A Bible prayer to begin Advent

This year, Advent began on the first day of December and will continue to Christmas week. The timing is appropriate since the very word “Advent” comes from a Latin root, which means “come” or “coming.” Therefore, this special season of the church calls on Christians from every part of the Body of Christ to prepare the way for the Lord in our individual and corporate lives. May Paul's prayer help us to get started in this year’s adventure into Advent:

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, 28 – a prayer of Paul

Dear God,

sanctify us through and through –

through You –

our God of peace.

May our whole bodies,

souls, and spirits

be free of blame

at the coming

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

for You are faithful

and can do anything!

May the grace

of our Lord Jesus Christ

be with us all.

from the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers collected from the Bible and paraphrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

For those who prefer the King James Version of the Bible, here’s the same prayer, directly quoted from KJV.

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, 28 – a prayer of Paul

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;

and I pray God your whole spirit and soul

and body be preserved blameless unto

the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Amen.

From the Book of KJV Prayers – actual prayers collected by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, from the King James Version of the Bible

…

The Bible calls us to pray

On all occasions
at all times
with all kinds of requests,
pray
in the Spirit.

Keep alert!
Keep on praying and praying
for the people of God.

And pray also for me
that whenever I speak,
words may be given
as a message from God

bravely revealing
the mystery of the Gospel
to which I am bound to be
an ambassador.


© 2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 18-20


..

Bible prayer for the church forever

The Apostle Paul gave us this ongoing prayer in his letter to the Christians at Ephesus:

As I kneel before the Father
from Whom every family
in heaven and on earth
is named,

I pray
for the riches of God’s glory
to empower you with strength
in the Holy Spirit,

deep within your inner being
where Christ lives
in your hearts of faith
bound to His boundless love,

and I pray
for you – and all of the Family of God –
to comprehend how wide, how long,
how high and deep
is the love of Christ

and how incomprehensible
is the full measure of
God’s endless love
endlessly filling you.

Now to Him, Who is able
to do immeasurably more
than we imagine or ask
as His power works within us –

to Him be Glory
in the church Body of Christ
and the Family of God

for every generation,
forever and ever. Amen.


© 2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase poem from Ephesians 3:14-20

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