God, You have a plan for Your creation and You have not changed Your mind about it. You will bring Your plan to pass and there is nothing and no one that can stop, hinder, block, or thwart it. The culmination of Your plan is for You to dwell with Your redeemed people in a new creation where sin, death, and satan are no more. Show us every plan that we have that is not aligned with Your plan and help us to let them go.
It is amazing to think that You want to use us to partner with You when You do not need anyone or anything. Help and show every member of the body of Christ the part that You have for us in Your eternal plan. Prepare us to be consecrated, holy vessels that You use in great and mighty ways to partner with You in Your Kingdom agenda. May we be a people who love to dwell in Your presence and holy vessels in which Your presence loves to dwell.
The days are dark and the Church, in this nation and generation, has seemed to be sleeping on her watch. It seems like the most fruitful days of ministry are in the past. Yet I believe that there are greater days ahead. If it were up to us then we would give up, quit, and die before we see them. But You are not depending on us and what we can do. You want us to depend on You and what Your Holy Spirit can do through us. Bring us to the place where we desire You more than anything else and that we desire for You to use us in what You are doing in the earth. We are not satisfied about reading about what You did in the past or hearing about what You are doing in faraway lands. We are tired of watching the gospel parade go by us when You have called us to be in it.
Give us a holy encounter with Your presence that reminds us again of Your unfathomable greatness and Your amazing grace. Move us to confess and repent of our sin and return to You alone. Let us hear You say to us, in this generation, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'. May our response to You, like the prophet Isaiah's, be 'Here I am. Send me!'. Revive us and send us out as Your revivalist in the earth - to preach the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the nations of the earth.
Thank You for the local churches that we have to gather together in fellowship, sing Your praises, listen to and study Your Word, and offer to You prayers. For too many of us, though, our relationship with You and service to You is focused on what happens in a building on one or more days a week. We are failing to use what You have entrusted to us to have an impact in this world for Jesus by the Spirit and through the gospel. We are failing to use the talents that You have given us for Kingdom business. Do not let us hide our talents and bury them in the ground but to use and multiply them for Your Kingdom and glory. Help us to be wise and faithful stewards over what You have entrusted to us as we shine the light of Christ.
Forgive us for making our relationship with You about us and what we want rather than about You and what You want. By doing so we have sidelined ourselves from partnering with You in Your plan. Put us back in the game, Father. We know that we do not deserve to know You or to be used by You. Thank You for the riches of Your mercy and the abundance of Your grace. If it were not for Your faithfulness to us, then we would have walked away from You. Thank You for access into Your presence (by the blood of Jesus) and the invitation to partner (by the indwelling Holy Spirit) with You in Your plan. In Jesus' name, Amen!!!