Prayer is not learned in the classroom but in the closet.
(E.M. Bounds)

This Week’s Scripture

·         Acts 2:14-32
·         Psalm 16
·         1 Peter 1:3-9
·         John 20:19-31

Adoration

Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

All Praise to Thee, for Thou, O King Divine (verse 1)
All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine,
didst yield the glory that of right was thine,
that in our darkened hearts thy grace might shine:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
(F. Bland Tucker)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.
 
 

Confession

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names on my lips. (Psalm 16:4)

Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. Amen. (PCUSA Book of Common Worship)

As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
 


Thanksgiving

Blessed Redeemer, according to your great mercy, you have caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of your Son from the dead. You have given to us an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us. That very salvation is being guarded by your power. We rejoice in this good news, even when we find ourselves in the midst of trials and sorrows. We know that such times of testing refine our faith and draw us ever closer to you. Heavenly Father, we love Christ, believe in him, and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. We praise you for that which you have promised us, the salvation of our souls. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen. (based on 1 Peter 1:3-9)

Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life.
 
 
 
Supplication (Petitions – prayers for yourself)

·         Give me greater love for those who are hard to love.
·         Help me to be compassionate and kind to those in need, even when it’s inconvenient.
·         Pour out upon me your courage and boldness to love those who do not know you and to share with them your Gospel, in word and deed.
·         Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned
·         Other needs
 
 
 
Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others)

·         My family
·         My family and friends who do not have a saving relationship with Christ
·         For those in my other spheres of influence who do not know Christ
·         For evangelists around our city, country, and world who risk much in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who are lost
·         Other needs
 
 
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By his first work God gave me to myself; and by the next he gave himself to me. And when he gave himself, he gave me back myself that I had lost. (Bernard of Clairvaux)

Prayer is not an argument with God to persuade him to move things our way, but an exercise by which we are enabled by his Spirit to move ourselves his way. (Leonard Ravenhill)

This Week’s Scripture

·         Acts 10:34-43
·         Psalm 118:1-24
·         Colossians 3:1-4
·         John 20:1-18

Adoration

Psalm 118:8-9
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.

Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart (verses 1-5)
Rejoice, ye pure in heart; rejoice give thanks and sing;
your glorious banner wave on high, the cross of Christ your King.
Praise God who reigns on high, the Lord whom we adore,
the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God forever more.
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.
(Edward H. Plumptre)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.
 


Confession

To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43)

Lord, through the resurrection of Christ you freed us from the powers of darkness and evil. In Christ, you opened the way for us to enter your Holy Kingdom. Forgive us when we have failed to walk where you would send us, to love when our loving could have made a difference, or to be your voice of peace in the world today. In Christ we pray. Amen. (James R. Wilson)

As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
 
 

Thanksgiving

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you have not only raised our Lord from the dead, but you have raised me as well. Therefore, you have called me to seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at your right hand. Thank you for such a glorious, yet humbling command. You have also called me to set my mind on things above. Please help me in this endeavor as I am inclined to set my mind on the temporal and fallen things of this world. But when you remind me that I have died to such things and that my life is now hidden with Christ, I can’t help but rejoice and give you glory. For Christ is my very life and when he appears, I too will appear with him in glory. Father, this is more than I can comprehend, but I am joyfully overwhelmed by what I do understand of it. For all of this and more, I give you thanks. Amen. (based on Colossians 3:1-4)

Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life.
 
 
 
Supplication (Petitions – prayers for yourself)

·         Give me greater knowledge, depth of insight, and understanding of God’s Word.
·         Remind me daily of who I am in Christ. Let me be defined by who God says I am, not the world around me.
·         Guide me into greater understanding and faithfulness of God’s call in my life.
·         Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned
·         Other needs
 
 
 
Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others)

·         My family
·         My pastor(s), church staff, and missionaries
·         Those wrestling with anger, anxiety, or the overwhelming desire to please people at all costs
·         Other needs
 
 
 
Only God can put the touch on something that changes it from the common place to something
special, different and apart. (R.C. Sproul)

Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.
(John Bunyan)

This Week’s Scripture
·         Isaiah 50:4-9a
·         Psalm 31:9-16
·         Philippians 2:5-11
·         Matthew 27:11-54



Adoration

Psalm 31:14-15a
But I trust in you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand;

From Lift High the Cross (verse 1)
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
Come, Christians, follow, this triumphant sign.
The hosts of God in unity combine.

(George William Kitchin and Michael Robert Newbolt)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.
 
 

Confession

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8)

God of salvation, you have sent us One of our own to suffer for our sakes. Prepare us to receive again the glorious gift that is ours by Jesus’ self-sacrifice, so that, impressed anew by his willing humiliation on our behalf, we may be moved to live as people truly redeemed by his cross. In the name of that Suffering Servant we pray. Amen. (Paul A. Laughlin)

As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
 
 
 
Thanksgiving

Merciful Redeemer, when I am in distress, wasted from grief, spent with sorrow, or my strength fails because of my iniquity and my bones feel as though they are wasting away, you are still gracious to me. You have promised to never leave me nor forsake me. When it appears that people are against me or I have been forgotten by others, even those close to me, I will trust in you, for you are my God. My times are in your hands and you will rescue me. For these and all the countless times in which you have made your face shine on me and poured out your steadfast love upon me, I give you thanks dear Lord. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen. (based on Psalm 31:9-16)

Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life.
 
 
 
Supplication (Petitions – prayers for yourself)
·         Help me to grow in wisdom and become who you created and redeemed me to be.
·         Renew my mind and enable me to cultivate a godly perspective and attitude regarding the various spheres and circumstances of my life.
·         Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned
·         Other needs
 
 

Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others)
·         My family, immediate and extended
·         Those struggling with sin, illness, or difficulties in their workplace
·         Other needs
 
 
 
God’s promises are sealed to us, but not dated. (Susanna Wesley)

Prayer is not the fruit of natural talents; it is the product of faith, of holiness, of deeply spiritual character. (E.M. Bounds)

This Week’s Scripture

·         Ezekiel 37:1-14
·         Psalm 130
·         Romans 8:6-11
·         John 11:1-45



Adoration

John 11:25-26a
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

Jesus Shall Reign (verse 1)
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
does its successive journeys run.
his kingdom spread from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.
(Isaac Watts)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.
 


Confession

For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:7-8)

Lord give me the repentance which is of the will, that, not only in desire but also in intention and effort I may embrace what is good, especially those virtues which once I neglected or refused, and so be endued with power to accept thy pardon; through Jesus Christ our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. (Bishop Brent)

As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
 


Thanksgiving

O Lord, you hear our cries when we call out to you. You hear our voices and are attentive to our pleas for mercy. We give you thanks. God of grace, you do not mark our iniquities, for if you did, who could stand? Instead, with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. We give you thanks. Because in you there is hope, we will wait upon you. We give you thanks. Lord, with you there is steadfast love and plentiful redemption. We praise you good and sovereign Lord that you will redeem us from all our iniquities. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen. (based on Psalm 130)

Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life.
 
 
 
Supplication (Petition – prayers for yourself)

·         Help me to mature in my faith and to increasingly please God by my thoughts, words, and deeds.
·         Particular struggles in various relationships
·         My activities for this day
·         Other needs
 
 
 
Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others)

·         My Family
·         My local church
·         My denomination
·         Para-church ministries, particularly Christian education and discipleship
·         Evangelistic ministries
·         Other needs
 
 
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God is too kind to do anything cruel, too wise to make a mistake, too deep to explain himself.
(Charles Swindoll)