Wednesday, February 22, 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
Lord Jesus, today I enter the season of Lent mindful of my sin, my weakness, and my mortality. I confess that I often avoid introspection, reflection, and mindfulness. I do not number my days or consider the brevity of life. So today, I invite You to humble me; to chasten me; to convict me. Bring me low in deep awareness of my fragile and faltering condition. May dust and ashes point the way to joy and gladness through union with your eternal Son. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
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: 2 Corinthians 5:16-6:10
Prayer of Adoration:
I magnify you, O God, because in Christ you have reconciled the world to yourself, and given your people the ministry of reconciliation. For our sake you made him who knew no sin, to be sin. In Christ, the old has passed away; the new has come!
Psalm Reading: Psalm 51
Prayer of Consecration
O God, this psalm is a cry of sorrow over sin and a plea for forgiveness. As I join my prayer to it, guide me into right repentance. Sharpen my conviction over my sin. Heal and restore the sensitivity of my conscience. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and give me renewed passion for total integrity before you. You are delighted by truth in my inward being; you want me to learn wisdom in my secret heart, so that I can know true authenticity and freedom. Wherever repentance is needed in my life, I welcome the searching eye of your all-knowing Spirit. It may be costly and painful, like bones breaking. But the psalm says, “let the bones that you have broken rejoice.” You’re not interested in showy acts of sacrifice; you love a broken and contrite heart. And you have promised to forgive all my sin through the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. So restore to me the joy of your salvation today, 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.
