2/15 - JOY Sunday - Prayer

This Joy Sunday, our youth lead us in every part of worship, and their leadership reminds us of something simple and beautiful. Prayer belongs to everyone. It does not require perfect words or polished faith. It begins with an open heart. As our students share their stories and testimonies about what prayer means to them, we are invited to rediscover prayer with fresh honesty and childlike trust.

Our music traces that journey together. We begin with the familiar comfort of “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” remembering the quiet gift of time spent with God. As it weaves into “Build My Life,” our prayer grows into commitment. We are not only seeking comfort. We are asking God to shape who we are and how we live. Prayer becomes the foundation beneath our feet, steady and strong.

“Be Thou My Vision (Will You Guide Me)” centers us and turns our hearts toward God’s guidance. In a world full of noise and distraction, we ask God to be our wisdom and our focus. As we listen to the voices of our youth, we are reminded that God is already at work in everyday life, in classrooms, friendships, questions, and dreams. Their faith helps us see more clearly.

Through the choir’s anthem, we go together down to the river to pray. These songs carry us into a place of renewal and community, where every voice matters and every prayer is heard. When we sing, “Lord, listen to your children praying,” we sing not just for ourselves but for one another. We become a people who hold each other up before God.

We are finally sent out “Standing in the Need of Prayer,” reminded that prayer does not end when the service ends. It goes with us into the week ahead. It shapes how we love, serve, and trust. This joyful arc of worship shows us that prayer is not just something we do at church. It is who we are becoming together, guided by God and inspired by the faithful leadership of our youth.

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