Wednesday, May 1, 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
Merciful Father, I come into your presence with deep gratitude, for I am no longer under the law but under grace. Resting in that truth, I freely confess my brokenness and my weakness before you. Instead of worshiping you, I have put myself at the center of my life. Instead of honoring others, I have withheld words of blessing and spoken words of harm. Have mercy on me, for Jesus' sake. By your Holy Spirit, awaken in me today passionate worship, joyful obedience, and wholehearted love for others. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 35
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: 1 John 4:7-21
Prayer of Adoration:
Father: thank you for sending your Son to be the Savior of the world. And thank you for giving us your Spirit. I worship you for your great love, which you have made manifest by sending your only Son into the world to be the propitiation for our sins.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 22:19-31
Prayer of Consecration
O God: do not be far off. Come quickly to my aid. As I read this psalm, awaken in me a deeper longing for communion with you. You see my anxieties; you understand my concerns; you invite me to pour out my heart before you. So I bring to you now the needs and concerns of this day. I place them before you and ask you to intervene in each situation and to fill me with wisdom in each interaction. When I reflect on my life, I see your hand continually preserving me and providing for me. But it’s not enough to remember these things in private. I’ll praise you in the great congregation, joining with your people to tell stories of your faithfulness. And I’ll pray for the day when “all the ends of the earth turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations worship before you.” Hasten that day, O God, through the proclamation of the gospel to the ends of the earth.
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.
