Prayers for a Splintered Church | Leave the Ninety-Nine and Make Us One

Heavenly Father, we humbly and confidently come before Your Throne in the Name of our Lord Christ Jesus for the sake of His Body. You decreed at the beginning of time that You would have a holy people set apart unto Yourself. A blessing to the nations. Many members without stains or wrinkles or blemishes. 

We acknowledge that through our rebellion and disobedience, we separated ourselves from You. And we divided your cosmos. Corruption began to eat away at your creation and evil intentions flooded our hearts. We began to see in the darkness and were blind to the light. 

You sent Your Son to knit these holy people back together. To repair the breach and restore the streets. To seek and save the lost. To build communion, and to enable us to draw near to You and to each other. That we might be one as You and Your Son are one. Even if that means we leave our mothers and brothers. 

But this Church, whom You have called out, though being sanctified, still walks the path of the ungodly. These people, whom You have carried through the wilderness, still hide idols in their pockets. This flock, whom You have ripped from the cage of Satan, still forsakes You for silver pieces. 

Lord Jesus, Head of Your Body, we pray for renovation in Your appendages, bones, muscles, and sinews. Purify Your people of tribalism and talebearing. Liberate them from their desire to win, be right, and have the last say. Give them confidence, trust, and assurance that You can take care of Yourself. They are not the Truth. 

But we also pray against the synagogues of Satan and lukewarm churches that dilute the Truth and downplay differences. Those who say, “Can’t we all just get along?” for the sake of feigned peace and avoidance of discomfort. Those who praise tolerance but harbor judgment and enmity in their hearts. 

We also pray against the Pharisees in the pew who sow discord through their arrogance and petty pietism. Those who say, “We are not like them” or “We would never do that.” Though they claim You, they have enlisted themselves in the army of the Accuser. We pray against their dismembering of Your true servants. 

We pray that the preaching of Your Word would baptize all imaginations, hopes, and dreams. That all people might see Your vision for shalom. We pray that the administration of Your sacraments would strengthen our desire and belief in friendship and fellowship with others in You, despite worldly divisions. 

We pray that local church discipline would pummel the walls that separate us–not only from You, but from each other. Uproot the self-righteous weeds of any leaders that hide conceit underneath the Rock. We pray that our confessions would be sincere, and prompt all our neighbors to get down on their knees as well. 

Finally, our Good Shepherd, we pray that You would reconvene Your sheep and reintroduce us to one another. Carry us back into the pen and assist us in getting acclimated. And with your rod, keep us there–bumping into one another–until Your Kingdom finally and fully comes.

For Christ’s glory and witness to His Kingship we pray, Amen.