Prayer for Identity

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Today, Joe Couch leads us in a prayer for identity! Joe has served in college-aged discipleship ministry for over 12 years. Joe has worked for the International Bible Society in the outreach and marketing departments, and then at New Life Church directing their college-aged leadership development program. He has led many mission trips with various groups, including Teen Mania Ministries, the Mill, and New Life School of Worship throughout Europe, Africa, East Asia, and Mexico. Joe speaks and writes as a consultant on leadership development, vision alignment and conflict resolution.

I want to tell you about what I believe to be one of the most significant things we can be praying about for the Church as we head into this election window. I believe that issue is identity.

Fundamentally, every person on the planet wants to know who they are and where they’re going. I think that as we look back through the pages of Scripture, I want to draw attention to Matthew 16:13-18.

 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Jesus is asking His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” and they give Him various answers. Then he zooms in; He asks, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter obviously responds, “You’re the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In that moment of a right revelation of Jesus, He turns around and He looks at Peter and says, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”

A right revelation of Jesus always translates into a right understanding of our identity, and what we do flows out of our identity.

I believe as we head into this window, one of the foremost things we can pray is that the Church would be reminded of who she is, and out of that knowledge that she would live and act, vote and lead, according to that knowledge.

I just want to take a minute and pray that together with you here:

Prayer

Father, we thank You for your Church. We thank You that she is the bride of Christ.

I thank You that she is your plan A for the world and your redemptive purpose, and You don’t have a plan B.

Father, I pray that she would rise up on the knowledge of her identity as your bride, as the redemptive arm of Jesus, to the world; to stand with courage and humility; to repent where we must repent; and to be bold where we must be bold.

Father, I pray that we would live out faith and that we would lead on behalf of people that are voiceless, that are underprivileged, Lord Jesus. I pray that we would speak righteousness and justice and equity, and, Lord, that we would see your Kingdom come, even in this election, in the name of Jesus.

Father, we thank You for your Church. You know, we know, that the ultimate destination of your bride is to a place that You’ve prepared. Lord, You already wrote the end of the story in the beginning of the new age.

We thank you, Lord, that there would be no fear in us, but, Lord, that we would live and lead courageously because of who You have deemed your body, the bride-to-be.

Father, we love You, we love You, we love You, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.