Your Weekly Prayer Guide for Sunday, February 15

​Welcome to the Week

We’re now well into the year, past the initial promises and into the proving ground of perseverance. This week, the prayers ahead invite you not to seek comfort, but capability - not easier circumstances, but stronger faith. Come honestly before the One who answers with awesome deeds, the God who knows both your limitations and his limitless power to work through them (and thank the Lord for that!).

“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your task.” (Phillips Brooks)

This Week’s Scripture

• Joel 2:23-32
• Psalm 65
• 2 Timothy 4:6-18
• Luke 18:9-14

Adoration

Psalm 65:5

By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;

O Worship the King (verse 1)

O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing God’s power and God’s love;
our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.
(Robert Grant)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.

Confession

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

Heavenly Father, blot out, we beseech thee, our past transgressions; forgive us our frequent negligence and ignorance; and lift us up to new energy of mind and devotion of heart, that we might have strength to persevere even to the end, through success and failure, through good report and evil report. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ and for his sake. Amen. (The Book of Worship for Church and Home, 1965)

As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that he will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Thanksgiving

Gracious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for your promises. You promise you will never leave us nor forsake us. You will help us fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith. We know that were we to go one day without your sovereign grace and strength undergirding us, we would fail miserably. And so, O Lord, we give you our deepest thanks. You have promised that there is a crown of righteousness awaiting us for seeking you in this life and desiring your appearance. This isn’t something you owe us, but another expression of your grace in our lives. O Lord, for this and more, we give you our thanks. In Christ we pray, Amen. (based on 2 Timothy 4:6-8)

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and mind and then spend some time thanking God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life.

Prayer Prompts

Use the following prayer prompts to encourage you to pray beyond your usual prayer requests. These prompts are included here to help get your own creative juices flowing and not to be regarded as strict and legalistic requirements. Use them or do not use them according to your need. May the Lord bless you as you go deeper with him in the holy communion of prayer.

Petition – prayers for yourself

• Lord, help me to faithfully participate in the life of my congregation and for the sake of my community…
  • By my prayers
  • By my presence
  • By my gifts
  • By my service
  • By my witness
• Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned
• Other needs

Intercession – prayers for others

• My family
• For those who serve in government, at the national, state, and local levels
• For those who serve in law enforcement
• For those who serve in fire and rescue
• For those who serve in our nation’s military
• Other needs

The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Romans 14:17)

A Word as You Go

The tax collector’s prayer still echoes across the centuries: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This week, you’ve been reminded that strength comes not from self-sufficiency but from humble dependence on the One who answers with awesome deeds. As you return to your tasks and callings, carry this posture with you, the open hand, the honest heart, the recognition that every power you need flows from God’s grace. He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Go now in his strength, not your own.