Please find below the notes from the Elder's Prayer this past Sunday.

Today, we celebrate our country’s 245th Independence Day. I would like to use this occasion to lead us in prayer for our country and fulfill one of the Scriptural mandates to pray for those in authority. Let’s pray.

Glorious Triune God,

We praise you for your unfathomable everlasting nature, your magnificent wisdom, the radiant weight of your glory and the unparallel and unmatched superior power. Yet, you continue to choose to love us. We thank you for your unfailing love toward these unworthy servants of yours. 

We thank you for your marvelous grace.

Father, we are in awe at your wisdom in creating various people groups, skin tones, nations and establishing their sovereign borders and yet one humanity for your glory.

We thank you that in your divine providence, you not only allowed us to become a nation under you, but we also get to celebrate today, the 245th Independency Day of our nation – the United States of America.

We thank you Lord for the founders and the generations of people who have gone before us, paving the way for our freedom and for our good lives with their sacrifices.

Father, we are heartbroken over the abounding sin all around us. Please have mercy on our generation. We glorify the abominable sins in your sight. Please forgive us. Please do not give up on our generation. Please do not leave us to our own devises.

We are filthy and vile. There is nothing good in us without your transforming work in our hearts. We need you Glorious Christ. 

Righteous Father, as those who bear your name, please help us to abstain from wickedness (2 Timothy 2:19) and not to entangle ourselves with worthless affairs, pursuits and anxieties.

Gracious Master, you promised our father Abraham, that you will not destroy Sodom & Gomorrah if there were at least 10 righteous people in there. (Genesis 18).

Lord God, if an unbelieving husband can be sanctified and drawn toward God (1 Corinthians 7:14) by the faithful witness of his spouse, would you graciously use these bondservants of yours to remain a lamp filled with oil that gives light to all in the house - as a flavorful salt in our culture and as a city on a hill leading those around us to the eternal city of Zion.

Please be glorified in how you will be graciously using our Church, in Lee’s Summit, in Missouri, in the United States and beyond.

Please help us to reach our nation and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lord, there is so much division, hurt, anger and fear in our county at the moment. Please heal our nation with the good news of Lord Jesus.

Sovereign God, we submit those in leadership over us into your hands. We praise you that you are the only one who can raise up leaders and bring down another.

In your sovereignty you chose to bring in, Mr. Biden as our President and Ms. Harris and as our Vice President for such a time as this. We recognize and thank you for your work in that. We pray for your eternal purposes to be fulfilled through it all. We humbly surrender our lives - to your sovereign rule.

Father, we pray for the salvation of our President Biden, Vice President Harris, other top government officials, Governors, Congressmen and women, Senators at the federal and state level.

We beg you that their eyes be opened to understand what is at stake regarding their own eternal destiny and of their followers. Please may they repent of their sins and become yours.

I pray for those in public service who are already your children. Please strengthen them to be gospel witnesses in public square. May their gospel saturated lifestyle bring their colleagues unto saving faith.

Please protect all those in executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government and their families as they serve, as they travel and represent us around the world.

I pray for the brave men and women serving in all the divisions of the armed forces. Please graciously keep them under your divine protection.

We pray for the families separated because of their active duty unto our country. Please provide and care for them.

We pray for those who are struggling with PTSD upon return from war. Please heal and help them. Please surround them with godly support structure in their local churches.

I pray for the veterans. Please help them to be successfully assimilated into civilian life. May they be employed by your grace to care for themselves and for their families.

We pray for the local leadership at every level. We pray that by your purest grace, all those in authority will continue to allow us to lead a tranquil and quite life in all godliness and dignity.

We pray for the 100’s of families who have lost their loved ones in the building collapse in Surfside Florida. Please comfort them. Please help the survivors to heal and find their eternal comfort in Jesus. May the gospel of Jesus Christ spread and comfort as a result of this unspeakable tragedy.

I pray for Summit Woods, and other local churches in our country and around the world. Please guard all of the pulpits from error and from the wolves. Please raise godly shepherds who genuinely care for the welfare of sheep.

Please bless the remainder of our worship service this morning. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.