Prayer For The Beginning Of A Retreat

Father,

We are here today to celebrate great success! In a world full of chaos and calamity, we are embracing a moment of triumph in Your name and for Your glory. Once again, we have experienced the miracle of Your sustenance, as King David so appropriately penned in Psalm 4:7: You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.

Father, our hearts, the very center of our humanity and our souls, are filled by You. In extreme emotion, this indescribable feeling is even more pronounced. We are aware that we could not see this great success come to fruition without the individual purpose You have put in each person here today. Thank You for bringing us together to accomplish this great feat for Your glory, though the odds were stacked against us as they often are.

Guard our hearts from pride and selfish gain as we celebrate today. Let it fuel our faith in You as our provider and our sustainer. Filler of our hearts. May all glory for our achievements go up to You today and always.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen


"Father,

As we gather together, we praise You for this day and Your purpose for it. Reset our agendas, as we sit in Your presence. For You assure us that where two or more gather in Your name You are here. Recalibrate our intentions and refocus our hearts. Your will for our lives does not always reflect our plans. Change them to reflect Your will. Help us to understand that we don't need full clarity to walk into the unique purpose You've inlaid in our lives.

Lift our eyes to seek You first today, and always, surrendering our need to achieve, understand, and be known. Shift our perspective to seek Your peace above all else. In every situation we ponder in our daily lives, let the Holy Spirit translate Your commands. Give us renewed strength and godly courage to obey You without questioning. Forgive us for striving beyond our means, worrying, and forcing results.

Only You know what lies ahead. You are our good Father, just and righteous. Though our circumstances will be unfair from time to time in this life, You are always our unwavering protector and shield (Psalm 3:3). Keep the words of King David fresh in our minds, and renew our hearts to the tune of Your truth.I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. Psalm 3:5 NIV Let Your peace rain down on us today, as we seek You more than anything else.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen."


Almighty God, Whose hands hold all matters of life, through the intercession of St. Joseph, give us grace of success in the apostolic work that we do.

Come Holy Spirit, fill us with Your gifts.
?
Help us to give it the careful thought and the strict attention that will lead to success.
Watch over us and govern our actions, that we may not mar its perfection.
?Show us how to give our best, and let us not despise the toil that is necessary to complete it.
?Make our ministry be a successful one, in that every duty You give to us, we do it well.
Give us the blessing of Your help and guidance, and suffer us not to fail.

?We pray for the success of St. Joseph Prayer / Healing Ministry Retreat -
-----for its speakers, that they be inspired by the Holy Spirit, and approved by the Chancellery Office,
-----for its benefactors and their families
?----- for all who make it possible,
-----for all who attend that You touch each one in Your most loving, needful way.

Lord, this is Your retreat. Help us make it possible.
In Jesus' name.
Amen


God, We ask You to prepare all of us to receive everything You have in store for us at the retreat. We want Your Word of grace and truth to really effectively work in us and build us up to be leaders You've called us to be. Please begin to soften our hearts and stir up our expectations in faith for a life-changing weekend. Put on our hearts others we need to pursue to make sure they are with us and a part of what You'll be doing. We pray this in Jesus name.


Father,

As the events of the day continue to unfold, we seek Your clarity and Your peace. We know You are with us and for us as we gather together to seek Your counsel. Scripture reminds us the more we seek You the more we will find You. Lead our surrendered hearts to the path of Your peace today.

Come fully into our situation, both as a group and individually. And sort out the muddled feelings and distorted thoughts that plague us. Cover us with a blanket of honesty and patience that is not of this world.

Holy Spirit, translate our desires and pleadings, and may we understand the faithful response of our great Father. Jesus walked the earth to explain so much to us, and to save us from eternal suffering. Yet, on this earth He promised us that we would encounter much pain.

Struggling for solutions amidst differing personalities can seem impossible. Thankfully, we are not expected to be perfect. Thankfully, we're told in the Bible that we will all fall short. So, as we sit here today, let us release the bind of blame in exchange for accord. Help us to endure disagreement and strife with godly courage and love. Grant us peace in knowing we are pursuing Your purpose for our lives.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.


God, we recognize that You are in control of everything and You are not subject to our plans or schedule, but we submit to Yours. You are welcome in each and every moment. Have Your way in all of our lives so we can experience You like never before. We pray, not our will but Yours be done. Help us to wait patiently on You, to yield ourselves to Your Spirit, listen closely to what You say, and as You lead, we will follow.


Father,

Praise You for this event, and Your purpose for it. We know that when we gather together, You always have a divine agenda. We love You for that, Father. That even when we have done what You have asked, the results are so much greater than we ever could have imagined. Even in failed attempts, You blow us away with Your faithfulness to provide what we need.

Our prayer today is that Your will be done through this event. Take what we have prepared and multiply our efforts as only You can. Steer our intentions to align with Your righteous will. Remind us of Your faithful provision when our efforts fail us or fall short. May all glory go up to You when we reach the finish line and climb over benchmarks. Blanket us with Your peace today, Father. Keep us physically safe and guard our hearts and minds from pride and selfishness. Keep love at the forefront of our minds today, and the guiding light for all we set out to accomplish and celebrate.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.


Father,
Thank You for every seat that has been filled here, today. For each mind and heart that fills the presence of this room, we thank You. Only You truly know what we are setting out to accomplish today. We have an idea, a vision, hints, and daily instructions. We have talents, abilities, and time to work. However, only You can see in perfect detail the end of every beginning. Every project, every season, every life. Nothing is ever in vain, for even mistakes and missteps are used for good.

Your righteousness transcends all our efforts and understanding. Forgive us for our pride. The pride that puffs us up and the pride that threatens to unqualify us. Strengthen our confidence in who You have made us to be. Set us free from comparison in order to work together efficiently.

Bless this meeting today, all those present, as well as the lives of those we will encounter afterward. Ready us to make every moment count.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen