It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to music.
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
How great are your works, O LORD!
Your thoughts are very deep!
Father, we feel a lot of fears and wonder what you are doing in our world. We lift up to you many things going on in our world, we trust you to work them out, and we ask you to bring what is best in them all, because we humbly confess that while we might think we know what is best, we just are not sure. We lift up to you Brexit and the British People and European politics; the Afghan elections—that you would keep them from corruption; and the current impeachment proceedings, asking that the truth be made known, whatever it might be.
The stupid man cannot know;
the fool cannot understand this:
that though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
Lord, there is so much wickedness around us: gangs in prisons using cell phones to coordinate fights, lawyers that use their position to abuse justice, and much more. We also confess wickedness in our own hearts, anger and hatred of others, even our brothers and sisters in Christ, our own manipulating to get our own way, and much more. O Lord, bring justice and, O God, bring mercy. Let there people delivered from their sin through Christ, but where that will not be, let justice reign, evildoers be caught, and those that oppose what is good to be punished.
For behold, your enemies, O LORD,
for behold, your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
We trust in you, Jesus our Rock and Redeemer, and we ask by your grace, Holy Spirit, that you would indeed make us upright in heart that we would live lives of blessing others, flourishing in righteousness and love. You have set your Church apart by calling us as your Holy People, so sanctify us that we would live lives of justice, mercy, peace, fearing the Lord, doing justice, and walking humbly with our God, especially here at Heritage and in Oklahoma City and Edmond.
AsHills and Plains Presbytery meets this week, we ask you to strengthen our ministers and elders and deacons. Keep us always true to your Word, preaching Your gospel, and living lives worthy of those called to the offices of your Church, that lives would be an example to all that see us and that we would wisely shepherd the sheep put into the care of the churches in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri. Give the presbytery wisdom in business. May all of our churches be full of love, full of people that would preach and teach your word rightly, that your people may be built up.
Also, help all of us here today to speak to others of our faith in Christ, of salvation in Jesus in ways that wouldn’t be nonsense or insensitive, that wouldn’t be utterly foreign or weird, but Holy Spirit, truly give us words, reverse Babel, so when we would talk about the Bible and our Savior to other-than-Christian people around us they would hear, understand, and even believe. Give many people here the privilege of talking with others about Jesus and even getting to lead others to salvation in Jesus. We lift up to you now specific people we would like to see come to know Jesus Lord. (Silence)
Open up chances for us to talk with those people about our faith in Jesus this week or this month.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
And yet as we trust in you, we know that physical maladies, spiritual oppression, and biological malfunction can lead to immense emotional and psychological problems. We lift up to you especially those military men and women struggling with suicidal thoughts and ask that you deliver them from tragically killing themselves, we lift anyone we might know of struggling with suicidal thoughts up to you now. (Short Silence) We also lift up to you all those who are struggling with depression, anxiety, fear, and other spiritual and psychological problems, for we know that often our problems are truly far beyond our control, because of malfunctions of the body and mind, but this not beyond your reach. We lift those suffering up to you now. (Silence) Heal them, O Lord. Provide them the care they need, and minister to their minds, souls, and bodies.
KEEP, we ask you, O Lord, your Church with your
perpetual mercy; and, because the frailty of man without
you cannot but fall, keep us ever by your help from all
things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our
salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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