Our Church
Today’s congregational prayer is based on Psalm 46. We will also be praying today for our missionaries John and Leila and their three sons. It’s a blessing to have them here with us today. John and Leila have been serving the mission field in Southeast Asia since 2012, planting churches among a Buddhist population of over 30 million people. They focus on living among these people, working alongside existing churches, and making disciples in Thailand.
Psalm 46:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you today in awe of your righteous sovereignty, your steadfast love, your goodwill toward sinful mankind, and your undeniable presence and power in our broken world. We praise your holy name, the name of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and the gift of your Holy Spirit. You are God with us. We praise you, Lord, for calling us out of darkness and into a life truly worth living in communion with you. We praise you for being our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in this troubled world. We exalt you for being a Father God who says what He means and does what He says to bring about your perfect will and good purposes. We thank you, Lord, for giving us a spirit of quiet confidence, of bold optimism, and of steadfast conviction to live fruitfully amidst the chaos of this world.
We pray, Lord, for our country and the world that are so often shaken. We confess that in this fallen world, war, strife, chaos, and contempt for human life are inevitable. But so is a much greater truth inevitable: your final victory. Forgive us for our fear and for our anxiety when it feels like the earth is giving way. Forgive us for taking our eyes off of you and forgetting who you are in times of trouble. We confess that we have sinned against you and against others both in what we have done and in what we have failed to do. We confess quietly now to you our individual sins. … Lord, we pray for your forgiveness. We pray that you would be exalted among the nations and in all the earth. We pray that your church and your people will bear witness to your power, your peace, and your love. May the world see your glory and be drawn to you.
We pray, Lord, for your missionary servants around the world who bring your gospel of grace and the love of Jesus Christ to the nations.
Today, we pray specifically for John and Leila and their sons. We pray that their furlough time here in the U.S. is fruitful. We pray that you would continue to transform them into the likeness of your Son, Jesus, and that they would continue to reflect the love of Christ to others and to each other.
We pray for Darlene and Katie and the rest of the family as they continue to grieve the loss of our dear brother, Chip. May the love of your Son, our good Lord Jesus, shine brightly through our care and concern for Darlene and Katie. We pray that they would receive a sense of inner peace that surpasses human understanding.
We pray for our New Covenant Church community. May the presence of Your Holy Spirit be palpable among us and continue to transform our church community into a vibrant body of believers, welcoming and Christlike to others, faithful to our gospel mission, and fruitful in our acts of service.
We pray for Pastor Daniel as he preaches today from Psalm 52. May the Holy Spirit guide Daniel to illuminate Your Word with truth, grace, and understanding.
We now recite The Lord’s Prayer together:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts
As we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory,
Forever, Amen.