God is perfect love and perfect wisdom. We do not pray in order to change his will, but to bring our wills into harmony with his. (Sir William Temple)

This Week’s Scripture

·         Isaiah 2:1-5
·         Psalm 122
·         Romans 13:11-14
·         Matthew 24:36-44

Adoration

Psalm 122:6-9

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
    “May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls
    and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions' sake
    I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your good.

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (verse 1)

Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!
(Henry Van Dyke)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.
 
Confession

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13:12-14)

Forgive me my sins, O Lord – the sins of my present and the sins of my past, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body, the sins which I have done to please myself and the sins which I have done to please others. Forgive me my casual sins and my deliberate sins and those which I have labored so to hide. Forgive me them, O Lord, forgive them all; for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen. (Thomas 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

Heavenly Father, we thank you for all your promises in Holy Scripture. Your promises give us hope, assurance, and confidence in the midst of grief, fear, uncertainty, and doubt. We thank you that you so lovingly provide these promises to us and for us. We humbly ask you to give us the faith to believe them and live our lives as though they have already come to pass, because, in a manner of speaking, they have. For the fulfillment of your promises is certain and we can rest our hearts, minds, and souls upon them. You promise us that your children will one day all worship you together. You promise to teach us your ways so that we may walk in your paths. You promise to judge between the nations and to turn swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks so that, one day, we will know war no more. We pray for these things, even as we rest upon these promises. Come Lord Jesus. Amen. (from Isaiah 2:1-5)

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)

·         Lord, help me to faithfully participate in the life of my congregation and for the sake of my community…
Ø  By my prayers
Ø  By my presence
Ø  By my gifts
Ø  By my service
Ø  By my witness
·         Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned
·         Other needs
 
 
Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others)
​
·         My family
·         For those who serve in government, at the national, state, and local levels
·         For those who serve in law-enforcement
·         For those who serve in fire and rescue
·         For those who serve in our nation’s military
·         Other needs
 
 
 
All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O Lord, and all thy saints shall bless thee! They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power. (Psalm 145:10-11)

God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things. (Harry Emerson Fosdick)

This Week’s Scripture

·         Jeremiah 23:1-6
·         Psalm 93
·         Colossians 1:11-20
·         Luke 23:33-43

Adoration

Psalm 93:1-2

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
    the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
    you are from everlasting!

Maker, in Whom We Live (verse 1)

Maker, in whom we live, in whom we are and move,
the glory, power, and praise receive for thy creating love.
Let all the angel throng give thanks to God on high,
while earth repeats the joyful song and echoes to the sky.
(Charles Wesley)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.
 
 
Confession

18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:18-20)

Merciful Father, from slackness and indolence, from indifference to the treasures of knowledge, and a refusal to use the gifts with which thou hast endowed us, good Lord, deliver us. From low ideas of life, and from thoughtless disregard of the influence of our conduct, good Lord, deliver us. Amen. (The Book of Worship for Church and Home)

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

Gracious God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly ask you to fill us with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Enable us, Lord, to walk in a manner worthy of you, that we would be fully pleasing in your sight. Please help us to bear fruit in every good work and continually increase in our knowledge of you. Strengthen us with all power according to your glorious might, and with that strength, assist us to endure to the end, with patience and joy. For all of this, and for qualifying us to share in the inheritance of the saints of light, for delivering us from the domain of darkness and transferring us to the kingdom of your beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and forgiveness of sins, we give you our eternal praise and thanksgiving. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. (from Colossians 1:9-14)

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
 
 
 
 
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1)

​Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees. (Corrie Ten Boom)

This Week’s Scripture

·         Haggai 1:15 – 2:9
·         Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21
·         2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
·         Luke 20:27-38

Adoration

Psalm 145:1-3

I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (verse 1)

Holy God, we praise thy name; Lord of all, we
bow before thee; all on earth thy scepter claim;
all in heaven above adore thee. Infinite thy
vast domain; everlasting is thy reign.
(Ignaz Franz)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.
 
 
Confession

The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them. (Psalm 145:18-19)

O Lord, open thou our eyes, that we may see ourselves as thou seest us; in thy mercy show us the evil that is in us, and cleanse us by thy mighty power. From irresolute purpose, from unchastened desires, and from a weak and wavering will, good Lord deliver us. Amen. (The Book of Worship for Church and Home)

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

Good and gracious Lord, we give you thanks for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are loved and chosen by you. You saved them through the sanctifying power of your Holy Spirit and thus enabled them to believe in your truth. You called them, and us, through your gospel of grace so that we all may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, Father, fill us now with that same Holy Spirit, so we may stand firm to the end and faithfully hold to the teachings of your Word made flesh and inscripturated. We thank and praise you for your love, eternal comfort, and good hope through your grace. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. (from 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)

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 relational difficulties
·         Other needs
 
 
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)