"Transgression Speaks to the Wicked Deep in his Heart" - 10 July 2016
[This will be the congregational/pastoral prayer at Heritage Presbyterian Church this Sunday. You will notice the occasional ellipsis "..." in various places in the prayer. These are moments of silence in the prayer for our people to silently mention names, and at times I will specifically mention people we are praying for. If you find this prayer useful, feel free to employ it in your church, Bible study, or personal use. Mike]
From
Psalm 36
“Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no
fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his
iniquity cannot be found out and hated. The words of his mouth are trouble and
deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. He plots trouble while on his
bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. Our
hearts, O God, grieve for those who have never repented of their sins, believed
in Christ and avowed him as Lord….save them, work mightily penetrating their
resistance and draw them into your family. / But we also pray for those whose
words are trouble and deceit, who plot trouble on their beds, who set
themselves in a way that is not good and don’t reject evil: Terrorists, snipers,
guerrillas, and the KKK; thuggish leaders of nations and blood-spattered rebels;
thieves, molesters, muggers, and the high-society promotors of death. Restrain
and vanquish their bloodlust, and bring order and honor to fill the void.
Your
steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the
clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are
like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. Stand
up, O God, be present now with your church gathered here, world over, and
especially in Namibia; Nauru; Nepal; Netherlands; Netherlands Antilles; New
Zealand; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; North Korea; and Norway. Protect her from persecutors and pursuers.
Fill her with resilient strength to be faithful and firm in her witness of your
Son, Jesus Christ. Bring your Spirit of Truth to guide her into all truth, and
to turn her away from syncretism with, and surrender to, the pressures of
godlessness and materialism.
How
precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in
the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you
give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain
of life; in your light do we see light. We have feasted on the
abundance of your house, and have drunk from the river of your delights; for
you are our fountain of life, and in your light we see light. May we be a vital
and valid channel through which your Gospel and good will way may go forth into
Edmond, Oklahoma City, Putnam City, Warr Acres, Nichols Hills, Bethany, Luther,
Jones, Yukon, Arcadia, and Carnegie. Shower your goodness on our Mega Sports
VBS, Sunday School, Care Groups, Needlework Guild, our folks in New Mexico and
Belgium, those who serve at Project 66, the Hope Center, Infant Crisis
Pregnancy Center, Henderson Hills Baptist Church mercy ministries, and so forth.
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