Ohana Prayer 288 – Luke 17
1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe
to anyone through whom they come.
2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck
than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
3 So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they
repent, forgive them.
4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I
repent,’ you must forgive them.”
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied,
“The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed,
21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days
of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.
24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky
from one end to the other.
25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.
Praise the Lord who created the whole world, the eternal God, our Father God in heaven. You
are the one who is, who always was and who is still to come—the Almighty One. There is no
other God besides You.
Thank you for your unfathomable wisdom. Early in the morning, we look up into the heavens
and see your wonderful work: the moon and the stars start fading as dawn is beginning. How
deep and wide your love and your kindness are for us. You never change or cast a shifting
shadow. You are never tired or sleepy. You love to care for us and you send down rain to
nourish the earth. We will praise your holy name.
Thank you Lord Jesus, you have left beautiful footsteps. You forgave us for our transgressions
and sins more than seventy seven times. You didn't want to see us struggle in the sea of worldly
desires nor watch us perish in deception. You graciously rescued us from the sea of suffering
and clothed us with a pure white robe of righteousness. We firmly believe that when we walk
through the dark valley of death during the pandemic, you are with us. You will comfort us,
renew our strength and guide us along the right paths.
Lord Jesus, may we willingly clothe ourselves with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and put
on the belt of truth. May we serve you with the right attitude and try our best to concentrate
on harvesting in the gospel field, accomplishing the work at hand and the mission you have
entrusted.
Holy Spirit, please guard our lips and keep us from doing wrong. Even if we cannot be a
stepping stone for unbelievers and lead them into the temple of God and the gate of heaven,
please do not allow us to become a stumbling block to them. Otherwise, we will destroy their
faith in you, lead them astray to sin against you and end up in endless destruction.
Holy Spirit, please anoint us. Please soften our stony and stubborn heart so that we will no
longer be arrogant and regard ourselves as better than others. May we transform our attitude
from bitterness and distress into humility and mercy. Then we can be honest in our evaluation
of ourselves, measuring ourselves by the faith God has given us and live out a testimony full of
faith, hope, and love.
We pray in the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!