Thursday, September 2, 2021
Opening Prayer:
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
Confession of Sin & Prayer for Grace
"Holy Spirit: because of my union with Christ, you dwell within me. Yet I confess that I still live according to the flesh. I do not live in conscious dependence upon you. I do not walk in vital communion with you. I am self-reliant and self-trusting, more defined by this age than by the age to come. Forgive me, Gracious Father, for neglecting the gift of your Spirit. Today, fill me afresh with the Spirit’s presence. Revive my soul. Renew my zeal. Release your power in me, for the glory of Your name.
Old Testament Reading: 1 Kings 8:22-60
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: Romans 13
Prayer of Adoration:
God, I adore you for your just rule over all creation. Because all authority ultimately belongs to you, I can submit to those you have put in authority over me. Help me to honor you by honoring others, that I may display the glory of your gospel to a cynical world.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 105:23-45
Prayer of Consecration
Oh God, this Psalm looks back to the Exodus, remembering how you delivered your people from Egypt. You remembered your promise; you brought your people from bondage to freedom; you gave them a land; and you did all this that they might keep your laws and live as a distinct people. And I know that in Jesus, you have accomplished an even greater Exodus! You have fulfilled all your promises; you have released us from the bondage of sin; you have made us citizens of your kingdom; and you have done all of this so that we might live for your glory in the world. So today, remind me of the joy of deliverance! Whatever difficult circumstances I am facing, remind me that they pale in comparison to the joy of being united with Christ and set free from sin. Let me never return to Egypt! Instead, let me live today in joyful obedience to my Redeemer, rejoicing in the freedom he has won for me.
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.
