A Prayer for Your Church

For personal reflection:

(kneeling) I kneel before the Father,
from whom his whole family in heaven
and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches
he may strengthen you (the church)
with power through his Spirit
in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you (the church),
being rooted and established in love,
may have power,
together with all the saints,
to grasp how wide
and long
and high
and deep
is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge
that you may be filled
to the measure of all the fullness of God.

– Ephesians 3:14–19

And here’s the exact same prayer for responsive reading in worship:

M:        I kneel before the Father,
C:        from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

M:        I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
C:        And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Almost takes your breath away it’s so beautiful, doesn’t it?

This is a good prayer for Pastors to use for their church and their people.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.  Used by permission of International Bible Society