Morning Chapel Prayer Playlist
Morning Chapel Prayer Today
Pastor Ken…
Well, hello everyone. We, once again, are convening here at the chapel at Living Word. I hope you’re doing well. We’re going to pray here this morning. There’s much to pray about, so I hope you brought your supply and brought your prayer language with you and the Holy Spirit because I believe He’s got some things to process through us. Prayer is processing the plan of God. And so we’re going to do just that.
Prayers of the spirit are life prophecy…
I wanted to share a couple of scriptures with you, or at least one anyway. I was reminded this morning that the Christian life is all about ever beholding Jesus through scripture, keeping our eyes set on Him. And secondly, that prayers of the Spirit are life prophecy. They keep unfolding and unfolding. So get ready. Something’s going to unfold for you today in your life, in your situation, in what you’re dealing with. Something’s going to unfold for good and for the better because you prayed. We don’t enter into what God has prepared for us because of our earning. We enter in and experience more of His goodness and purpose because of our turning, because we turn to Him.
Ezekiel 37:4…
And speaking of how prayers are prophecy, in Ezekiel 37:4, it says this. “Again, He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Surely I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live.’” Maybe somebody needs to hear that this morning.
You shall live.
Your finances shall live.
Your relationship shall live.
That situation you’ve been struggling with shall live.
It will be revived.
And it will be supplied.
And it will be restored to be ultimately much more of what God intended it to be.
God is endeavoring to unfold His plan…
And so, I just wanted to remind you of that as we pray this morning. We’re speaking out into the realm of God. We’re speaking out over situations, over lives, over hearts, over hopeless things that are going on that those things might be transformed, that they might be redeemed, because God’s got a great plan. Amen? And He’s endeavoring to unfold His plan, to advance His plan, to prosper His plan, not just in your life or my life, but in others’ lives and in our nation and beyond.
We must join Him in His intentions to bring the nations back to Him…
Now, let me read something else to you that I also wanted to share that has to do with the first Continental Congress of 1774. In light of the midterm elections, tonight at Wednesday night service, we’re going to pray about the midterm elections and other things relating to our nation. And you’ve heard me say before, if we see God moving and we have a prophetic idea of what His intention is, we should join Him in that. And so we must join Him in the work that He’s doing, that is to turn our nation fully to God. That is to awaken the nation, to awaken the nations for that matter, to bring revival back to the church and to reap a harvest of souls out ahead of His great return.
“The First Prayer in Congress, 1774.”
But, somebody put this together. Actually, this was found on the President’s website, the White House’s website. And it’s entitled, “The First Prayer in Congress, 1774.” And here’s a little commentary.
It says…
“When the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in 1774 to coordinate a colonial response to British encroachments, the delegates faced not only political uncertainty but profound ideological regional diversity. Despite their differing denominational backgrounds, one of the first motions proposed offered by John Adams with the support of Samuel Adams was that Congress begin its proceedings with prayer.”
Interesting. All the way back to the beginnings of our nation.
“Reverend Jacob Duché, an Anglican clergyman from Christ Church in Philadelphia, was invited to lead the opening devotion on September 7, 1774. Despite initial concerns over denominational divisions, the prayer proved unexpectedly unifying. Reverend Duché opened with an extended prayer and then read aloud from several chapters of scripture, including Psalm 35.
“A reading that John Adams would later describe as a letter profoundly stirring. The gathering turned into a lengthy and solemn devotional session, reportedly attended with deep emotion by the delegates, including George Washington. The positive reception of this inaugural prayer led the Congress to institutionalize the practice of prayer. A chaplain was appointed and each subsequent session of Congress was thereafter opened with prayer, establishing a precedent that continues in both the House and the Senate to this day.
“Far from being a ceremonial formality, the prayer was regarded by delegates as a source of moral clarity and national purpose during a time of political crisis and impending conflict.”
I think it would be good for us to turn back to that once again, not just at the opening of the Senate or the Congress, but the opening of every day in our nation. Now let me read one of the prayers that they prayed on that occasion. This is a little bit old English-y, but you’ll get the gist of it, I hope.
One of the prayers prayed that day…
“O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee…”
Oh, really? We fled to God.
“From the rod of the oppressor.”
At that time, it was the British Empire overtaxing us and overcontrolling us and telling us what to do.
“And thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee.”
Dependency on God…
You know, I was reflecting and thinking, if you were to really just boil the scriptures and distill it down to its essence, the truth of scripture, the central theme of scripture, it’s really simply this: dependency on God. Jesus saw fit to lay down His Godhead and His deity that He left behind in the heavenly realm to take on, in this realm of time and space, the form of a human being, the form of a man totally dependent on His Father. So that’s really where we’re going as a nation, where we’re praying we’re going as a nation, where we choose to go each day as individuals to be a people, yes, in human form, but totally dependent on God.
Not dependent on ourselves
Not reliant on the latest technology
Not reliant on whatever strength we can muster or willpower we can garner
We’re here to be dependent on God…
I don’t care if you’re just going home to wash the clothes later today, or you’re making a vital decision that pertains to your future, or whatever it is. We’re to be a people in continual surrender to our Father. He’s the one that makes things easy. He’s the one that will cause you to look like a genius, as I say. He’s the one that has a strategy and a way forward through what looks impossible or seems impassable. He is able to do in and through us what we can’t do in ourselves or by ourselves when we trust Him. That’s the theme of Scripture: a people dependent on God.
This prayer goes on to say…
“To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give.”
Thank Him for His presence…
So we look to You, Father, for that countenance and support. Don’t you know that just God’s countenance, His presence, being in His midst does something to you? Oh, come on. Don’t you love His presence? I think it’s important when it comes to prayer just to be cognizant of His presence. It’s not all about us quickly articulating a perfectly principled prayer. It’s about being aware of Him in corporate prayer, being aware of His presence, that He’s here. He’s with us. He’s for us. He’s in us. That His aura and His essence, His life and love. For God is love. And when you get around His presence, when you get in the midst of His aura, you’re changed. That’s why I said the mission and the goal for us on a daily basis must be to ever behold Jesus through His Word and through an awareness of His presence in our lives. An awareness of His spirit.
A special word for someone…
In fact, right now I sense somebody’s situation is turning. Somebody’s heart is… You don’t realize it, but there’s a steady rain of His Spirit on your soul and on your emotions and on your inner interior right now. And it’s saturating you with a newness of life. It’s saturating you with healing power. It’s saturating you with hope and fresh expectation for today and the time that is ahead for you.
There’s no defeat in the kingdom of God. There’s no, “Oh, I guess we’re going to have to go with option B or C.” No, God’s plan stands for you and for me. God’s plan for the church, for America, it stands resolute and there’s no if, ands, or buts about what God has in mind for America, for the church, for you and for me, for your family.
The question is…
Will we stand in agreement and in alignment with that plan and say, “Lord, you said will we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author, the continuer, and the finisher of the good work He’s begun in you? For I’m convinced that no matter how you feel or how you walked in here today or what was reported to you the other day, that you’re going to finish, that the Church is going to finish, that America, we declare, is going to finish in a flourishing way in the time ahead for us.
God’s plan is good…
So you might as well just say no to that temptation to fear, to be melancholy, to be down in the dumps, to be captivated by the problems and the distractions of the age and what’s going on around you and just say, “Okay, God, I’m just going to align myself with what your Word says. Your Word says that the good work you’ve begun in me, in my family, in my calling, you’re going to level it up, and you’re going to bring it to a flourishing finish.” Because the last time I checked, the Bible says that God’s plan is good and that we will see His goodness in this land of the living.
Can somebody say amen to that? Oh, it’s true nonetheless. Say, “Oh, my,” or say, “Oh, me,” or say, “Amen.” Your choice, but I would suggest to you it’s time just to get in agreement with victory. It’s time to step over the line of faith and just say, “I’m just going to do it. I’m not going to hang out in yesterday’s experience of life. I’m going to step over because I’m going up. I’m going into more.”
We’re called to march in unison with His commands…
There’s a “more-ness” to God for you today. There’s a more-ness to His plan for you today. We’re not called to hang out in the status quo of yesteryear. As the Church, as pray-ers, we’re called to march in unison and in cadence with His commands, with His principles, with His Word, with the illumination of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is shining brightly on us today. He’s shining brightly over you today.
He is cheering us on…
Will you not be aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence? He’s cheering you on. He’s saying, “You’ve got this because I’ve got you.” He’s cheering you on because, oh, by the way, the Bible’s very clear that things are rigged in your favor. You may go through a bumpy patch. You may experience some turbulence.
I saw a video the other day of some winds. I think it was in the UK, and planes were trying to land, and a couple of them couldn’t land. They had to take off again and come back around. And things were, I’m sure, felt pretty bumpy in the plane because it doesn’t look like a big deal when you look at videos of planes when they’re kind of bouncing around. It doesn’t look like a big deal, but when you’re in that plane, if you’ve ever experienced turbulence, it’s a big deal. Like, “What’s going on? Oh, my gosh. Are we going to make it? Am I going to live?” Sometimes it feels that way in life, or on a given day.
God is at the controls…
But just know this: God is at the controls. He is at the helm if you’re keeping your eyes fixed on Him. You can choose to take the controls yourself and go your own way, but then it’s up to you. But we pray, and we keep our eyes on Him, and we devote ourselves to His Word, and we renew our minds to His promises because we want Him at the helm. So that no matter how turbulent things may appear or feel on a given day or week or year, God is going to land the plane. God is going to take us from where we are to where we’re called to be. Your future is bright. Good things are in store. Don’t be distracted by tumultuous times or evil reports.
Here is the entirety of that prayer at the opening session of the First Continental Congress in 1774…
“O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their Cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, of own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle!
“Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior.
“Amen.”
