Colossians 1:17-18
17 Jesus is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

I will be out of the pulpit until August 9. I know it is healthy for me, yet I will confess that an extended time away taps into my feelings of insecurity and my obsession with feeling responsible for all things. I expected to be over some of this stuff by the time I hit fifty. I only have two years left. It is not looking good. Personalize this prayer by thinking about your God-given spheres of influence and responsibility.

Jesus, You are God and I am not. Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power. All that I see and all that exists, every person, every building, every organization, every church, every government, the sun, moon, and stars is being held together by You every moment. The Church and everyone in it belongs to You. You are the One ultimately responsible for the health, unity, and financial well-being of this group. It is not me! It never was. You alone operate with resurrection power and authority. You alone deserve all the attention. You alone will remain front and center when all that can be shaken is shaken. So I choose at this moment by Your grace to turn my life and will and earthly responsibilities over to Your care.

Thanks for praying,
Neil

P.S.
I will continue to post prayers there 2 or 3 times a week in the summer. Matt Dumas, our equipping minister, will post on Monday a brief summary of Sunday’s sermon and a prayer to go with it.