Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Opening Prayer:
O Lord, God of my salvation, every day I call upon you, in the morning my prayer comes before you. Incline your ear to my cry! For my soul is full of troubles, and my strength fails. Renew me each morning with your steadfast love, that I may rejoice and be glad all my days.
Confession of Sin & Prayer for Grace
Almighty God, I confess today my worry and anxiety. Instead of resting in your sovereignty, I fear the unknown. Instead of bringing my requests before you in prayer, I worry and fret. Instead of letting you be God, I fight for control. Forgive me, O Lord. Help me to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. Set me free from all anxious thoughts today. Give me contentment and peace, for you have assured me that if I seek your kingdom, I will not lack any good thing. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-14
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: Mark 2:23-3:6
Prayer of Adoration:
I adore you, Jesus, for showing us the true meaning of the Sabbath. Thank you that you came to do good, and to open the way to God’s eternal rest. I rest in you as I await your coming Shalom.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 30
Prayer of Consecration
Lord, make me a good student of your word. This psalm has something to teach me; give me ears to hear it. Parts of it are worshipful and celebratory, but there are also hints that the Psalmist has suffered after presumptuously assuming himself to be prosperous and secure. O Lord, if I worship prosperity, security, and comfort, I humbly invite your correction. You know that complete prosperity isn’t good for my soul. Even the joys of hope need to be mixed with the pains of experience, that I might trust in you more deeply. So let me follow the pattern of the psalm: let me turn from my sin; let my repentance be met with grace and restoration; and let Your mercy be glorified. Take my shame, and dress me in the true gladness that comes from walking with you.
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.
