Vespers - 13 January 2019


(The first prayer is original to me. The last two prayers are primarily from Evening Prayer from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer that I have slightly modernized, and tweaked. Feel free to use them in your church, Bible Study, Discipling Group, or personal devotions. Mike)


You who are the shoot from the stump of Jesse, the branch from his roots that bears fruit, upon whom the Spirit of the LORD rests, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD, whose delight is in the fear of the LORD; and who does not judge by what your eyes see, or decide disputes by what your ears hear, but with righteousness you judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth (Isaiah 11.1-4). We call upon you for help! We are finite and thus fallible, we judge by what our eyes see and decide disputes by what our ears hear. Therefore, some of our decisions have failed, and some of our counsels have fallen through. Lord, have mercy on us and give us your aid. Guide us in our counsels and lead us in our decisions; especially as we counsel these folks….and as we have to decide on these issues…. May your Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the LORD rest on us and lead us into all truth. O Lord, hear our prayer.

O God, creator and preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech you for all sorts and conditions of men; that you would be pleased to make your ways known unto us, your salvation unto all nations. To this end we ask you to bless the Pardigons, Backyard Missions, the Berrys, Teresa, the Iversons, the Shepherds, the Youngs, and the Bangladesh Pastor’s Project. More especially we pray for your holy Church universal; that she may be so guided and governed by your good Spirit and good Word, that all of us who profess and call ourselves Christians may be led into the way of your  truth, holding to the true faith in the unity created and produced by your Spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed in mind, body, or estate, especially these…; that it may please you to deliver them from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and to comfort and relieve them according to their specific necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy conclusion to all of their afflictions. O Lord, hear our prayer.

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we, your unworthy servants, do give you most humble and hearty thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us, and to all humankind; and we offer up our praises and thanksgivings for your recent mercies granted to us...We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all, for your inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for  the hope of glory. And, we beseech you, give us that due sense of all your mercies, that our hearts may be unhypocritically thankful; and that we show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days. O Lord, hear our prayer.

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