R and C. We praise you for the consistent faithfulness of L.W. and the N family. By your Holy Spirit, cause our church to be increasingly marked by deep love for our God, and a humble love for all our neighbors.
We pray this would also mark the congregation of Capital City church and The Table church. We pray for Devin as he pastors Renovation in the northeast and Josh as he pastors Goodhope in the southeast. Give these brothers and their family’s much grace to share the gospel and make disciples that make disciples. We pray for our mother church Northwake, and for our grandmother church Shadowbrook Baptist. We praise you for their gospel faithfulness and ask that you’d continue to grant them the grace to make much of Christ Jesus.
This morning Lord, we also pray for the government here in Washington, DC. We ask that you’d give much wisdom to Mayor Bowser and her staff as she labors to help the residents of DC flourish. We also pray for police chief Lanier and fire EMS chief Dean. We thank you for the many men and women who serve as first responders risking their lives to protect your image bearers. Bring an end to the string of violent murders and rampant drug use. Cause both our local and national government leaders to use their influence in such a way to bring about not personal agendas, but that which will help all of human life flourish.
Father, hallowed be your name not only here in our church and in our city, but all across the globe. We pray for the ongoning refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe. Bring an end to the turmoil; usher in peace. Grant government officials and humanitarian organizations insight to order things rightly. We pray for the hundreds of families dealing with the grief of those killed in the hajj pilgrimage. Comfort these families Lord, and bring the light of the gospel to the millions making the trek to Mecca. Lord, show them the true prophet Jesus Christ and the grace found in him. Free them from a works based salvation that they might rest in the finished work of Jesus. We pray for our enemies this morning. We pray for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Leader of ISIS, and the Taliban’s leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansou. Show them the freedom and forgiveness found in Christ. We pray for an end to terrorism Lord. Eradicate persecution and famine and fatherlessness, we pray. Bring hope to the hopeless, both materially and physically.
Father this morning remind us of all that you have given us. Do not let our safety and relative material wealth dull us to our need of you. Cause us to rejoice in our salvation and eternal hope we have in Christ. Encourage our souls; warm our affections; fill us with your Spirit that we might treasure you above all else we pray. Amen.