A Saturday Night Prayer

Paul Tautges Crosswalk.com blogspot for pastor and counseling Paul Tautges of counselingoneanother.com
Updated Sep 18, 2018

Lord of the Church,

As we anticipate gathering together as Your people for the purpose of worship, tomorrow morning, we pray Your name will be glorified and Your will accomplished in our hearts and the hearts of all those who worship You through Jesus Christ.

Lead us to the Rock, Redeemer, and Refuge. Lift our thoughts to the Rock so that we may trust in Your strength (Psalm 19:14). Touch the affections of our hearts so that we, the household of God, will grow in our love for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who is the Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). Hide us in the shelter of Your wings as we listen to Your promises (Psalm 61:1-4).

Make us responsive to the Holy Spirit as You seek worshipers to draw near in spirit and truth. May the Holy Spirit who indwells us stir us up in our inner person to praise You with every part of our being (Psalm 138:1). Lord, reveal our hidden sins or hypocrisy so that we may repent and worship in truth, purity, and faith (Psalm 24:3-6).

Fill the pastor-preacher with the Holy Spirit’s power. Lord, it is You who enables a mere man to preach with clarity, conviction, and boldness as the forces of Hell wage war against him (Ephesians 6:10-20). Fill his heart with love and compassion for those to whom he preaches so that his preaching will edify and equip believers with grace and truth, and plead with unbelievers to embrace Christ (Ephesians 4:12; 2 Corinthians 5:20).

Open the hearts of the unconverted, make the gospel’s power to save real in our public worship experience. As You did for Lydia, when the apostle preached, open hearts to respond to the Word that is spoken (Acts 16:14). May the Spirit prick their consciences over sin, pierce their hearts with conviction, and grant them the gifts of repentance and faith so that they may turn from unbelief to faith in Jesus Christ (John 16:8; Acts 2:37-38; Ephesians 2:8-10; Acts 11:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:9).

Glorify Your name, we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.