GOD: resources for worship and prayer
Resources for all age worship, Communion, prayers ...
Praise!
To praise another person is to call out their greatness
to catch a glimpse of how this person is seen by the One who made them
to look with God’s eyes, just for a moment.
To praise God is to grow a little larger as we reflect a little more of ultimate greatness
to catch an echo of the song of awe and wonder and gratitude
that is going all all around us all the time through all created things
and to sing along.
To praise another person is to call out their greatness
to catch a glimpse of how this person is seen by the One who made them
to look with God’s eyes, just for a moment.
To praise God is to grow a little larger as we reflect a little more of ultimate greatness
to catch an echo of the song of awe and wonder and gratitude
that is going all all around us all the time through all created things
and to sing along.
How to write a prayer An ideas sheet by Silvia Purdie
There are a gazillion written prayers available on websites and books
but the best prayer is your own prayer.
Here is a ‘tried and true’ framework to help to get started.
(It also happens to be the basic flow of most of the prayers in the Bible)
Prayers can be short or long. Some focus more in one part than others.
Don’t use lots of words when a few will do. Best to say what you mean and leave out waffle (… “we humbly just ask that you might hear our prayer that” … blah blah!). Be direct.
Use words that evoke an emotional response, without dictating what that might be.
Normally in church we pray together, so it’s “we …”
Here are the basic elements, normally in this order:
1: Address God Name God, and say what aspect of God you want to highlight.
2: Thanks We are grateful for …
3: Confession (not every prayer includes this – often one in a worship service)
We are sorry for …
4: Asking We pray for …
We pray that … … what do you want to happen?
5: Returning glory to God. A good way to end a prayer is by circling back to the God you are talking to, handing it over and giving credit where credit is due.
What is your theology of prayer?
Mine is that God is always at work in the world, but that God has a bit of a “by invitation only” policy. Our prayers make space for God to do what God does, inviting more of his healing and restoration, his calling and leading and sustaining power. This has the strongest effect in the lives of those who pray the prayer, but it also has effect in situations we know nothing about.
When we pray with Creation we name things we value in the natural world and remember their relationship with God. We bring to God our sadness, guilt and our fears for the environment, and entrust these into God’s hands, together with our hopes for positive action we long for.
There are a gazillion written prayers available on websites and books
but the best prayer is your own prayer.
Here is a ‘tried and true’ framework to help to get started.
(It also happens to be the basic flow of most of the prayers in the Bible)
Prayers can be short or long. Some focus more in one part than others.
Don’t use lots of words when a few will do. Best to say what you mean and leave out waffle (… “we humbly just ask that you might hear our prayer that” … blah blah!). Be direct.
Use words that evoke an emotional response, without dictating what that might be.
Normally in church we pray together, so it’s “we …”
Here are the basic elements, normally in this order:
1: Address God Name God, and say what aspect of God you want to highlight.
2: Thanks We are grateful for …
3: Confession (not every prayer includes this – often one in a worship service)
We are sorry for …
4: Asking We pray for …
We pray that … … what do you want to happen?
5: Returning glory to God. A good way to end a prayer is by circling back to the God you are talking to, handing it over and giving credit where credit is due.
What is your theology of prayer?
Mine is that God is always at work in the world, but that God has a bit of a “by invitation only” policy. Our prayers make space for God to do what God does, inviting more of his healing and restoration, his calling and leading and sustaining power. This has the strongest effect in the lives of those who pray the prayer, but it also has effect in situations we know nothing about.
When we pray with Creation we name things we value in the natural world and remember their relationship with God. We bring to God our sadness, guilt and our fears for the environment, and entrust these into God’s hands, together with our hopes for positive action we long for.