Proper 12 (July 27, 2025)

Undivided Attention: Part 7 Undivided Prayer:

Trusting the God Who Desires All to Be Saved.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

As we continue today in our summer series, Undivided Attention, we turn our focus to the theme of Undivided Prayer, emphasizing the profound call to pray with confidence and purpose, rooted in the saving heart of God. In our journey, we have explored what it means to live with undivided commitment, peace, mission, loyalty, devotion, and prayerful focus. Today, we seek to understand how our prayers, anchored in faith in Christ and shaped by His Word, join His desire for all people to be saved.

It all begins with the simple, yet profound request from the disciples: "Lord, teach us to pray." In this request, echoed in Luke 11, we find an invitation not just to learn how to speak, but to connect deeply with the heart of our Father in heaven through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.

In teaching us to pray, Jesus doesn’t just show us how to speak, but to whom: our Father in heaven, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit. Prayer, then, is not about persuading God or bending His will toward ours. Rather, it is the response of faith to God’s command and promise, prayed with childlike trust that His revealed will is good and gracious.

That brings us to Paul’s instruction to young Timothy—a pattern of prayer shaped by mission, mercy, and the Mediator.

I. Prayer Is the Christian's Primary Calling (1 Tim 2:1–2)

Paul writes, "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people…"

First of all. That phrase should stop us in our tracks. It means that before we act, speak, write, post, or plan, we are called to pray.

And not just for ourselves. Paul says: for all people. That includes those we like, and those we don’t. Those who share our values and those who don’t. Leaders and officials—not only the ones we voted for.

Why? Because prayer is not partisan. It is priestly. It is standing in the gap, carrying others to the throne of grace.

Christians are to pray for “all men—friends and enemies, converted and unconverted,” because in doing so we reflect the boundless love of the God who desires that all be saved.

And what is the goal? That "we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." A stable society gives room for the gospel to flourish. The prayers of the Church, then, have missional purpose.

But, have you ever noticed how doubt sometimes creeps in, casting shadows on our faith-filled dialogue. It’s a common struggle—wondering if our prayers are truly being heard or questioning if our petitions are prayed in faith? This common experience of doubt can feel isolating, yet it is woven into the fabric of human faith.

Consider the biblical examples of those who wrestled with doubt, like Thomas, who needed to see Jesus’ wounds to believe, or the father in Mark 9:24 who cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Their stories remind us that doubt doesn’t disqualify our prayers; instead, it can drive us deeper into reliance on Christ's mediating presence.

As we devote ourselves to the practice of prayer—lifting up all people with boldness—we will at times encounter doubt and uncertainty. Yet even amid these struggles, prayer remains our sacred calling, because God has called us to pray. It is not a duty we invent, but a holy invitation He extends. In prayer, we respond to His command and promise, entering a divine conversation grounded in His Word and grace.

This brings us to our next point: God’s Saving Desire Calls Us to Pray. This is where our prayers become good and pleasing in His sight, as Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 2:3–4. Herein lies the heart of our purpose in prayer—not only to speak but to join in God's mission to save and redeem.

II. God’s Saving Desire Calls Us to Pray (1 Tim. 2:3-4).

"This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Here we see the beating heart of God. Why pray for the world? Why intercede for leaders and unbelievers alike? Because God desires their salvation.

This desire is not passive or theoretical. It is active and grounded in His redemptive will. God's pleasure is not in judgment but in salvation. As Ezekiel 18:23 says, "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"

Our prayers, therefore, are not futile. They are part of God's unfolding mercy. When we pray for the lost, we are not trying to convince a reluctant God—we are praying according to Gods will.

In fact, prayer itself is one of the means God uses to bring about what He desires. As Luther often emphasized, God invites us to pray not to inform Him of our needs, but to stir us to receive from Him.

This is why, as Luther explains in the Small Catechism, we pray the Lord's Prayer:

"God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father."

To pray is to trust. To trust is to take God at His Word and gladly respond to His invitation, asking of Him as dear children ask their dear Father—confident that He delights to hear and answer according to His good and gracious will.

And so we pray for the world not out of obligation, but out of joyful participation in God's mission. We pray because God listens. We pray because God saves.

III. One Mediator: Jesus Makes Our Prayers Possible (1 Tim 2:5–6)

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all…"

Here is the great hope of Christian prayer: We are not praying on our own. We pray through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ.

Jesus is not only the Teacher of prayer. He is the Mediator of prayer.

Martin Luther, in his lectures on this passage, notes how the confidence of the Christian is rooted in the once-for-all work of Christ. He gave Himself as a ransom—not for some, not for a select few, but for all.

And because Christ is our Mediator, we are welcomed to speak to God. We don't have to twist His arm. We don’t have to guess His mood. The cross has settled His heart toward us forever.

This is why our prayers do not rest on our eloquence, sincerity, or length. They rest on Jesus. As Hebrews says, He ever lives to intercede for us. Jesus is not only the bridge between heaven and earth, but the living voice that speaks for us even when our own words falter.

In his commentary, Lenski describes this mediatorship as the "central axis" upon which all Christian prayer turns. Without Christ, prayer becomes either a wish or a work. But with Christ, it becomes a divine dialogue rooted in grace.

This truth is especially comforting when we are weak. When our prayers feel inadequate, or when our hearts are heavy, we remember that our prayer life does not begin with us. It begins with Jesus.

He gave Himself as a ransom for all. That means there is no one outside the reach of grace. And because of that, there is no one outside the reach of prayer.

That’s why we can pray boldly. Confidently. Urgently.

Conclusion: Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Let us remember the essence of the Lord’s Prayer—a guide to what matters to God and a gift that offers us words when ours falter.

It shifts our focus from our immediate needs to His name, His kingdom, and His will. It invites us to trust Him for our daily provisions, embrace the forgiveness received through Christ, and walk confidently knowing we are not alone.

So let us be a people of undivided prayer, responding to the disciples' enduring request: "Lord, teach us to pray."

Let us pray for all because God desires all to be saved.

Let us pray through Christ, our Mediator, who bridges the gap between heaven and earth.

And let us pray in faith, with holy hands lifted in trust and surrender.

For it is in prayer—born not from our discipline, but from His grace—that we find our place in His redemptive plan.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers of the Church – Proper 12 (Undivided Prayer)

Pastor: Let us lift up holy hands in prayer and intercession, calling upon our gracious God who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Brief silence

Pastor: Heavenly Father, You have invited us to call on You as dear children ask their dear father. Hear the prayers of Your people and grant us trust in Your mercy and boldness in our intercession. Lord, in Your mercy, Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Pastor: Gracious Lord, You desire all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Empower Your Church to speak the Gospel with clarity and compassion. Bless all pastors, missionaries, and teachers of the faith—especially those serving in challenging places—and preserve us from apathy or fear. Lord, in Your mercy, Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Pastor: Holy Mediator, Christ Jesus, You gave Yourself as a ransom for all. Through Your intercession, bring peace to every troubled heart, and draw near to those who wrestle with doubt or feel distant from You. Teach us to pray in trust, and assure us that You always live to intercede for us. Lord, in Your mercy, Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Pastor: God of peace, guide and bless all in authority: our President, Congress, Governor, and all local officials. Grant them wisdom and integrity, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness. Protect those who serve in law enforcement, the military, and emergency services. Lord, in Your mercy, Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Pastor: Merciful Father, grant healing to the sick, relief to the suffering, comfort to the grieving, and peace to the dying. We especially remember today: [Names from the congregation’s prayer list] and all whom we name before You in our hearts… [Silent pause] Assure them of Your presence and sustain them by Your grace. Lord, in Your mercy, Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Pastor: Compassionate God, we give You thanks for the faithful departed who now rest from their labors, especially [Name(s)]. Comfort those who mourn with the hope of the resurrection and the promise of eternal life in Christ. Lord, in Your mercy, Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Pastor: Lord of the harvest, as our children and youth prepare for the start of a new school year, bless their learning and protect them in body and soul. Strengthen Christian families to be households of prayer and godliness. Lord, in Your mercy, Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Pastor: Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Congregation: Amen.