This daily prayer is for a church that needs strength: strength in its leaders, its members, its witness and its unity. Pray it in the morning before the day’s work begins, or in the evening as you reflect on the people you have met at church. You can read it aloud exactly as written, or use it as a starting point and speak in your own words.
Daily Prayer for a Strong Church
Lord, you are the one who builds your church, and so I come to you today asking for it to be strong. Strengthen the pastors and teachers who carry heavy burdens for us. Give them wisdom when decisions are unclear, patience when people disagree, and a steady joy that does not depend on how the week goes. Keep their families close to you and their hearts rested in you.
Father, strengthen the ordinary members too: the couple who teach the Sunday school class, the volunteer who runs the sound board, the widow who prays for everyone by name, the teenager who is still deciding what she believes. Give each of them a clear sense of their part in your body. Guard us from quarrels over small things, and from the quiet pride that makes us think we are the ones holding everything up. Unite us around Jesus, and let our love for one another be visible to the people around us. Where we are weak, make us dependent on you. Where we are tired, refresh us. Where we are divided, bring us back together. Let the church be a place where your truth is spoken with grace and your mercy is practiced without reserve. Amen.
A Shorter Version to Pray in a Moment
Lord, make your church strong today. Strengthen our leaders, steady our members, and guard our unity. Help us love one another well and speak the truth with grace. Let people who walk through our doors meet you here. Use us for your purposes, and keep us close to you. Amen.
Scriptures to Pray Alongside
Ephesians 4:3
Being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
(WEB)
Pray this verse for your church by asking God to make its members eager to keep the peace that comes from him. Name specific people where tension exists and ask for that peace to grow between them.
Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain.
(WEB)
Use this verse to remind yourself that the church’s strength does not rest on programs or personalities. Ask the Lord to build the house himself and to keep your efforts from replacing his work.
Ephesians 3:16
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man…
(WEB)
Pray this verse for the inner strength of your leaders and members. Ask that their spiritual lives be renewed day by day, so that their service flows from a rested and grounded faith.
1 Corinthians 12:12
For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.
(WEB)
This verse describes the church as one body with many parts. Pray that each member would honor the others and recognize that every part of the body is needed for the whole to stay healthy.
Acts 2:42
They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer.
(WEB)
Pray that your church would be devoted to the teaching, fellowship, prayer and worship that marked the early believers. Ask God to keep these practices alive and fresh among you as the years go on.
How to Pray This Prayer
Many people find it helpful to pray this prayer early in the morning, before phones and schedules take over. Sit somewhere quiet with a cup of coffee or tea, and keep a pen nearby. As you pray, you might write down the names of pastors, ministry leaders and friends from church, and pray for each one by name as you read. Your hands can rest open on your lap, a small reminder that you are receiving rather than gripping.
This prayer also works well as a shared discipline. A small group, a household or a prayer partner from church can take turns reading it aloud each day. You might agree to pray it at the same time each morning, even if you are apart, and send a short message when you have finished. Over a few weeks you will likely notice that your concern for the church has grown deeper and more specific.
A Blessing to Close
May the Lord who builds his church strengthen you for the work he has given you. May he guard your heart, steady your steps and fill you with patience for the people around you. May your church grow in unity, love and faithfulness, and may you see his goodness in the middle of it all.
