Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Opening Prayer:
O Lord, you have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn me away in anger. Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
Confession of Sin & Prayer for Grace
O Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, cold of heart and impure, in your Kingdom. Deliver me from every ignorance and heedlessness, from pettiness of soul and stony hardness of heart. O Lord, save me from temptation; receive me in repentance; grant me pure thoughts; that I may love You with all my heart and soul and that I may obey your will in all things to the glory of your name. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7
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: Ephesians 3:1-12
Prayer of Adoration:
Sovereign God: I adore you for the mystery kept hidden through ages and generations, but now revealed in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus, the true Israel, the Gentiles are welcomed in to your covenant promises! I revel in your manifold wisdom which is made known through the church as your people are gathered into one family in Christ.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 139
Prayer of Consecration
O God: today I invite you to search me and know me. You’re already intimately acquainted with everything that will happen today. You’re already aware of my every thought and word. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? I confess all the ways that I live as though I can hide from you; as though you don’t already know my deepest parts. In reality, you know me more deeply than I know myself. So transform me through your intimate knowledge and steadfast love. When I’m tempted to pursue satisfaction in false things, don’t let me wander. Hem me in, behind and before, and let your right hand hold me fast. Whether my life today requires me to travel great distances, or whether I hold my outpost in one place, you’re here with me. Lead me in the way everlasting.
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.
