Prayer for March 10-16, 2019
Sermon Text: Luke 4:1-13
Christ Jesus, we are thankful that you
were tempted in every way, just as we are. We rejoice that You know the depths
of our struggles. You know the anguish we often feel. You know the
disorientation that can beset us as we endure hardship and deprivation.
We rejoice that You were able to resist
the tempter’s commands that You prove your identity as God’s Son. We rejoice
that You received the identity declared at your baptism as God’s great gift.
We rejoice that as You fed upon the scriptures and trusted the counsel of the
Spirit You grew strong in heart and mind even as You fasted.
We rejoice that God has chosen us as sons
and daughters at our baptism. Let us receive that identity as gift and live
into it with joy.
Help us to feast deeply on your word. Help
us to hear and heed the counsel of the Spirit. Strengthen us for resistance of
the evil one especially during those times when we seem most vulnerable.
We rejoice that You could not be diverted
from the path of service and suffering that lay ahead of You. You were not
caught up in the temptation to act autonomously and grab glory for yourself.
You did not succumb to the demand to make a spectacle of yourself for your own
benefit.
Enable us to follow You in the way of
service to God’s reign, and to your human neighbors, that You chose against
massive resistance. Help us to recognize that our baptism has prepared us for
such ministry and the suffering that often comes with it. Let us walk, talk,
and serve, in your way, with gladness and joy. Amen.
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