Pray for Our Future

²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-27

Heavenly Father,

You are our comforter and counselor; the truth that lights our path through the darkness. We struggle in this world, but your Spirit lifts us when we are burdened by it and your Son, Jesus Christ, saves us when we depart from it.

We thank you for the words Jesus spoke to Martha, a grieving sister and we thank you for speaking these words into our own lives as they allow us to deepen our faith and dependence upon our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, when we are troubled. We thank you for the Holy spirit which surrounds and protects us when we are grieving and in pain.

Lord God, we seek an eternal perspective that allows us to keep your Kingdom at the center of all things. As we enter into this season of Lent and church affiliation help us to trust in your promise that we are yours in everlasting life and love. Bless us with discernment, wisdom, and peace in your truths. Help us to say “Yes, Lord.” as we live and make decisions based upon your word alone.

In Jesus’s name,

Amen

⁸“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” ⁹Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. ¹⁰It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

John 11:8-10

Almighty and gracious God,

We come before you today acknowledging the compassion of our lord who stood beside the graveside of a dear friend and who wept. Who wept not only because of the loss of someone he loved, but because they also did not know who he was. Here he was, the resurrection and the life standing before them, but yet all they knew is that he was not there when their brother died. So Lord help us to acknowledge this day not only who you are but help us to receive you as the savior of our lives, the resurrection, and the life. For indeed, we know that you love us and help us now to love you even more. In your most holy name, we pray. Amen.

¹Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ²(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) ³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” ⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

John 11:1-4

Lord Jesus,

You are the Alpha and the Omega, our beginning, and our end. You see the end from the beginning and in Your Book of Life are all our days. In You, we not only have life eternal, but abundant life now in this life where we can experience the goodness of God in the land of the living. Forgive us for worry and doubt. Forgive us for forgetting how much You love us. Forgive us for looking at the temporal instead of fixing our eyes on You – the eternal King.

Father, help us to lean into Your grace this Lenten season as we journey with Jesus to the cross. Holy Spirit, let our words and actions bring glory to God as we love others the same way You have loved us. Keep our focus on Jesus and not our circumstances. May we be a church that reflects the glory of God as Jesus Christ is exalted in all that happens in our church and through our ministries. In the name of our Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

⁴⁰Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, ⁴¹and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” ⁴²And in that place many believed in Jesus.

John 10:40-42

Gracious God,

What a joy and honor it is to be able to spend time with you in prayer during this season. God many of us are praying for signs and wonders that we haven't seen come to fruition. But we understand that you walk alongside us with your great love and care and compassion. And so, God, what we can proclaim because we have seen signs in the past is that you are the son of God. You are everything that John the Baptist and the prophets said that you are. And so, God, we ask that you might continue to be our reconciliation with one another and with you that you might continue to be our salvation in the world. And then finally, you might move us from a place of repentance to a place of wholeness so that we might share your love with everyone we meet. And we pray all these things in the precious name of Jesus to Christ. Amen.

²⁷“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰I and the Father are one.”

John 10:27-30

God, Our Father,

You alone are worthy of all honor, and glory, and praise. We are Your sheep, and we thank You for the abundant and eternal life you have given us through Jesus, our Good Shepherd who is the Great Shepherd of all the world. We come to You with gratitude-filled hearts praying that we would be sensitive to the transforming work that You desire to do in us this Lenten season through the power of your Holy Spirit that resides in us. Help us to continually listen for the voice of the Shepherd so that we can grow in our relationship with You and protect us from all that would distract us or persuade us to listen to any voice other than yours. Give us discerning ears to hear Your voice as we seek your will in our church affiliation. We trust Your guidance. We trust You to shepherd us. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

¹⁷“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

John 10:17-18

God, we thank you for this example of Jesus. We thank you that even though he didn't have to, he laid his life down for us. And this Lenten season as we remember that great sacrifice, the tremendous sacrifice on behalf of us, to forgive us of our sins, We pray that you will also remind us of the call you have put onto us to lay down our lives for others. So, God, we pray that this day you will show us ways that we can be servant leaders. That we can give of our time, of our resources, of just our words to bless others, knowing that we can never bless others as much as you have blessed us through your son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. It's in his holy name that we pray together. Amen.

¹⁴“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

John 10:14-16

Precious Jesus,

You are the Shepherd who lays down his life for His sheep. Thank You for covering us with comfort and strength. Holy Spirit, aid us in being aware of Your presence in our daily lives. Help us to identify those sheep in our lives that need tenderness and care and lead them back to Your pen. Heavenly Father, as we continue our Lenten journey, spark conversations with those who don’t know of Your goodness and mercy. It brings us delight to share your Gospel message. May we be reminded that just as we know Your goodness, strength, and mercy You too, know the longings and desires of our hearts. Help us as a church to lead others into Your embrace by the way that we live and the way that we love. We love You; we thank You, and it’s in Your precious name that we pray. Amen.

¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep."

John 10:11-13

Good Shepherd,

You are the One who loves us enough to lay down Your life for us! Forgive us when we listen to other voices and “hired hands” that do not offer the care, love, and protection that only You can bring. Lord Jesus, thank You for never leaving us or abandoning us when trials come, and we feel overwhelmed by life. Holy Spirit, strengthen us with Your holy Word that we may be able to stand strong against the lies of the culture and the temptations of the enemy. Make us a church that likewise cares for the sheep that have yet to come into Your fold. Give us hearts of compassion and boldness to share Christ’s love and message of hope with others. May we be a church that is known for Christ’s compassionate care and tender love for all God’s people both within our community and to the ends of the earth. In the name of our Shepherd King. Amen.

⁷Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:7-10

²“The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

John 10:2-5

Good Shepherd,

You have called us Your own. You love us, know us and see us. Forgive us for straying away from You throughout our day. Make us a faithful people to hear Your gentle voice and obey Your calling in our day.

Holy Spirit, tune our ears to hear Christ’s voice and stay close to Him by abiding in His love. Allow our Church to be a flock that hears the Good Shepherd’s voice and follows God’s leading in all we are and all we do to the glory of His Great name. Amen.

³⁹Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

John 9:39

God, we are so grateful for this day. We thank you that you are already with us and, because of the many ways that you have been with us in the past, we’re confident you will be with us in the future. Lord, in those times in which we think we see, we recognize our failings and our shortcomings. We ask that, during this season of Lent, your light would shine and our eyes would be opened, so that we could know you more and more. God, we thank you for your son, Jesus. Let us journey with him all the way to the cross. We pray these things in Christ's name. Amen.

⁴“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

John 9:4-5

Light of the World,

You are always moving in the world to continue the mission of God to bring people into Heaven’s embrace. Holy Spirit, open our eyes to the movements of God happening all around us. Forgive us for ignoring Your gentle nudging throughout our day. Make us a people that follows Your holy light into the dark places of our community. Awaken us to Your Light within us that we might be a beacon of hope to others. Jesus, let our church be a city on a hill that shines Your light in our city and our world. In the name of our Triune God. Amen.

¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

John 9:1-3

God, we give you thanks first, for another day. We give you thanks for your faithfulness as you've walked with us through this lenten journey. On this particular day, God, we pray that you would give us the eyes of Jesus. That rather than, like much of the world that preoccupies itself with looking at problems and trying to place blame or make excuses or find someone to fault. Instead, God give us the eyes of Jesus, the spirit of Jesus, to step into any problem we might encounter, not looking for the reason but rather looking to be a part of the solution. Allow us to bring your healing touch. Allow us to bring grace and mercy and your love into each encounter we have with anyone we meet this day. Go ahead of us, God, preparing the way in Jesus' name. Amen.

⁵⁸“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

John 8:58

Lord Jesus,

You are the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end. You are the great I AM. You are all that we need, and You have provided all we need to live as Your beloved children through the death of Your Beloved Jesus Christ. You alone are our sufficiency for life and godliness.

Holy Spirit, burn a holy love in our hearts that we might live into Christ’s sufficiency for our lives. Help us as individuals and as a church to yield to Your sanctifying grace on a daily basis that we might become all You created us to be as Your holy people and Your spotless Bride. In the name of the Great I AM. Amen.

¹²When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ¹³The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.” ¹⁴Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. ¹⁶But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. ¹⁷In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. ¹⁸I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

John 8:12-18

Father God,

You spoke light into creation and called it good. You place the sun, the moon, and the stars in the expanse to provide us with the warmth of the day and a nightlight at night to watch over us. Then You broke into our dark world through the light of Your Son Jesus Christ – the true light of heaven.

Lord Jesus, shine Your holy light in our places of darkness and into the moments of our despair. Remind us again and again that You are with us, in us and near us. Your light overcomes our darkness. Holy Spirit, draw us nearer to Your holy light that we might through our lives declare the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness in Your glorious light. May our church stand as a beacon of Christ’s light in our community and our world. In the name of our Triune God. Amen.

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”

John 7:37-39a

³⁵Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

John 6:35-40

Lord Jesus,

You are the Living Manna sent from heaven to feed and nourish our hungry souls. You are the Living water that quenches our unsatiable thirst. Forgive us for looking for nourishment and life in the world rather than in You. Holy Spirit, come and quench the thirst in our souls. Bread of Heaven, feed us until we want no more. Fill us up and make us whole. Enable us, as a church, to stand strong on the foundations of Your Living Word and the holy orthodoxy and orthopraxy of Your Church eternal. In Your name. Amen.

²⁹Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

John 6:29

Father God,

You are full of mercy, love, and grace. You provide the way to Your embrace through the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son Jesus Christ. The only response to such an extravagant gift is to believe. Believe in You and receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ by faith.

Father, forgive us for complicating this spiritual journey with You. Teach us to abide with Christ and rest in knowing He has completed the work of our salvation on the cross.

Holy Spirit, make us clean vessels that Christ’s love and light might burn and live through us. Purify us as a church so that Jesus will be central to all we do, all we say, and all we are. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

¹⁰Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. ¹²When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.”

John 6:10-13

Father God,

You are a God of abundance. In You there is no lack. You own the cattle on a thousand hills and all the earth is Yours. With You, there is plenty and more than enough. Lord Jesus, teach us to look to You for our daily provision. Remind us that You are our source and our resource for life and godliness. Holy Spirit, renew our mind today that all that we need and all that we are comes from You. Abba, as You provide for us, give us thankful hearts, and help us to share Your provision with others that they might know the goodness of Your grace and love.

Make us a church where there is always more than enough for the service of the work of the Kingdom that You have called us to. In the name of our Generous King. Amen.

²⁴“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷And he has given Him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.”

John 5:24-27

²¹“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe Me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²²You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

John 4:21-24

Lord Jesus,

You are full of grace and truth. You are the exact radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being – full of lovingkindness, grace, mercy, and longsuffering. Thank You for sustaining us daily with Your strong and mighty hand.

Heavenly Father, we come to worship You this day for the gift of Your Son – the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Lord Jesus, You are worthy of all our praise and adoration. From You are all things and to You are all things. Holy Spirit, compose a new song on our hearts today that we might rise above our circumstances and the chaos of the culture to give You glory and honor and praise.

Teach us as a church to worship You in the beauty of holiness, in Spirit and Truth.

In the name of the One who deserves all the glory. Amen.

⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

John 3:5-8

Almighty God,

You have provided the way into Your glorious kingdom through Your Son Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus, thank You for loving us, forgiving us, cleansing us, and opening the doors to heaven by Your death and resurrection. Holy Spirit, breathe in us a fresh wind and a fresh holy fire to walk in faithful obedience to Your commands.

We know that our flesh profits nothing. So, empower us to walk by the Holy Spirit today that we will not gratify the desires of our flesh. Awaken us to the movements of the Spirit around us that we might be know as a Spirit-filled and Spirit-flowing church. In the name of our Triune God. Amen.

¹³When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

John 2:13-17

⁴³The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow Me.” ⁴⁴Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

John 1:43-45

Lord Jesus,

You are the way, the truth, and the life. Just as you found Phillip and bid him to follow You, You have found us and called us to follow You – the one called Messiah. Holy Spirit, carve out time for us to spend in God’s Word that we might know more intimately the One who beckons us to “follow.” As we spend time in God’s presence feasting on His Word, may we be changed into the image of Your Son Jesus Christ by your sanctifying grace.

As we draw closer to the cross, empower us to continue to follow even when the journey is hard and treacherous. Make us a church that invites others to follow Jesus as well.

In Your name we pray. Amen.

⁹The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. ¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive Him. ¹²Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 1:9-13

Lord Jesus,

You demonstrated Your love for us by sending Jesus Christ into our dark world and allowing Him to take our sins upon Him on the cross. We acknowledge that we bring nothing of our own merit to You. We are saved by Your grace alone by faith and we are made new because of the precious blood of Your Son Jesus Christ.

Thank You for bringing us into Your family and calling us Your own. Holy Spirit, empower us to live as Your daughters and sons today by the way that we live and the way that we love those around us.

Remind us as we journey with Jesus to the cross that in Christ, we are the Beloved of God. May it show in all that we say and do as a community of faith. In the name of our Triune God. Amen.

⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:4-5

Lord Jesus,

You are the light that shines in our dark world. In Your light is life and hope, refreshment, and peace. Holy Spirit, allow Your light to shine the dark areas of our heart to expose our wrong motives and the small sins we have become accustomed to. Purify us with Your holy light that we might be clean vessels to shine Your light, love, and grace to a dark and dying world.

Father God, as we move forward in this season of Lent and on to affiliation, guide us with Your light of wisdom, counsel, and strength that we as a church might be a beacon of Your light and manifest Your kingdom glory to a dark culture.

In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen