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O God, Your church faces great difficulty. We need You. Deliver us from trouble and shame. You are the God of heaven. We confess our sins before You. Please hear us and help us. We return to You now according to Your Word. We cast off all sinful patterns of thinking and living, and seek the gift of Your Spirit in fuller measure. Hear our prayer, and grant us success in our desire to serve You. Lord God, teach us the appropriate boldness of Your servants as You call us to a great work. May we turn to You continually in prayer. Grant us success in the mission of Your choosing. Your good hand will be upon Your children for the sake of Your Son. Fill us with hope in the darkest of nights. Show us the brokenness of Your kingdom and give us a vision for the rebuilding of Your holy city. Grant to us allies in faith who will believe with us in the calling that You have placed upon our hearts. Teach us to take courage, even in the face of opposition. Our Father, we must take a first step when we are engaged in a great work. Should we be successful in that first step, give us energy and wisdom for the next thing in front of us. If we would build the wall around the city, we have no choice but to go step by step. While there are those who may consider themselves above hard work, Your men and women who love Your Name will count it a privilege to work on the mission that You have given to Your people. While each of us is weak and lacking in many important attributes, You are in the midst of Your people, and are capable of using us in exciting ways. The work that You have for us is a person to person mission. What will do in Your kingdom if we will not love Your people? You must fill us with the love of Christ, so that the work will move ahead in accord with Your holy will. Father God, You must be with us when our enemies mock us and laugh at the mission that You have given to us. Hear us, O Lord, for we are despised. Could it be that some of those who hate us might be granted a true heart of repentance? Many will only be moved to anger if we seem to succeed. They will not be humbled. Even within our ranks people may arise who counsel that we must abandon the work. Teach us to be wise in our thinking and in our tasks. Protect us with help from on high. May we daily hear Your Word in the depths of our hearts. Grant us a godly plan and strength of heart. May Your enemies be put to shame when they see Your faithfulness, for You know how to use our weakness for Your glory. Our God, will we destroy our own people in Your church and ruin Your mission from within? Grant us godly leaders who will move forward in truth. We need to walk in Your fear. We need to use our resources in a godly way. We must not abuse the weak. Sanctify Your people and purify Your church. Teach us the blessing of not taking what may seem to be our right, so that we can care for those who need our help. May many people be fed at our tables and give glory to Your Name, for You are the Giver of every good gift. Father God, why must there be those who conspire against Your people? We are doing a great work, and it is a work that You have called us to do. Make us wise to know how and when to reply to the baseless accusations of those who seek to harm Your people. Help us not to run away because of the fear of men. We must do what You command, and not be unduly moved by the plots of those who seek to frighten us. You will make a good end to the work that You have called us to do. Lord of Hosts, there is a day of celebration coming. While we wait for that greatest of all Sabbaths, there is yet work to be done. Put it within the hearts of Your people to consider seriously and deeply that our names are recorded in the Book of Life. When our callings require steadfast perseverance, help us to remember that You have chosen us from before the foundation of the world. Bring about a most glorious celebration at just the right time. Send forth Your Son, together with the holy angels and all who rest in Christ above. May our King separate the righteous from the wicked in perfect wisdom, that we might live in Your grace and rejoice in Your mercy forever. We have a godly heritage in this Son of David. In Him we can prove that we are rightly in the land of promise, for He is Your eternal Son. He has given Himself for our salvation. Gather together the whole assembly of Your people that we might rejoice in Your presence forever. Even now we give You gifts out of the blessings that You have kindly bestowed upon us. May we dwell peacefully and joyfully in Your land forever. Father, we want to hear Your Word. Bring Your truth before Your assembly. Grant Your servants diligence in speaking and explaining Your Word, so that Your people may receive the sense of the Word that is spoken in their presence. May we rejoice in Your truth together. Teach us to love You with our minds and also with our hearts, our souls, and our strength. Teach us to hear and receive the joy of the Lord. Your grace is our sure salvation. When we understand Your words, there is hope, and cause for the greatest celebration. Teach us to love the truth that You are coming to dwell with us forever. May we hear Your Word day by day and rejoice in You without end. Lord God, when we truly repent, our hope shines forth in the brilliance of Your grace. Thank You for the day of conviction of sin. Thank You for the will and determination that You grant to Your servants to worship You. Teach us to remember Your great acts of redemption that You have done for Your people in previous days. You have given us a good rule of life, and have provided for all the needs of our bodies and souls. Would we return to the slavery of sin? You will not let us go in the way of foolishness forever. You sustain us, and You lead us. All of Your promises are absolutely faithful. There can be no question about Your goodness. There is also no doubt concerning our sin. We have been hard-hearted. We have hated both Your Law and Your prophets. You have sent us the greatest Savior, Your Son Jesus Christ. According to Your abundant mercy, turn us again to the way of life in Him. Do not make an end of us. Do not forsake us. You who keep covenant for generations, look upon our hardships and have mercy. With true sorrow we acknowledge our sins. Look on us now. We must have You. We give ourselves over to You again. It is our solemn intention to follow You. Never forsake us. Bring us to a place where we will finally and fully give up our love of sinning. Father God, Your Son’s Name is on the seal of the Covenant of Grace. In His faithfulness, we have been granted life. We thank You for His Name, which is the Name above all names. He faced such trouble and pain for our sake. He set His heart upon doing what was right according to Your Law, and He has accomplished this wonderful obedience. He did not need to do this for Himself. He had life through His divine nature forever. Yet He became man and obeyed You as our substitute. He came to build a new house for You, a temple made without hands. We are in that temple, for we are in Him. Glorious Lord, we long to live in Your holy city forever. Teach us to love Your church in all of her brokenness. We know that she is strongly connected to the glorious city to come. If we would be with You there where the streets are paved with gold, help us to be willing to associate our Names with the place where Christ is preached now. We are united together in this family of grace and truth. Must it yet be that Your church will still remain a place of failure and sin? Father, we are in this world in this age of waiting, but we are not of this world. We long for the age to come. Teach us the joy of hope, so that we will love the weak, and gladly receive that friendship from others which is a generous expression of Your care for each of us. Our Father, we are not alone. Thank You for the priesthood of all who believe. We have been given access to the Holy of Holies in Christ. We sing for joy as we worship You even now. You have not left us as orphans. You have given us a testimony, a hope, and a true presence. Thank You for our families and for this assembly of love that You have granted us together in Your church. We are not alone. You are with us now. You will be with us forever. Where You are, You are surely not alone. Hear our praise as we sing to You, joining our voices to those who praise You above. What great music there must be in Your presence day by day! What a wonderful celebration is coming when Your choir on earth will finally hear the voices of those who sing Your praises above. We rejoice in You. We look for the appearing of the Jerusalem that is above. We give of our substance with the great hope of a new day, and we thank You most sincerely for all that You have promised to Your people. Glorious God, give us attentiveness to Your Word. Help us to interpret it rightly. Grant us the courage to obey You. There are those who would horribly misuse the resources of Your church. Will we confront leading men who weakly submit to evil enemies among Your beloved bride? We must follow You. Thank You, O Lord, that gentiles have now found a place in Your Kingdom through faith in Christ. Thank You for the rest that we enjoy in Christ. He is our great Sabbath. He bids us even now to draw near and to come to Him. We were weary and heavy-laden, but we have heard Your Word, and we have found true rest for our souls. Teach us to speak the language of Your Kingdom with great joy. Your true Word is the language of grace, the language of faith, and the language of grateful obedience. Cleanse us by the blood of Jesus, and build up Your holy Kingdom. Because of our one great Leader, remember us for good. |