Month: May 2022

Much of our praying is just asking God to bless some folks that are ill and to keep us plugging along. But prayer is not merely prattle: it is warfare. (Alan Redpath)

This Week’s Scripture

·         Deuteronomy 30:15-20
·         Psalm 119:1-8
·         1 Corinthians 3:1-9
·         Matthew 1:21-37

Adoration

Psalm 119:1-2
Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,

He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought (verse 1)
He leadeth me: O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
still ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
(Joseph H. Gilmore)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.

Confession

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. (Deuteronomy 30:15-18)

Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Gelasian Sacramentary)

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 of the harvest, you call some of us to plant the seeds of the Gospel of the kingdom. Others of us you move to water the seed to bring the increase. And still, you beckon others to nurture and cultivate that which is already growing. In and through this process, it is you who gives the growth. We give you thanks that you call us to be a part of bringing others to new life in Christ. Yet, we are reminded, O Lord, that it is you and you alone who are sovereign over such things. We are called to be faithful to the Great Commission, but always trusting in you to bring forth fruit. In Christ’s holy name we pray. Amen. (from 1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

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 (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

Lord we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people which call upon thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same. (Thomas Cranmer)

More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. (Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

This Week’s Scripture

·         Isaiah 58
·         Psalm 112
·         1 Corinthians 2
·         Matthew 5:13-20

Adoration

Psalm 112:1-2
     Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (verses 1 & 2)
Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through.
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer, be though still my strength and shield.
(William Williams)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.

Confession

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)

So fill my heart with love for you, that it will become the motive for all the use I make of my mind, my feelings, my senses, my health, my time, my property, and the skills I have received from you. Let me love nothing in this world except as love for you guides me, and so keep me from idolatry. Enable me to be more faithful in love for you during what remains of my life than I have been up to now. Make my resolve firm to love you not merely in words or emotions, but through loyal obedience to your commandments and to your work in the world this day and every day. Amen. (John Wesley)

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 of wisdom, I thank you that your wisdom is not like the wisdom of this age or the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. Indeed yours is the wisdom for all the ages, for you are the infinitely wise God of all times and places, and you give your wisdom freely to all who humbly ask you for it. O Lord of glory, I hardly know how to praise you for that which you have in store for those who love you. But for the gift of your Spirit who reveals your wisdom to those who know and love you, I thank you. I bless and honor you for giving me the mind of Christ, not because I deserved it, but because you are gracious. May I use this very mind, and all the wisdom contained therein, to live for you now and forevermore. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen. (from 1 Corinthians 2:6-16)

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)

·         Spiritual Warfare
·         Growth in Christlikeness
·         Increasing faithfulness in the spiritual disciplines
·         My health
·         For my ordinary appointments and activities to become divine appointments and activities.
·         Other needs

Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others)

·         My Family
·         Mercy for those who are poor and hungry
·         Justice for those who are oppressed and persecuted
·         Peace for those in the midst of war, crime, and violence
·         Other needs

Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is thy power and thy wisdom is infinite.
(The Book of Worship for Church and Home)