Thursday, March 9, 2023
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
Almighty God: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the working of your Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, joyfully obey you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ, our Lord: Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Ecclesiastes 5
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 Corinthians 10:1-22
Prayer of Adoration:
Holy God, I worship you as my sustainer and keeper. Thank you for the mystery of participation in the body and blood of Christ. Thank you for your sustaining grace in temptation. And thank you for these warnings, that I may not fall into presumption or complacency.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 54
Prayer of Consecration
Lord, help me to be a careful student of David’s example today. In this Psalm, he expresses anxiety and suffering to You; he recalls Your faithfulness; and he responds with gratitude. I know my own soul. I know its old habit of withdrawing from You when my life is messy, confusing, or painful. My instinct is to pull away and try to fix things myself, only coming to you when I feel more presentable. But your word reminds me that you invite my weakness. When the psalm says, “behold, God is my helper,” that’s because you know that I need help, that my frame is dust, and that I must be rescued. So today, will you graciously form my inner person away from self-reliance? Use the circumstances of this day to build in me an instinctive and ongoing return to your love, for Jesus’ sake.
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.
