Thursday, February 24, 2022
Opening Prayer:
O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know my thoughts before I think them. You know my words before I speak them. You know my past, my present, and my future. Awaken me now, to seek you while you may be found, to call upon you while you are near, And to live a life that brings glory to your name.
Confession of Sin & Prayer for Grace
Word of God Incarnate: you came to this world to accomplish salvation. By your grace, you call me to repent, to be crucified with you, and to be raised as a new creation. But I confess that often I do not live as a renewed person! I “go with the flow” instead of stemming the tide of sin. I allow the fruit of the Spirit to be choked out by the weeds of evil. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake, and help me show evidence every day of your kingdom’s reign in my heart.
Old Testament Reading: Hosea 2:14-23
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
New Testament Reading: 2 Corinthians 3
Prayer of Adoration:
Holy Spirit: where you are, there is freedom! I adore you for your work of liberation. You are setting me free from the shackles of sin, transforming me from one degree of glory to another, by helping me behold the glory of Christ. Thank you for the mystery and majesty of your invisible work.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 131
Prayer of Consecration
Lord God: let this gentle image of mother and child rebuke my drive for power, status, and visibility. I live in a world driven by image and influence. This world insists that I play along, but when I do, it traps me in a false version of myself. So let me respond to the invitation of this Psalm. Let me say with the Psalmist: O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high. Let this prayer orient and simplify my inner life today. I’m endlessly tempted to occupy myself with things to great and marvelous for me, but in your wisdom you’ve limited my capacity so that I might understand my place as a created thing. Give me the inner disposition of the contented child resting with his mother. Let me love the simplicity of dependence and invisibility, because I’m known and enjoyed by you. Amen.
BENEDICTION
And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and always, until the day of Christ's return.
