I was assigned to say the pastoral prayer at church for the Divine service program last month. It’s not my first time but this was my first time to compose the prayer with my own words. Previously, I would copy and paste prayers from other sources. This time, I thought to create one myself.
I got a lot of inspiration from the Book of Psalms and other books in the Bible. Pastoral prayers from other pastors also served as guidelines for this prayer.
Our gracious and loving heavenly Father. We come to you today with praise and adoration. Our hearts shout joyful praises to You. Our lips sing about the glory of your name. Our hands clap to your wonderful works.
We can’t see you O God, but you gave us Pure Light to witness your Creation.
We can’t feel you O God, but you gave us a Flowing Fountain to experience your Love.
We can’t touch you O God, but you gave us the Mighty Wind to carry the plea of our Voices.
Now hear our voice as we kneel before you and as we cry for help.
We are surrounded by suffering.
We are surrounded by pain.
We are surrounded by temptations.
We are surrounded by enemies.
We are overwhelmed by the troubles we face everyday.
We have been foolish.
We have been defiant.
And we have sinned.
Our eyes weep and our hearts bleed in shame for what we have done.
We cannot hide our sins from you.
And in this quiet moment, we individually confess our sins to you.
Save us, O God.
Save the students who struggle in school. Send us your wisdom.
Save the sick among us and those who are in pain. Send us your healing touch.
Save the families who struggle with money. Send us your rich blessings.
Save the relationships who are in conflict. Conflict among leaders, conflict among families, conflict among couples, conflict among parents and their children, and conflict among neighbors. Send us the peace and understanding to reconcile.
Save each and everyone of us.
Listen to our prayers, Lord.
Rescue us by your Saving Power.
Cleanse us with your Unblemished Blood.
Renew us through your Infinite Mercy.
We now have the victory over all our troubles, for You have won the battles against our enemies.
And with our new strength, we commit ourselves to serve You.
Send us in the great vineyard to help finish the work you have commissioned us to do.
And when the harvest is done, we will stand among the faithful who are ready to meet You on your Second Coming.
We finally pray for Pastor Bryan Tolentino as he brings Your message for us this morning. May the Holy Sprit prepare our hearts and minds for the Spiritual Food that will be served to us today.
These we humbly ask in the name of Jesus, Your Son and Our Savior, Amen.