We conclude the Ten Days of Prayer with two special prayers for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Of course, the end of this session of prayer is only the beginning of a renewed life of prayer for each of us in 2015. Let's remember to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17).
Read more about the Ten Days of Prayer here and an update on the Ten Days here.
“Loving God and Lord of our community,
We are many peoples, colors, talents, and roles—
But one body and one family.
We carry much joy.
We have connections that reach around the world
And those connections bring much meaning.
Your leadership of this collaborative group
Has changed the world in many and varied ways.
We also understand through Scripture
That we are connected to Your even larger kingdom—
An invisible kingdom of peoples
Who know and understand unconditional love and unthinkable grace.
For all of this we have much joy.
But we also have much pain.
We constantly hear the bleeding wounds of a blundering world.
And You have taught us to care about that.
At times, we have cared too much
And become so busy that we have left our first love.
Bring us back home—to Your heart and Your rest.
We also have pain from what we do to each other.
Sometimes we have cared so much about our brand of truth
That the flesh and blood of being humans, with feelings and tender capacities, eludes us
Or, worse, seems insignificant.
At times our spirits have been crushed … by each other.
Of Your Son it was said, ‘It was heaven to be in his presence.’
Make us more like that.
We cannot convince others of Your love if they cannot see it in us.
We will not have love for others if we do not have it for each other.
And what is it that we are trying to do in this world anyway?
Be right? Do more? Convince others of something?
Lord, stop us in our tracks.
Break our hearts with your whispering presence.
Compel us to action with your thundering grace.
But help us never, never! to believe
That we can do more with a community divided.
Teach us how to accommodate enough difference
So that we will continue to embody Your image.
And teach us how and when to be intolerant—
Of injustice, abuse, arrogance, and all the other things hiding in this list.
Create within us the meekness of children.
Give us the understanding to know when we are wrong
And the courage to admit it.
And help us to continue to play with crayons—
Many colors, many ways and sometimes outside the lines.
We are incredibly grateful to be Your children
For where else can we go?
We want to be gathered up, as a hen gathers her chicks.
Bring us back to community—in the deepest way—for the greatest good.
In loving obedience to a trustworthy Listener,
Amen”
, assistant professor of religion and health, Loma Linda University; director, Center for Spiritual Life and Wholeness at LLU
"Our dear Lord and heavenly Father,
We want Christ to come soon to take us home, a glorious occasion that will happen when the message of hope is preached to the 7.2 billion people of our world and Christ's character is seen in our lives. Therefore, please …
Bless each Adventist Church member, elder, pastor, and leader this year so we take more time early every morning to contemplate Your character of love and to receive the transforming grace of your Spirit through the study of the Holy Scriptures, meditation, and fervent prayer.
Fulfill in each one of us and in our dear family members Your wonderful promise to become like Jesus in character and deed. Only then can we be a channel (Isa. 60:1) of Your Spirit to influence and transform the lives with whom we come in daily contact:
‘The Holy Spirit never leaves unassisted a soul who is looking to Jesus. It takes of the things of Christ, and shows them to the seeker. And if the eye is kept fixed upon Jesus, the work of the Spirit ceases not until the soul is conformed to His image’ (Signs of the Times, Sept. 27, 1899).
Help Your church to remain united while making important decisions.
And fulfill Your plans and purposes in our lives in 2015 as You provide us with the power of the Holy Spirit (Zech. 4:6) to fulfill the gospel commission. Each of us commits ourselves to be Your messenger.
In Jesus’ holy name we pray,
Amen"
, president of the Euro-Asia Division
Are you participating in the Ten Days of Prayer? Share your prayer or story in the comments section below and send your prayer-related photos to Adventist Review news editor Andrew McChesney at [email protected].
