Given, Giving, Getting - 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

Our loving heavenly Father
You have given us - the inexpressible gift
Too large to ever understand
Too awesome to ever grow tired of
You have sowed bountifully into us
May we sow generously and give cheerfully
Knowing that we are enriched in every way
And that you will multiply the harvest of righteousness in us
So that thanksgiving may overflow to you
As people glorify your name
Amen

How do you know if you love Jesus? 2 Cor 8v1-24

Father
May we give ourselves to you
May we give ourselves to each other
Thank you that Christ’s grace drove him; he became poor that we might become rich.
May generosity be our hallmark and our desire.
Strengthen us to excel in the grace of giving.
Grow us in grace, especially the grace of giving
As we give proof of our love for you
Amen

How to make conflict into a good thing - 2 Corinthians 7:2-16

Our Father
You are the God of comfort for the downcast
You send comfort through people
You send growth through people
Give us the joys of godly grief and personal repentance
And the joy of seeing others repent too as we see their earnestness lived out in your sight
Produce ever greater godliness in us
Amen
 

Where does God live today? 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

O loving Father,

You are our judge and our saviour,
Remind us that we are the temple of the living God
    The place of your dwelling
    The ones with whom you walk
    Sons and daughters
Keep us from yoking ourselves with darkness.
Set before us the vision of your purity.
Let us see our sin in the light of your holiness.
And make our hearts sing at the joy of your presence.

Amen  

How to spot a fake pastor - 2 Corinthians 6v1-13

Our Father,
We pray for gospel ministers to display great endurance under great suffering.
We pray for them to increasingly fight for holiness of life, for purity of heart, for knowledge of you, for patience with others, for kindness of behaviour, love for the lost and truth in a world of lies.
We pray for them to endure when they are spoken well of and when they are maligned.
May they minister, may they always focus not on themselves but on others.
And we pray that Christians, the world over, may open their hearts and affections to genuine gospel ministers.
Not receiving the grace of God in vain.
Amen

Butterflies. New - no longer old - 2 Corinthians 5V11-21

Our loving Father, your Son became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God.
He was estranged from you so that we might be reconciled.
He died so that we might live.
We are now ‘new creations’.
May we be controlled by the love of Christ for us
As we seek to be good ambassadors for you in the world.
Making your appeal through us – be reconciled to God
Amen.

Home - 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10

Our Father
Forgive us that we easily lose heart as we waste away.
Put our eyes on your inner renewal work in us rather than on our light and momentary afflictions.
Put our eyes on the eternal weight of glory
Put our eyes on what is unseen rather than seen.
Our Father we long for the tent of our bodies to be replaced by an eternal home when the mortal will be swallowed up by life.
Thank you that you have given us your Spirit as a guarantee.
Make us of good courage,
Walking by faith,
Longing to be home with you.
As we consider the day when we will appear before you.
Amen

Weep the conflict

We frayed; we fought. 
I wept, I cried…but not for you, but for my pride. 
I want; I want; my way today. 
And soon I lost. My friend; I cried.
O help me cry, for you my friend. 
My tears, for us. 
My heart, your soul. 
As Christ, he cried, for us, he died. 
Turns tears to joy. 
Reconciled!

by Geoff Gertzen

5 Tips to fight better - 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11

Father you always deal with us with sincerity and grace.
You have done what is best for us even when we have resisted you.
You have acted to spare us pain, always driven by your anguish and tears over our situation.
And you have overwhelmingly loved and forgiven us
May these things to be in us too
For your glory alone
Amen

Suffering?! Why?! - 2 Corinthians 1v1-11

 

Father
We hate suffering. We hate pain.
Thank you for the comfort of your presence
Thank you for the comfort given by your people.
Thank you for the hope of deliverance.
Thank you for the hope of resurrection.
Thank you that your Son experienced extreme suffering for us.
We pray that you would make us fully reliant on you.
Make us to seek you with all we are.
Make us to love you as the desire of our hearts.
Make us to know you as the craving of our souls.
Thank you for the expectation of resurrection from the dead and may we not fail to pray for the deliverance of those in suffering.
Amen

 

Lies we tell ourselves #3 -“I am what I feel; I am what others say about me” Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 2:1-10

Father forgive us that we define ourselves by our feelings
Forgive us that we care a great deal about what others say about us and little about what you say about us.
Turn our thoughts to your true diagnosis of us.
May we increasingly display the fruit of the Spirit
And live by the Spirit
Rejoicing in our identity as sons of God
Saved by grace
Seated in the throne room of heaven.
To your honour and glory alone.
Amen

The lies we tell ourselves #2 - I am what I have; I am what I do

Father
You are the owner of everything.
You have promised to care for us.
Forgive us for defining ourselves by what we have.
Instead may we see and seek our value in knowing you.
Enable us to sow treasure for heaven.
Forgive us for seeing our value in our activity.
May we seek our worth in being children of God,
Adopted,
Known by God,
And fellow heirs with Christ.
Amen 

The lies we tell ourselves - "I don't lie" - Philippians 4:8,9

Our Father
Set my mind on truth
Set my yearnings on your honour
Set my longings on justice
Set my desires on purity
Set my cravings towards loveliness.
May I constantly think on what is commendable
May I seek excellence in all I do
And may I pursue what is praiseworthy
As my renewed mind is increasingly set towards loving you and others.
Amen

Racism, Drunkenness, Gaza, Israel, The Curse of Ham and lots of other stuff - Genesis 9:18-29

Father, forgive us for treating people as our servants
Forgive us for not treating others with honour and respect
As made in the image of God.
Thank you for giving us a saviour to fix the mess of this world
Amen

Rainbows, Blessing, Covenant and God’s Comeback - Genesis 8:20-9:17

Father in heaven
You have made promises to us.
And you have done this knowing that the intentions of our hearts are evil.
We are amazed at your grace.
Forgive us that we do not value human life highly.
Forgive us that we do not believe that you will keep your covenant promises to us.
Put our eyes on the rainbow
And the sparrow
And the lilies
And the clouds
And the cross.
Help us to remember and live knowing that you are committed to us, that your Son has come and that your Son is coming soon.
Amen

Things that are certain - Genesis 5

Our Father you have promised us that death will not overcome us when we walk with God in trusting Christ.
We put our faith in him.
We long for the day when we will be with Christ, which is better by far.
Help us to so live now with our eyes ever on eternity
Amen

God's Dilemma - Genesis 4:1-26

Our Father
Your mercy rings out to us
Your patience despite our rejection of you
Your immense grace in sending your Son
When you should have destroyed us
We praise you
Grow in us a genuine love for others
And an all-consuming love for you
Amen

Ishshah - Woman. Genesis 2v18-25

Our Father you have made men and women
Equal
Complementary
Not to rule but to serve each other.
We praise you for your plan displayed in marriage
We praise you for your plan displayed in the gift of singleness
We praise you for the way committed marriage models your commitment to us
We praise you that you have described the church as your bride
Forgive us
For sexism
For unfaithfulness
For adultery  
For discontentment
And for idolising sex
Help us to truly live for the day when we are wedded to your Son
Amen
In your image

Why are things the way they are? Genesis 3:1-24

Our Father in heaven,
You have given us your word but we have not listened.
Instead
we have followed our own desires
we have followed the voices of the world
Your judgement has justly come upon us
Forgive us
And shower your grace upon us
So that we may again hear your word
And seek your face
Amen

Who am I?

 

Genesis 2:4-17

Father you have made us.
From the dust of the ground
You have breathed life into us.
You have made us for life
And blessing in abundance.
You have made us to hear and obey your word.
You have made us for yourself.
We praise you
That we are fearfully and wonderfully made,
That we are treasured and known.
And we long for the renewed life that your Son has brought to us
Not in the garden but in the city.
Amen

Resurrection

Darkness.
Foggy despair.
Tears from broken love direct faltering steps
To find emptiness
It is empty!
Not there but there
Not dead but alive
Not eclosion, nor emergence
Better – resurrection!
Existence altered
Tragedy transformed
Life from darkness
Light from despair
Hope released!
Resurrection!

Loved by the Father: John 16:16-33

Our Father, in heaven,
We are so privileged to call  you that.
Jesus is with you.
He will come again.
Now, because we are loved by you,
We are blessed to be able to ask!
Help us, when we are scattered
To remember that we can ask.
To remember that we are not alone
And to remember that Jesus has overcome the world.
Amen

John 17 - The thing (and things) that really matter

Father glorify your name, even as you glorify your Son.
Father keep us
Father sanctify us
Father make us one
Empower us to go into the world
even as we are not part of it
For your glory alone
Amen

The Holy Spirit, Sin, Truth and lots of other stuff

 John 16:4b-15

Our Father

Thank you that Jesus is ascended and that the Spirit of Truth has come
We pray for him to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment
I pray for him to convict me of sin, righteousness and judgment
Forgive us for not being earnest about sin
Forgive us for trying to do the work of the Spirit ourselves
Thank you that you have given us truth in your Son
And that we can know your son through your word
May we seek after him with all our hearts and souls
Amen

Hate. Love. Chosen, the Holy Spirit and lots of other stuff

 John 15:18-16:4a

Our Father,
It astonishes us that the world would hate you and your Son.
We are also surprised when the world hates us.
Keep us from falling away.
Keep us strong in the face of hatred.
Ever remembering your warnings.
Seeking to bear witness for you.
And straining forward to the day when we will be with you for all eternity
Amen

Full Joy

John 15:1-17 

Our Father,
Keep us in your Son.
Prune us,
Don’t cut us off.
May we bear abundant fruit for you.
Keep us abiding when we have little strength.
Give us the courage to ask boldly
That you may be glorified.
May we keep your commandments
Especially the command to love.
May we be defined by love.
May we be a people of love.
May full joy be in us.
May we marvel that your son calls us friend.
And has chosen us to bear abiding fruit
Amen

Overcoming Trouble and Fear

John 14:15-31

Our Father,
We marvel that you would deign to dwell with us and in us through your Spirit.
Thank you that as a result we can live.
May our love for you bubble out of us
May our love for each other bubble out of us
May our love for the lost bubble out of us
May our love for the world bubble out of us
Thank you for the peace that you give which is made possible through your presence.
In Christ’s name we pray.
Amen.

Smelly feet, towels, basins and the secret of blessing

John 13:1-17

Father you have given Jesus all things
He uses his authority to serve us in his death
Oh may that attitude be ours, may it permeate our thinking and flow from us
Give us joy in service
And bless us we pray
Amen

Judas, Betrayal, Predestination, Human Responsibility and lots of other stuff

John 13:18-30 

Our Father
We have eaten the bread of betrayal and lifted our heel against you.
We have stood at the fire and denied that we ever knew Jesus.
Forgive us
Strengthen us
Restore us.
May we receive the ones you have sent
May we receive your Son
May we receive you.
May we never again betray you.
Keep us from the night.
Amen

Really Living

 
Deuteronomy 6:1-12

Father,
Help me to listen to you.
Help me to love you.
Help me to overflow with you.
Inhabit my hands and my eyes.
Inhabit my home and my speaking
May I never forget you in the blessings you provide.
Instead turn my self-love into God love.
Amen

This is my Beloved Son - listen to him

Mark 9v2-10

Our Heavenly Father
Your love for us is steadfast
You have given us your Beloved Son
Enable us to hear him
To trust what he says
To listen to him
To do what he calls us to do
Amen