Sunday, Week 6

Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
— Ephesians 6:18 (BSB)

Notice, we never pray for folks we gossip about, and we never gossip about the folk for whom we pray! For prayer is a great deterrent.
— Leonard Ravenhill

O God, our Father, as we begin this Sunday, we look up to You for a blessing. As the earth opens its eyes on the sun, whose beams pour down in brightness upon field and forest — so do we open our eyes upon You this morning. May the gracious beams of Your love stream upon us. Then our hearts shall rejoice. If we have Your favor, we shall indeed live.

Fill us with Your Spirit, and may all our thoughts, feelings, and desires be sweetened. Sanctify to us all the privileges we shall enjoy today. May our rest be unbroken by any worldly incident which might mar its quietness. As we wait upon You, may we renew our strength. May Your word to which we shall listen, be richly blessed to us. May its teachings be made plain, and may we receive them into the soil of good and honest hearts, in which they may bring forth fruit.

Let a blessing be upon all those who today will minister in the churches, conducting the worship and preaching to the people. May they be in the Spirit, and may their words be filled with the Spirit. Make them holy men, having clean hands and pure hearts. Give them the right motives, as they minister in Your name.

Let a blessing be upon all the congregation that shall assemble today for worship. May all hearts be open to the influences of the Holy Spirit. Enter every open heart, and by Your loving persuasion, win the way into the hearts that thus far have been closed to You. So may Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. We ask for Jesus' sake. Amen.