How to Pray for Sunday MorningI

By Scott Ramsay

In one of the best-known teaching parables of Jesus, we see that the quality or nature of the soil where the seed lands makes all the difference in the success of the seeds and their fruitfulness. The is the Parable of the Four Soils. In our thinking we often limit these lessons to the issues of accepting Christ. This certainly is included in the application of this parable. But I want to suggest a wider application. I believe that anytime the word of God touches the human ear, the state of the “soil” within that life will affect the success of the seeds and their fruitfulness.

So since most Christian churches focus their Sunday morning activities around the sharing and hearing of God’s word, through teaching and preaching, let’s develop a short list of specific, strategic prayers that His children can pray leading up to Sunday Morning. These requests can be made on Sunday morning, or ahead of time, during the week. (read Luke 8:4-15 for the parable and Jesus’ own interpretation of it).

1. Pray for the Sunday morning sower of the seed, the teacher or preacher spreading the word of God. They want to be used by God in this endeavor, so join them in agreeing prayer, asking God to use them exactly as He would like.
2. Pray for the hearers that God would prevent Satan from stealing away the word before it makes into the soil. Specifically, that God would protect His word in its journey from the sower to the waiting human heart, which can be changed forever upon its arrival.
3. Pray for those who receive the word, that they might be taught quickly how to abide in Him, that their joy might be full even in difficulties, not fleeting. Ask the Father to help them persevere in the face of trials.
4. Pray that those who hear the word that they may recognize worries, riches, and pleasures as possible distractions that are caapable of side-lining them from following the word.
5. Pray for the hearts who hear the word, that God would prepare the soil of their hearts. Ask Him to lead those who are His already to “make the way straight for the Lord” in their hearts, to abandon anything in their lives that might block their fruitfulness.
6. Pray for God to be glorified in the fruit He brings forth from the hearts of those who hears the word.
7. And ask God to search and prepare your own heart for fruitbearing when you about to hear the word. These prayers could be employed every week, and anytime that you are aware that one of God’s children will be sowing His Word. I have been known to walk through the education areas of my local church before the Sunday School hour and pray for the teachers and the hearts of the students at the door of each class. (By the way, the sessions of my current Thursday night FB study on the Books of Hebrews are now are available on YouTube on my channel “Our Weekly Video Bible Study”.)