Prayers: Jesus Commissions

This devotional is taken from Lectio 365, the daily devotional app from 24-7 Prayer. Set aside 15 minutes in a quiet space as you follow a simple PRAY rhythm:

P:ause to be still
R:ejoice with a Psalm and R:eflect on Scripture
A:sk for God’s help
Y:ield to his will in your life

 

Pause

As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly, to
re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God.

Pause and Pray

Prayer of approach
Jesus in this new season, I invite you to shape my life and set the direction of my year. I listen to your word; I long to imitate your works and I welcome your Spirit as I fix my eyes on you.

Rejoice and Reflect

I choose to rejoice in God’s presence with me today, joining with the ancient praise of all God’s people in the words of Psalm 121…
Pause and Pray

Today, I am reflecting on the final occasion that the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples before returning to be with his Father…
Throughout the Bible, mountains are places of encounter and commissioning. After his ark came to rest on Mount Ararat, Noah’s family were commissioned by God to be fruitful and fill the whole earth (Genesis 8). It was on Mount Sinai that Moses received the Ten Commandments, and it was on Mount Horab that the prophet Elijah received his recommissioning from God after fleeing in fear from Jezebel (1 Kings 19).

And it was on another mountainside that the Devil himself made Jesus an offer – the kingdoms of the earth in return for his devotion (Matthew 4).

Jesus refused, choosing a different, more difficult path, which ultimately led to the moment he stood on the mountainside and commissioned his disciples, declaring that all authority had been given to him by his Father.

Ask

How am I responding to Jesus’ commission to ‘Go and make disciples’? Who am I reaching out to with the good news of Jesus in some way?

I take a few moments to pray specifically for those who come to mind.

Pause and Pray

Who do I know that is serving Jesus in a nation other than their own.

Lord Jesus, I pray for them now. Comfort them whenever they feel far from home and those they love. Give them the strength and resources that they need to keep going. And open doors of opportunity for them to tell others about you, and to make disciples.

Pause and Pray

Yield

As I return to the passage, I open my ears to hear your word, and my heart to yield to your will once again.

Read Matthew 28:16-20 again

I imagine myself on the mountainside with the disciples, watching Jesus and listening to what he has to say. Am I one of those feeling doubt? Am I still afraid? How do I feel when Jesus calls me to go and make disciples?

Pause and Pray

Yielding Prayer

Lord Jesus, you are alive!
Thank you for calling me, even though I sometimes have doubts, and I’m afraid at other times too.
Thank you for promising to be with me, to the very end of the age. I yield – I say yes – once again to your calling, your commissioning.

Yielding Promise

And now, as I prepare to take this time of prayer into the coming day, the Lord who loves me says in Isaiah 41:  

Closing Prayer

Father, help me to live this day to the full,
being true to you, in every way.
Jesus, help me to give myself away to others,
being kind to everyone I meet.
Spirit, help me to love the lost,
proclaiming Christ in all I do and say.
Amen

Click here to download a pdf version of these prayers