Prayer - Our Hearts Are Glad This Morning
The sermon emphasizes the joy and significance of Sunday as a day for worship, rest, and spiritual renewal through prayer and community.
J.R. Miller expresses gratitude for the joy of Sunday and the significance of Jesus' resurrection, emphasizing the importance of prayer and the Holy Spirit in enriching our lives. He encourages believers to embrace the day as a time for rest, renewal, and deeper fellowship with God and one another. Miller prays for blessings on those preaching the Word and for the strength to carry out God's work in the coming week. He reflects on the transformative power of Sunday worship and the lasting impressions it leaves on our character. The sermon concludes with a heartfelt prayer for continued closeness to Jesus and a peaceful night.
Text
Our hearts are glad this morning, our Father, as we greet this new Sunday. All that is within us rejoices and praises You. May our lives rise from their prisons of death -- into beauty and blessedness.
We thank You for all that the resurrection of Jesus means to us: that He could not be held by death; that He lives now to intercede for us in Heaven, and also to be our Friend and Companion in this world. May the gifts of His grace be poured out upon us. May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts and enrich our lives.
Prepare us for the work and worship of this day. Bless to us the words we have read from Your holy word. May they become in us divine inspirations, kindling in our hearts holy thoughts, pure desires, aspirations after holiness, and that love which shall make our lives like altars of incense before You.
Bless us in our home life on this day of rest. May we be drawn together into closer fellowship as a family. May our love become deeper, tenderer, and more unselfish, as we mingle in Your worship. May Your blessing rest upon those who shall preach Your word, and upon all who shall assemble for worship. We pray especially for those who shall carry Your word to the perishing. May they have Your power and may their ministries be blessed.
We now give ourselves to You for this day. We desire to make it a day unstained by sinful thought or word, a day for receiving new measures of the Holy Spirit, a day for coming very close to Jesus, a day for giving out blessings to others. Forgive us all our sins. Cleanse and purify our lives. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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SUNDAY EVENING
This quiet Sunday evening, our Father, we come to You with glad hearts. We thank You for the Sunday that comes after the six days of toil, bringing us the opportunity for rest and renewal of strength. If we had been compelled to go on forever, without rest -- we could not have endured the burden. Sunday speaks to us of Your love for us, in providing little sanctuaries for us among the days.
We thank You for Sunday, because it keeps ever in our minds the remembrance of our Savior's victory over death. It tells us that we have now a living Savior, living to be our Friend, Companion, and Guide!
We thank You, too, for what the Sundays have been to us through the years that we have lived. We thank You for this Sunday, now closing, and for all that it has brought to us of grace, and comfort, and renewed strength. We have looked into Your face, and have received blessing in Christian fellowship. We have read and heard Your word, and its truths linger in our hearts. We have sung Your praise, and have called upon You in prayer.
May all this day's impressions stay in our lives as part of our permanent character henceforth. May the strength we have received, make us stronger in body, mind, and spirit -- for what we shall have to do in the week before us. May the songs of this day keep singing in our hearts for many days to come.
So may this day be indeed a blessing to us, leaving enrichment of character, new visions of beauty, higher ideals to be reached.
Draw us near You now for a blessing; then fold us away in Your bosom for the night. We ask all this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sermon Outline
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I
- Introduction to the significance of Sunday
- The joy of worship and community
- The importance of prayer
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II
- Reflection on the resurrection of Jesus
- His role as intercessor and companion
- The gifts of grace and the Holy Spirit
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III
- The purpose of Sunday as a day of rest
- Renewal of strength and spirit
- Preparation for the week ahead
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IV
- The impact of Sunday on personal character
- The importance of Christian fellowship
- The lasting impressions of worship
Key Quotes
“Our hearts are glad this morning, our Father, as we greet this new Sunday.” — J.R. Miller
“Sunday speaks to us of Your love for us, in providing little sanctuaries for us among the days.” — J.R. Miller
“May the strength we have received, make us stronger in body, mind, and spirit -- for what we shall have to do in the week before us.” — J.R. Miller
Application Points
- Take time each Sunday to reflect on the blessings of the week and prepare for the days ahead.
- Engage in prayer to deepen your relationship with God and seek His guidance.
- Foster community by participating in fellowship activities that strengthen your faith.