Praying for Pastors on Sunday

As we get ready for another Sunday, I share from the overflow of my time with the First Baptist Matthews family on Saturday evening as their annual Missions Celebration began, with Jerry Rankin of the International Mission Board preaching. His text was 1 Chronicles 16:8-10, 23-25.

We are Great Commission people because God wants us and all the nations of the earth to worship Him. He is worthy of all praise, glory, honor, and worship, and it is our task to tell His glorious good news so that the nations will lift up the name of Jesus in heartfelt worship.

Glorious God, as your servants prepare to lead Your people in worship this Lord’s day, help us all to “give thanks to the Lord, call upon Your name; make known Your deeds among the peoples. Help us to sing to You, and to speak of all Your wonders, to tell of Your glory among the nations, Your wonderful deeds among all the peoples” (1 Chron. 16:8-10, 23-24). Remind us, Lord, that there are people in our sanctuaries and people around the world who cannot sing Your praises because they do not know You and Your saving grace personally. Give us a holy burden for those near and far who are apart from You, and use Your servants as we preach, sing and pray, to call Your people to a new level of Great Commission obedience, dependent on Your absolute power and yielded to Your loving authority. May the nations rejoice, Father, because we were faithful to the call on this Sunday morning. In Jesus’ precious and worthy name, Amen!