Thursday, October 3, 2024
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
Lord God, although I have been raised with Christ, I have failed to put to death the sin in my heart. I have become complacent and self-satisfied. I have willfully ignored the sin that lingers in my life. Of this I repent and ask for your mercy. Direct me, O Lord, in all my doings with your gracious favor, and further me with your continual help; that in all my works begun, continued, and ended in you, I may glorify your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Proverbs 4
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: Philippians 4:1-20
Prayer of Adoration:
God: I adore you for your peace, which surpasses all understanding. Why should I worry, why should I be anxious, when you promise to supply my every need in Christ? To you be glory forever.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 124
Prayer of Consecration
O God: this psalm deals honestly with the fact that sometimes, life threatens to “swallow us up.” The images of a flood sweeping your people away... a torrent overwhelming them... the raging waters going over them... these are fitting images for troubles of various kinds. But our hope, in all of it, is that the Lord is on our side, and he will not give us up. Thank you, Father, for your faithfulness to your people. Thank you that you haven’t left me alone. Whatever I face today, I face with the sure promise that you are my help. You won’t let me be overcome. This psalm foreshadows what your word says elsewhere, that with every temptation you provide a way of escape. Like the bird escaping the fowler’s net, help me to flee temptation today and call out to you, knowing that you set me free. My help is in the name, character, and glory of the Lord, the maker of heaven and 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.
