Monday, August 7, 2023
Opening Prayer:
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Confession of Sin & Prayer for Grace
Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbor as myself. In your mercy, forgive what I have been, help me amend what I am, and direct what I shall be, so that I may delight in your will and walk in your ways, for the glory of your holy name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord: Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 37:1-28
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 14:22-36
Prayer of Adoration:
Lord Jesus, like your servant Peter, I am half-hearted, caught between faith and doubt. Yet you are patient and faithful. I adore you for your assuring presence and your patience with me.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 14
Prayer of Consecration
O God, there is no one who does good, and this includes me. Left to myself, I am a fool, corrupt of heart and committed to self. But you have sent the Lord Jesus Christ to live for me, to die for me, and to rise for me. You have called me from darkness to light, and given your Holy Spirit to transform me, changing my desires and bringing forth a whole new kind of obedience. I thank you for your grace in my life. And I pray that you would help me believe more deeply in the radical nature of grace. Drive home to me the futility of life without you. Remind me that there is none who seeks you - not even one. No amount of religious striving can change the human heart - we must be born again! And that is what you offer us in Jesus. Today, help me embrace the bad news of total depravity, that I might rejoice more fully in the gospel of grace.
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.
