"O God, the Father Almighty" - 5 July 2015 PM


O God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, who executes lovingkindness, justice and righteousness in the earth, and in these you delight (Jeremiah 9.24); hear us as we draw near and intercede for your Church and the world.

We pray for your Church throughout the nations, as well as for Crossings Community Church; Shartel Church of God; South Agnew Church of God; Edmond Church of God; and Southern Hills Church of God. Fill us with courage and godly determination as we aim at seeking first your kingdom and your righteousness; fill up all our lack, grant us good health; guide our every step in holy ways, strengthening our desire to be faithful Disciples of Christ. And grant us to treat our enemies and detractors with the same gracious kindness with which you treated us when we were your enemies. O Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord God, whose delight is seen in your readiness to show mercy; be gracious to all those who have strayed away from your ways, and those who are on the verge…Bring them again, with penitent hearts and steadfast faith, to embrace and hold fast to your Son, Jesus Christ, to the unchangeable truth of your Word, and to the fellowship of your church. O Lord, hear our prayer.

O Eternal God, through whose mighty power our forbearers won their liberties of old; Grant, we beseech you, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord (adapted from The Book of Common Prayer – 1928). O Lord, hear our prayer.

Hear us, O Lord, as we petition your most holy, wise and powerful preserving and governing of the nations of this world. O Lord God, look and see, for the world – in so many places – looks crazy, weird and out of control! Please bring under control the warring factions and chaotic turmoil plaguing many countries, and please restore peace and wholesome order. O Lord, hear our prayer.


We intercede on behalf of those who are distressed with poor health, scanty finances, family strife, along with nerve-wracking fears and tumultuous anxieties….. Raise them up, giving them hope, health and all the resources they need to recover. O Lord, hear our prayer.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?" (Rev. Ed.) by John Fea. A Review

Image
  John Fea is a professor of history at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA. A university founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church. He originally published "Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction" in 2011, and it was revised in 2016. This 328-page paperback is packed full with Colonial and American history, drawing from original sources to answer that question. It is a book written "for the historically minded and thoughtful reader who is looking for help in sorting" out this question, avoiding polemics (xix). Since we live in a sound-bite culture, Fea recognizes that it is difficult to have a sustained dialogue on this topic, but he makes a valiant effort toward having that sustained dialogue. The book reads fairly straightforward, and doesn't seem to get bogged down in the contentious mudpuddles or bogs. In the end, Fea seems to get his point across. To answer the reigning question if America was founded as a Christian...
Read more

Union with Christ - An Application

Image
  (This was my weekly letter to my congregation on Wednesday, 21 February 2024) This morning in my devotional reading, I was working through 1 Corinthians 8. Though I’ve read these words a huge number of times over the years, today one verse caused me to stop and take stock.  Paul wrote, “ Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ ” (1 Corinthians 8:12). What struck me is a couple of things. First, in God’s saving work, we are – by grace alone – united (hitched, bonded, ingrafted) to Christ so much so, that what happens to us happens to him, and what is his becomes ours (think of Galatians 2:20, for example). As Sinclair Ferguson put it, “through union with Christ all that is his by incarnation becomes ours through faith” (“The Christian Life,” 110). Let that percolate in your heart for a while. Your fear, anxiety, tears, and so forth, he feels. And his “ Peace, be still ” is yours. Second, the way we treat one an...
Read more

"Ah, Lord! We are Animated by Anger and Anxiety, Fear and Fury..."

Image
I hesitate to put this out there because of the combative environment we are in at present. But I think some souls will take courage from this, and some will also join with me as we get to the end of this little composition. I am struck by the words of God in Zechariah 8. As he rehearses the waywardness and faithlessness of his people in the past, he clearly declares that he " set every man against his neighbor " (8:10). That got me thinking long ago. I started putting the pieces together and realized that one of God's acts of judgment is division, setting a man against his neighbor. That's what happened when he divided his people into the northern tribes and southern tribes (see 1 Kings 11:26-40). Because of Solomon's turning aside, allowing his wives to turn his heart away from the God of his father, David, the Lord brings about a rift in God's people. And this pattern of divisive judgment runs throughout Scripture. On the other hand, truthful unity is the g...
Read more