Heavenly Father, 

What an incredible reality 
     that we can come into your very throne room, 
     that we can come in and be met with a smile, 
     that we can see your smiling face 
and you say to us, 
     “Welcome, child. 
     I love having you here. 
     My Son came into the world to make this happen: 
     so you can talk with me 
     and bring all of your cares and your burdens.” 
So, God, I pray that we do that now. 

Father, we pray for our brothers and sisters 
     who are watching over livestream
          and maybe feel alone, 
          maybe feel frightened, 
          maybe feel torn, and want to be here.
Father, we pray for them. 
     We pray that you would draw near to them;
          let them know your nearness,
          that you will never leave them nor forsake them.
     We pray for our brothers and sisters who are sick. 
     We pray that they would be met with your healing hand. 

Father, we pray for our brothers and sisters 
     who feel burdened by the weights of our current culture,
     namely, in this city, all of the division and tension. 
Father, would you lift them up?
     Would you be the lifter of their—of our—heads?
     We all are bearing some of that weight. 
Father, we come to you. 
We come to you, Jesus. 
     You are gentle and lowly in heart. 
     Please, hear our prayers. 

Father, we pray for this church. 
We are on the precipice of a very big decision. 
     We do not presume upon you 
     that our strategies hold any weight apart from you. 
     We cry out to you, O God: 
     Please lead us. 
You are the King, you are the Head, 
     of this church and of every church 
     across the world and across the centuries. 
And so we lay all of our plans at your feet and say, 
     “God, would you be in us,
     would you give us wisdom? 
     We lack it.”

Father, we cry out to you on behalf of the churches in our city: 
     for Jubilee, 
     for Greater Friendship, 
     for Brook Community, 
     for Cities Church, 
     for Redeemer. 
     There are so many wonderful churches in this city.
We pray that they would be the buttresses of the truth 
     that they are called to be. 
We pray that they would stand in the truth of the gospel, 
     that it would run in this city, 
     through the States, 
     and through this nation. 

Father, we pray for our leaders. 
     We pray for Governor Tim Walz: 
          would you please give him wisdom 
          as he makes the decision on schools this week? 
     Would you please give wisdom to our Congress 
          as they continue to think about how to help our
          economy and be wise? 
          And I pray that the two parties and all other leaders
          would work well together. 
     We pray for our city council: 
          give them wisdom on how to think about the police. 
     We pray for the leaders in our communities:
          God, would you please be with them? 
     We pray for our President: 
          that you would give him wisdom, 
          that you would give him humility, 
          that he would lead knowing who he is before a holy God. 

We pray for our city. 
     So many of our neighbors putting their hope in the next protest. 
     So many of our neighbors putting their hope in the next election. 
God, we pray that we would go across the street. 
     Would you make us a people 
     that doesn’t stay insulated in our homes, 
     but sees the hurting and the broken?
We lift up the people in tents in our parks. 
     They’re lying on benches. 
     Father, would you meet them?
Father, would you be with the people who run homeless shelters? 
     Would you meet them? 
Father, we pray for the unborn.
     Would you protect them? 
Father, we pray for the children in foster care.
     Would you be near to them, and would you be a father to them?

Father, it is so good that your Son never stops interceding for us. 
Thank you that,
     even when we stop praying
     and disobey your command to never cease to pray,
     God, you keep praying. 
          It is amazing. 
And so, God, we lift all these things up to you, 
and we pray that you would increase our hearts for this city.
     Would you make us people on our knees,
     would we keep praying constantly,
     and then would you give us the joy of experiencing more of you 
          as you work, 
          as you move.
Would you give us the joy, 
and would we be worshippers that glorify you. 
     Because everything is from you, 
     everything is through you, 
     everything is to you. 
          To you be the glory. 
          Amen.

—Elder James Lecheler, July 26, 2020
9am Worship Service, Downtown Campus
View this prayer