"A Prayer Practice for Youth Pastors During Advent"
I came across this rendition of the Lord's Prayer for Youth Workers and thought it was pretty cool. So I thought I would post it and invite those youth leaders who are looking for a simple prayer practice during Advent to consider using this rendition of The Lord's Prayer for Youth Workers for the next few weeks and journal your response to these words:
1. Pray it for you.
2. Pray it in light of your family,
3. Pray it in light of your ministry, your neighbors, your friends.
4. Use it as a way to grow in intimacy with your God our loving Parent.
The Lord's Prayer for Youth Workers:
Heavenly Father…
Father… Abba… Daddy. I take comfort in knowing you are my Father…a Father who is intimately concerned and connected to his children—to me, to my closest friends, to my students. Heavenly Father… I look at the world from my small, limited vantage point. But your vantage point is Heaven…a place of complete knowledge and infinite power. A place where nothing escapes your site, your scope, your attention, your reach…yesterday, tomorrow, today.
Hallowed be your name…
I praise your name—the I AM. It’s sacred, holy, unique, and glorious. May my thoughts and
words reflect your Name, your character, your purposes and your person so that people see you
clearly in my life and in my community—the church. When I think of you, may I pause in wonder.
Your Kingdom Come…
May it come today and may I believe that it is coming more today than yesterday. Jesus, you
said, “The kingdom of God is near”. I believe that, because you, the King, came near. May you
draw near in my life today. Change me as you have promised to do. May my gathering with other believers be a tangible expression of your body. And may we, your body, come to the hurting, the needy, and the desperate places on earth—to the poor, the broken, the hurting, and the powerless. May it come to the students I so desperately love—to their homes, schools,
workplaces, and hangouts. May it come to their single parents. May it come to our
neighborhoods.
Your Will Be Done…
Bend my will toward yours. May I seek to know your will and your timing. May I trust you to do your work in my life, my world, and the world that you so passionately love. May we not see your world as a lost cause, but seek to bring heaven back to earth, through the assurance of
redemption and the hope in the cross.
Please provide…
My prayer is a declaration of dependence. I need you today, tomorrow, and every day for the
things that seem impossible and even for the things I feel I have under control. May I discover
your continual provision and realize personally, that in you, Jesus, all things are held together. I
may never measure up to the standards and expectations of church members, so-called friends,
and co-workers. But you sustain me.
Forgive and Make Me Forgiving…
Heavenly Father. Forgive me for my sin. I hate that word–Sin. I would rather call it a mistake or lack of judgment. But it’s sin—rebellion, treason, and hatred toward you. Have mercy on me,
based on Your righteousness Jesus. Thank you for speaking in my defense (I John 2.1). And as I
experience Your mercy and grace, may I pass the same on to others who have wronged me.
Lead Me, Deliver Me…
…away from the things that tempt me… money, sex, power, acceptance, approval, success.
Keep me from spiritualizing my life, rather than dealing with the realities of life and the pitfalls that await me apart from your leading. May my “quiet times” be times of clinging to you, declaring that I need to be lead, lest I perish.
Ultimately, I Have Hope…
For Yours is the Kingdom
Yours is the power
Yours is the glory
Forever and ever
And may I never take the prayer you gave me, Jesus–the follower’s prayer, lightly.
Argue/Livermore
The Follower’s Prayer
Group Mag—Mar/Feb 04
Amen. So be it. May it be true. Right on.
5 comments:
Wow, thanks for sharing the first list of four areas to pray for yourself. Sometimes I get wrapped up in praying for others and ministry that I neglect myself. This is a good reminder for me.
Here is an annotated version of the Lord's Prayer which I shared with my youth a few weeks ago.-
Praying The Prayer of Jesus
Our Father in Heaven, May Your name be honored
(Stop and think about how grand God must be! God deserves our respect and our love! Everything we do should honor God, who made us!)
May Your kingdom come, May Your will be done here on Earth as it is in Heaven
(What kind of world does God want? How can God use you to make it that way?)
Give us our daily bread
(God knows what you need. He also knows what you want- and He knows the difference between the two. Do you?
Ask God to provide for you- but also ask Him to show you what you could live without- the things that get in between you and Him.)
And forgive our sins just as we forgive those who sin against us
(Start with people who you need to forgive- then talk to God about your mistakes. And remember to ask God what you need to be forgiven for! )
Lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil
(God doesn't temp us and when we are tempted, God is there. What tempts you?
Be honest! Then, ask God for strength)
for the Kingdom, the power, and the glory is Yours it always has been and always will be
(Nothing is more true- real power, real glory, real happiness, real love- all of it belongs with God, starts with God and will never end for those who are close to God. This is why we pray- because God alone knows who we really are and what we really need- and God alone can provide it.)
Amen
We worked through this in a worship and prayer experience and then I sent copies home with them.
hey tim- that pic of you and your baby is adorable. where you in nashville at the youth specialites thingee?
john,
that would make great prayer stations!!! i bet that was a really cool experience.
shalom,
jonathon
Hey,
Great post! I loved it. I'm liking your site... I'm a bit of a "mystic at heart" myself. I wrote and published a book recently on The Lord's Prayer. It's absolutely incredible how much depth there is in every word spoken by Jesus.
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