The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.
Merciful God, who hast commanded us through Thy only begotten Son to pray Thee for laborers in Thy harvest: I earnestly beseech Thee, grant us, Thy sheep, pastors according to Thy heart, to feed us with doctrine and wisdom. Put learned bishops, Christian pastors, pious teachers over Thy congregation, faithfully to show the true way to eternal life. Fill them plenteously with Thy Holy Spirit, so that they may fruitfully proclaim the holy and precious word of the gospel, and sincerely perfect Thy work. Grant them a courageous heart, that without fear or favor they may lift up their voices and put the adversaries to silence. Open the door for their word, that they may be blessed and go from strength to strength. May they also be shining examples for the flocks entrusted to their care. Grant me and all listeners a grateful heart, that we may communicate in all good things unto them that teach us the word, rejoice in them, forsake them not, so that we may be blessed of Thee according to Thy promise in all the works of our hands. Preserve us from hirelings, time-servers, unfaithful laborers, and hypocrites, who falsely deceive the hearts of the righteous, whom Thou hast never grieved, and fortify the hands of the wicked, that they will not turn from their evil ways. Let us never be robbed of our faithful preachers for the sake of our ingratitude, but rather look upon the glory of Thy holy name, yea, behold the Kingdom of Thine Anointed, that it may prevail among us to the end of the world. Amen.
Prayer for the Kingdom of God.
(Meeting of the Congregation)
Gracious and Blessed God, who hast taught, and commanded us above all things and first to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness: I pray Thee, grant us grace, that Thy holy word may be preached in all the world in all its truth and purity, and we submit our reason to the obedience of faith, and live holy lives according to it as behooves the children of God to Thy pleasing, so that Thy kingdom may come to us, and increase, and many of them, who do not yet believe in the word, be won through a Christian conduct. Help us, dear God, who are delivered from the power of darkness and are translated into the kingdom of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sin, that we may remain in His kingdom, faithfully continue in the wholesome doctrine, and live worthily as children of light in all piety and godliness. And since the kingdom of God cometh not with outward shew, neither consists of mere words, but is power and spirit: grant us grace, that we may be born again from above through Thy saving word and Thy Holy Spirit, co-heirs of life, so that with our hearts we may dwell above where Christ sitteth, and constantly seek the inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, that fadeth not away. Enable us to be poor in the spirit and humble, and such who sorrow over their sins. Let us be anhungered and athirst, and heartily yearn after righteousness. May we ever be meek, and suffer and overcome whatsoever of persecution and tribulation may assail us, and revilings and undeserved malignings with patience and longsuffering. Keep us from all offenses, whereby Thy holy name is blasphemed and outraged, Thy kingdom hindered and weakened. Grant us grace to practice our faith in works of love and mercy, feeding, clothing, harboring, visiting, comforting the poor and distressed of this world, so that when that great day dawns we may hear the blessed and joyous voice of Thy dear Son: Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Amen.
Prayer for Missions.
I pray Thee, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Thy dear Son, our Lord, have mercy upon the unbelievers, whoever and wherever they are, who still walk in darkness, and do not yet possess the light of Thy gospel. They are stricken with blindness by the evil one. Their foolish heart is darkened. They are alienated from the life that is of Thee, through their native ignorance, carried away to the dumb idols, even as they are led, and in their blindness curse and blaspheme Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ, the mercy seat. For that reason, O faithful God, take away the veil, which is upon the heart of the Jews, who stumble at the stone of stumbling and the rock of offense. Illumine their eyes that they may know the true Messiah, the Savior of the world. Gather the heathen and all unbelievers, who look upon Thy word as foolishness, into the true fold and the true assembly of Christians, the congregation of saints, so that with us and all the faithful they may honor, glorify, and worship Thee, the Father in the Son, and the Son with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God and Lord. Open the understanding of all men, who do not put their salvation and their confidence solely and alone on the true fundament and cornerstone, even Jesus Christ, so that they know Him, whom Thou hast sent, and in the true faith and a sincere trust of their hearts may acknowledge and accept Him as their Savior and Redeemer, who through His obedience and fulfillment of the law, and through His bitter death, hath merited an eternal salvation. We pray Thee also, to return to the truth of Thy word all of them who have defected from the Christian faith, or err in sundry other things and are cumbered with false doctrines. Thou God of grace, have mercy upon those, who are not of the true faith, who dwell in the shadow of death, and in the darkness of their minds walk on uneven paths. Seek the lost, lead aright the erring, illumine the blinded and infatuated, open the ears of the deaf, unloose the tongues of the dumb, who do not confess Thee, raise the fallen, bring back the corrupt, assemble the dispersed, lead aright the erring and seduced, for Thy mercy’s sake. Amen.
Prayer Against False Doctrines and Sects.
Gracious God! Thou hast warned us, that we should beware of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. And since in these latter days, in which we now live, evil times will come, in which Satan clothes himself in the livery of heaven, and false teachers and fraudulent laborers dissemble as though they were the apostles of Christ, who have the form of godliness but deny the power thereof; and since the defection from the pure doctrine, and the man of sin, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God shall be made manifest, help us, eternal God, that we may be filled with the love for truth, and avoid the spirit of lies and all falsehoods and errors, abstain and flee from all appearance of evil, so that we may not be moved from the true faith, nor yet beguiled from our reward, but may continue steadfast by Thy word unto the end. May we never be led astray, neither through deceiving powers, signs, and miracles, nor through any temptation to unrighteousness, so that we be not tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Preserve Thy elect in this evil world, O God, that they may not be led into error. Shorten the days in these evil times. Destroy the Antichrist, the wicked child of perdition and temptation, through the spirit of Thy mouth. Put an end to his days through the appearance of Thy dear Son. Preserve us also from unruly spirits and schisms, from the ravenous wolves who have no mercy for the flocks, from men who speak perverse doctrines and draw the disciples to themselves, from men of corrupt minds who sow offense and bring about separation, from the tares which the enemy scatters, from thieves and murderers of the soul. Let us only hear Thy voice, and follow it from our hearts in true faith and upright obedience, so that your word may be our only rule and norm, according to which we measure all doctrine, flee the evil teaching, and all unrighteousness. Then will we, too, have boldness and be not brought to naught on that day when Jesus Christ, our Savior, shall appear. Amen.
Prayer Against the Enemies of Christendom.
O Lord God, why do the wicked rage without cause? and the mighty set themselves and take counsel against Thee and Thy Son, Thine Anointed? O Lord, how numerous are Thine enemies, and great the number of those who conspire against Thy word to destroy it, and put their own evil idolatry in its place and introduce false doctrines into Thy Church. They invent secret artifices and practices, to destroy the confessors of Thy word. They counsel what is evil, pregnant with calamity. They lie in wait for us like the lion seeking his prey. Thus they waylay our souls. They open wide their jaws, like a gaping sepulchre, to devour us. O Lord God, commit us not to their will, for behold, the wicked mob speaks in its heart, Thou, O Lord, hast forgotten us. Thou hast concealed Thy countenance. Arise, therefore, O Lord. Lift up Thy hand, forget not the distressed. Awaken, O Lord, why sleepest Thou! Awake, and do not quite reject us. Why dost Thou hide Thy face, and forget our misery and distress? Arise, and help us, and deliver us for Thy mercy sake, that the enemy may not injure us, nor the children of Belial harm us. Save us from the hands of aliens, whose teaching is useless, and their works evil. For they will not be guided to do good. They will not regard Thee, the Lord of hosts, nor yet the works of Thy hands. Thou wilt destroy and not build them. O Lord God Sabaoth, militate Thou against our assailants. Give victory to our Christian government, and conquer the enemies of Thy name. For victory cometh from heaven, and is not brought about by the great multitude. Thou canst as readily help through the few as through the many. Therefore destroy the arm of the wicked. Make their counsels of no account, that they can not accomplish them, but must be brought to naught with shame. They must return, who hate Thee, and seek to annihilate Thy holy word. They must be as chaff before the wind. Thy holy angel brush them aside, that they may not boast against Thee and say our hand hath done this. Therefore safeguard Thy honor among men, and help us for Thy name’s sake, that it may not be desecrated and blasphemed. Amen.