Opening Prayer
“You are my portion, Lord”, says my soul; Therefore I will wait for You. You are good to those who wait for You, to the soul who seeks You. It is good to hope silently for Your salvation -Lamentations 3:24-26 (silent reflection) Prayer of the Bible Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. -Psalm 16:1,5-9,11 (Free expression of praise and thanksgiving to God) Confession of Sin Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who cry out to you. -Psalm 86:3-5 (Time of silence for confession of sin) The Words of Jesus And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. -Mark 10:17-18 (Think deeply on the life and words of Jesus) Prayers for Ourselves and Others Lord, help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ -Galatians 6:2 (Time to bring before God our own needs and the needs of others) Closing Prayer Lord we pray, for this day, that it may not be wasted, but that it might be used in some good positive way: to know you better; to cultivate spiritual things; to do good unto all men; and to give witness to your saving grace to a world thats dying. And now may grace and mercy and peace from God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with us. -A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) |