Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Opening Prayer:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Confession of Sin & Prayer for Grace
Merciful God, I confess before you that I have sinned. I have sinned in what I have thought and said; in the wrong I have done and in the good I have not done. I have sinned in ignorance; I have sinned in weakness; I have sinned through my own deliberate fault. I repent and turn to you. Forgive me, for the sake of my merciful Savior Jesus. By your Spirit, transform my desires, renew my affections, and strengthen my obedience, for the glory of your name.
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 7:1-18
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: Matthew 28:1-15
Prayer of Adoration:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the glory of your resurrection. Salvation is at hand; the curse is broken; and the renewal of all things is near. I worship you for your victory over sin and death and Hell!
Psalm Reading: Psalm 58
Prayer of Consecration
Heavenly Father: I long for you to establish your righteousness on the earth. This psalm acknowledges the reality of structural sin. Sometimes, the human leaders who are supposed to ensure justice on earth devise wrongs and deal out violence instead. I ask that you not let me be disheartened by this. Keep me from growing cynical toward all human leaders, or skeptical of every institution. Instead, move me to prayer. With the psalmist, I ask that you would hinder and disrupt the plans of the wicked. Fill my imagination with visions of how I can live righteously in my little corner of the world, trusting that my obedience is not unnoticed by you. Give me wisdom and creativity as I look for ways to enact justice. Help me see and care for the poor and needy; help me encourage the weak and faint-hearted; and help me walk in personal integrity today. May your kingdom come in my world and in my life.
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.
