Come quickly and soon, Lord Jesus

August 20, 2026 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Icon of the Second Coming via Wikimedia Commons

Lord, we comfort ourselves with the prospect of a future

when every evil and infirmity will cease.

We know who said, “Surely I come quickly.”

And do not our hearts echo to your words?

Do not the Spirit and the bride agree?

Yes! Amen!

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Come and put an end to our fears and failings.

Come and deliver us from this scene of strife and confusion.

We are weary of living in the tents of this brutal world.

We are weary of ourselves.

Oh! We can hardly bear to pass day after day

with such faint, unworthy glimpses

of your beauty and your goodness.

We are weary and ashamed of our holy things.

So much coldness and wandering in prayer,

in reading the word, in your public ordinances,

that we cannot help but say,

“Of that I had wings like a dove,

that I might fly far away from this vain ensnaring world!”

When will this conflict cease?

When will all our tears be wiped away?

When will we see as you are,

and be formed to resemble you more completely?

The time is short, and passing away quickly.

We hold out a little longer, in faith and patience.

You will come and not delay.

In the meantime, may we have grace to improve the present,

as the only opportunity we can have of glorifying you,

our Lord and Savior, in a sinful world.

When we get safely home,

we will not think we have done and suffered to much on the way.

I am yours.

Amen.

John Newton, 1725 – 1807, English slave trader, then abolitionist and hymn writer

Joy of Heaven Prayers of the Revivals

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Revelation 22:20

He who testifies to these things says,

“Surely I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

for the Church in the world

July 30, 2026 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

The Supper at Emmaus, Bartolomeo Cavarozzi, Wikimedia Commons

We pray, Lord God, for your Church throughout the world:

that it may share to the full in the work of your Son,

revealing you to men

and reconciling men to you;

that Christians may learn to love one another,

as you have loved us;

that your Church may more and more exhibit the unity

which is your will and your gift.

We pray that we and all Christians

may be what you want us to be;

and do what you want us to do:

that we may be content with whatever comes our way,

and attain peace of mind in self-forgetfulness.

We pray for those who suffer for faith and conviction,

and are tempted to turn back

because their way is hard:

help and strengthen them, Lord;

so that they may hold out to the end,

and by their loyal witness draw others to you.

We pray for our country:

that none may exploit others,

and none be neglected or forgotten;

that we may be quick to reward service

and to recognize true worth;

and that all may work for the common life and welfare.

We pray for the life of the world:

that every nation may seek the way that leads to peace;

that human rights and freedom may everywhere be respected;

and that the world’s resources may be ungrudgingly shared.

We pray for the homes of mankind:

that husbands and wives may accept lifelong marriage as their ideal.

We pray for broken homes

and those in danger of breaking,

that your love may redeem and remake them.

We pray for the homeless,

that no family may have to face a lifetime without a home.

We pray for those who are ill:

that illness may not break their spirit;

that through the healing skill you have given

they may be made well;

and that those who are permanently handicapped

may find the way to use and overcome their suffering.

Finally, we pray that the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Chriist

may be known and accepted by increasing numbers of men.

Draw to yourself all seekers after truth and goodness:

may they find the unfathomable riches

which can be found in you alone

And may all the nations you have made

come and worship you

and honor your name.

Contemporary Prayers for Public Worship

edited by Caryl Micklem, 1925 – 2003, English minister

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Acts 9:31

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria

had peace and was being built up.

And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit,

it multiplied.

Let God be my portion

January 29, 2026 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Parable of the hidden treasure, Rembrandt or Gerard Dou, via Wikimedia Commons

Let the eternal God be the portion of my soul;

let heaven be my inheritance and hope;

let Christ be my Head and my promise of security;

let faith be my wisdom,

and love my very heart and will.

and patient persevering obedience be my life;

and then I can spare the wisdom of the world,

because I can spare the trifles that it seeks.

Richard Baxter, 1615-1691, English Puritan

Encyclopedia of Prayer and Praise

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Matthew 6:19-20

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where moth and rust destroy

and where thieves break in and steal,

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where neither moth nor rust destroys

and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Help us look for you, Lord

January 1, 2026December 26, 2025 / Eric Mathews / 1 Comment

The Christ Mosaic, Maria Laach Abbey Germany, via pikpik

Jesus,
how clearly we see you at Christmas time,
cradled by Mary,
protected by Joseph,
worshiped by shepherds,
honored by kings,
enshrined on the altar,
and loved by the world.

But, oh, Lord,
help us look for you, too,
among the taxes of life,
and the wanderings of rootless travelers.
In the world’s smelly stables,
and in makeshift mangers.
In sweat-like drops of blood
and rough-hewn crosses, humanly fashioned.
Help us look, Lord –
and help us find!

Not only at Christmas,
but throughout a New Year
that it might become indeed
‘the year of our Lord’.

Mary Sue Rosenberger 1940-2020 American author, nurse and chaplain

Prayers Encircling the World
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Hosea 10:12

Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness on you.

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What is one practice you can adopt that would help you seek Jesus throughout the year?

God’s rescue operation and new creation

October 9, 2025 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

image by geralt via pixabay

Lord, we dream about justice.

We glimpse for a moment,

a world at one, a world put to rights, a world where things work out,

where societies function fairly and efficiently,

where we not only know what we ought to do but actually do it.

And then we wake up and come back to reality.

…from the very beginning, two thousand years ago,

we the followers of Jesus have always maintained that

You took the tears of the world and made them Your own,

carrying them all the way to Your cruel and unjust death

to carry out God’s rescue operation,

and that You took the joy of the world and brought it to new birth

as You rose from the dead and thereby launched God’s new creation.

N.T. Wright, 1948-, British New Testament Scholar, retired bishop

Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense

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2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:

The old has gone, the new is here!

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ

and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,

not counting people’s sins against them.

And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

may the Holy Spirit work in the Church today

August 13, 2025 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Ethiopian Rock-Hewn Church, Flickr

Heavenly Father, in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

we want to thank you for the Church which is your own creation.

We want to thank you for the way you have enabled your servants,

by the power of the Holy Spirit,

to propagate your Gospel throughout the world.

We thank you for the zeal that you implanted

in the hearts of those early missionaries

who brought the good news to foreign lands like Africa.

It is our prayer, Almighty God,

that the power of the Holy Spirit may work in the Church today,

that the hearts of the people may grow from strength to strength,

that they may be able to withstand the obstacles that come their way

in their endeavors to make your word reach all corners of the world.

Revitalize your Church and let your presence

be with all who are called by your holy Name.

Help each of us to live according to your will

so that your glory may be found in your Church.

Let everyone in the Church have zeal to exalt your Name.

Francis M Kamau, Kenya

Prayers Encircling the World, slightly modified

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Acts 9:31

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria

had peace and was being built up.

And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit,

it multiplied.

Continue reading →

prayer for young people

July 22, 2025 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

Father, we pray for young people growing up

in a difficult and dangerous world.

We pray for those who are unemployed,

who have not worked since they left school and have never earned any money.

We pray for those who are taking their first steps in their skill, trade, or profession.

We pray for those who feel they have no support from the adults around them

and who grow resentful at what they see to be their indifference.

We pray for those who are caught up in violence,

either giving it or receiving it.

We pray for those who are morally confused and uncertain of what is right or wrong.

We pray for young Christians as they strive to live out their faith

in an unsympathetic world.

Father, you are head of all the family.

Hear our prayers in Jesus’ name.

Michael Walker, Baptist writer and lecturer

Further Everyday Prayers 1987

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Ecclesiastes 11:9-10

You who are young, be happy while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you into judgment.
So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless.

Continue reading →

Lord of ultimate power

June 27, 2025June 27, 2025 / Eric Mathews / 1 Comment

photo by Christian Lue via unsplash

Father, source of all power,

We confess that we do not always use the powers you have given us as you intend.

Sometimes we are afraid of the power we wield,

and so do not use it at all;

at other times we are careless in our use of it and harm others;

at yet other times we deliberately misuse it to achieve our own selfish ends.

We confess our misuse of our God-given powers,

and ask for your grace to use them properly in the future.

We think of the power of the nations of the world.

In international affairs it so often seems that events are out of our control, and rule us.

Father, help us to see how national power can be wielded for the fulfilment of your will.

We think of the power of economic systems.

Often we feel enmeshed in a system which is not fair

and yet cannot be changed without causing immense hardship.

Father, help us to become masters of economic forces

and to order them for the purposes of justice.

We think of the power of governments.

They now touch our personal lives at so many points.

Father, may politicians and civil servants use their powers responsibly

and respect the rights of individuals.

Give us the courage to challenge them when they are wrong,

and willingness to share in the processes of government ourselves.

May the power of governments everywhere be used for the good of all.

Father, yours is the ultimate power.

We see evidence of it everywhere in the world,

but most of all in Jesus Christ.

In him we see the power of your love:

weakness and death did not destroy him and you raised him from death.

May that same power of love be in us.

Caryl Micklem, 1925 – 2003, English minister and hymn writer

The Complete Book of Christian Prayer

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2 Peter 1:3-4

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,

through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises,

so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,

having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Continue reading →

challenging the powers

February 6, 2025February 5, 2025 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Christ Preaching, called La Petite Tombe, Rembrandt, via Wikimedia commons

Vulnerable God,

you challenge the powers that rule this world

through the needy, the compassionate,

and those who are filled with longing.

Make us hunger and thirst to see right prevail,

and single-minded in seeking peace;

that we may see your face

and be satisfied with you,

through Jesus Christ.

Janet Morely British author, poet, and Christian feminist

The Complete Book of Christian Prayer

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Luke 6:20-22

Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.

Continue reading →