ADORATION
PASTOR: Before we ask God for anything in prayer, we should begin our prayers with adoration to God. To adore God is to worship God for who he is and to praise God for what he has done. Psalm 145:1-2 says: “I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.”
CONGREGATION: Lord, we worship you as the only living God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. It is in you that we live, move, and have our being. There is no one like you on earth. There is nothing to be compared to you in heaven. You are great and greatly to be praised, for your greatness is unsearchable.
CONFESSION
PASTOR: Our first requests in prayer should be prayers of confession to God. In confession, we acknowledge our wrongdoing, turn away from our sins, and cry out to God for forgiveness and cleansing in Christ. 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
CONGREGATION: Lord, we confess to you our sins and our sinfulness. We have not loved you with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, or loved our neighbors as ourselves, as you have commanded. By the promise of your word and the finished work of Christ, we ask you to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
THANKSGIVING
PASTOR: As we make our petitions known to God, we give thanks for what God has already done. We praise God for his grace and mercy toward us. Psalm 100:4-5 says: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good, his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
CONGREGATION: Lord, we acknowledge that every good and perfect gift comes down from you, the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. You have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And we offer you our grateful praise for all your manifold blessings to us.
SUPPLICATION
PASTOR: It is our great privilege to bring our needs and wants to God in prayer. In supplication, we present our requests to God, expressing our dependence and confidence in God to meet our needs. Philippians 4:6 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
CONGREGATION: Lord, we declare our total dependence upon you. We need you to change us, help us, strengthen us, guide us, and protect us. Only you can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We trust you to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, for your glory.
INTERCESSION
PASTOR: As we take our requests to God, we must not forget the needs of others. Through intercession, we go to God in prayer on behalf of others, as we would want others to pray for us. Ephesians 6:18 says: “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”
CONGREGATION: Lord, we pray your blessings on our brothers and sisters in Christ who also need you to move on their behalf. We pray for those who are less fortunate. We pray for the sick, grieving, and troubled. We pray for those who are in authority over us. And we pray for the salvation of our family and friends who do not know Christ as Savior and Lord.
ALL: In Jesus’ name, Amen.