A Prayer for Our Church

Church family,
Most of us are not in the habit of reading other peoples prayers. And yet the apostles assumed that prayer was a thing to be learned from examples (Luke 11:1). As we have been teaching through Colossians chapter 3, I have found that the Word has done more to reshape my own prayer life (especially for our church) than any other habit or activity. I physically wrote out my prayer this morning as an example of what praying the words of Scripture could look like for all of us. My hope for you is that as we continue internalizing what Paul has said about church life, your prayers would also continue to conform more and more to the Word of God. I pray this not only blesses you, but helps you pray in the Spirit with the sure confidence that your heart is aligned with the heart of God.
 
Because We Have Been Raised
a prayer for our church family
I believe your Word, O Lord, that I have been raised with Christ. Not because of myself or my works. I believe I have been raised with Christ because I can clearly see my own brokenness, my own sin, I see my own sloth, and I see my own great need of healing. And yet in spite of my sin, Your Holy Word tells me that that I have a sin forgiving, kingdom claiming, death defeating, life giving Savior who rose from the dead in triumph over my enemies. I believe through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, You have saved me, and are able to heal and restore, even me, by Your great love.
Because I believe this, I will set my mind on the things that are above. I will set my mind on the source of my true life, which is hidden with Christ in You. I will set my mind on the coming of my Lord, and the glory that will appear at the end of days.
Because I believe that I have been raised with Christ, I will work to put to death what is earthly in myself. These sins I once loved but now irritate and vex my soul with sorrow and slavery, I will fight. I will consider myself dead to them. If I fall, I will repent, get back up, and keep running toward my deliverer, Jesus Christ. Because you have set your love on me and called my holy. 
Because I believe that You have raised me with Christ, I know that I am not alone. You have placed me in a family of people with all the same kinds of weaknesses as me. Teach me not to be haughty, nor despairing, because all of us need Your grace. And though we are all different in secondary ways, we have Christ in common. And where Christ is everything to each of us, and in all of us, all of our secondary identities melt away as love binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Because we believe that you have raised us with Christ, we will strive to help one another grow in holiness. Lord make us more compassionate, kind, humble, meek, and patient with one another. Help us to forgive one another as You have forgiven us. Help us to resist the temptation to hold anything back from one another, but to speak the truth in love, even when it hurts.
Because I believe that you have raised us with Christ, I pray that the peace of Christ would rule in our hearts, as a body. I pray that the Word of Christ would be actively at work in all of us. And I pray that the glory of the name of Christ, would be the fundamental motivation for all our words and deeds. No mortal can create a community like this. And so we lift our eyes to you, the Savior of our soul, and the King of our Church. Form us into your image, O Lord, that all the world might be drawn to your light. In the name of Jesus I ask, Amen.