A Liturgy for Holiness in Place of Performance
Church, are we ready to pray this prayer?
Writing with Jesus is a reader-supported publication where laughter is found, tears are shed, and faith is made steadfast. Writings on wrestling with God, motherhood, and some comedy to lighten the mood.
O LORD, I am humbled before Your glorious throne, Your majesty, Your greatness. Grant in me a humility to bear these words, a lowly heart to offer this petition.
I cry out to You with a yearning for Your holiness, Your presence, Your glory. You who created the earth, wind, and sky, the bright and burning stars, the mountains which only You can move.
How our mere human bodies could not stand against these grand creations. How quickly we would be crushed, scorched, lost, and destroyed. How weak we surely are. How often we forget in our attempts to feel important, seen, valuable, and strong. Forgive Your children O God, for all the times we exalt ourselves, our image, our voices, above Yours. For every moment, where indeed, we are not holy.
O Christ, bring me to my knees in wonder. You whose name is above every name.1 As I bow before You, let Your glory be manifested here. Not to amaze me, not to heal me, not to transform me, not to deliver me, not to do anything but to meet me, Your bride, Your servant. What a gift to be in the midst of You. How great a joy to know You are here.
And though I am and have always been undeserving of You and Your presence, yes, I who was once Your betrayer, Your enemy, who was saturated in sin, in foolishness, lacking all godly wisdom and righteousness and reverence, in Your kindness and abundant mercy, You still call me “friend”.2 You still shed Your blood, dying the death that I deserved out of Your steadfast love. How far we have fallen from Your glory, O God.3 How often we have strayed along the narrow way.4 O Jesus our King, forgive this faithless generation, for every time we choose unbelief over faith, for every moment when the temptation to fear overwhelms the test to trust.5
O Spirit of God let Your fire fall upon me. In these last days, may I be filled with You, that Christ may be exalted.6 Holy Spirit, may Your mighty and miraculous work be done in my heart, mind, and body. May the gift of Your conviction pierce our chests.7 May Your teaching and guidance lead us into more Christlikeness by the hour.8 May the intercessions of Your prayers align us with the will of God over our own.9 Yes, rain down Your glory, for the praise and worship of our Lord, for the namesake of Jesus, that He may be revealed to all people, and that I might be a faithful servant and laborer of the Gospel.
O Lord, I don’t deserve You. Strip us of the pride that leads to performance, the selfishness that leads us into the limelight, the sin that suddenly makes this walk of faith more about us instead of only about You.
Where there was once self-centeredness, let there be praise. Where there was once vanity let there be humility. Take our eyes off of ourselves and let them rest on You. You who desires to be found, who seeks to save the lost.10
May our stages and our platforms be altars and not performances.
May our voices be offerings and not strivings to earn attention or affection.
May our churches be temples of Your Spirit, and not venues to showcase our manmade productions.
Remind us daily O LORD, that we could not do or accomplish anything without You, Your grace, Your favor.11 Seal it into our hearts that even if we never spoke again, never sang, never wrote, never taught, even the rocks would cry out.12 Yes, the stones and all creation would praise and announce Your wonder.13
O God accept this offering. Who am I without You but mere dust.14 Bring revival on the nations. Pour out Your Spirit on all the earth. As it is written, at the name of Jesus, let every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.15
To the glory and honor and praise of God the Father forever and ever.16 Hallelujah. Amen.
Katie Donohue Tona
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“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name…” Philippians 2:9
“‘Friend,’ Jesus replied, ‘do what you came for.’ Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and arrested Him.” Matthew 26:50
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” Mark 9:19
“And Jesus said to him, ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’” Mark 9:23-24
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…” John 16:7-8
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:13
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27
“God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:15
“And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.’ Luke 19:39-40
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1
“And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” Isaiah 6:3
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20
“For he knows we are but dust and that our days are few and brief, like grass, like flowers, blown by the wind and gone forever.” Psalm 103:14-16
“…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10-11
“All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17