"Shout for Joy" - 7 April 2019


(This congregational/pastoral prayer is drawn from Psalm 33)


Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. O God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our hearts are glad, and we continue to lift our voices in thanksgiving and praise! And we now pray in Jesus’ name:

For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. As your upright word goes forth from your preachers, evangelists, pastors and teachers, may it not return to you void, but accomplish what you please and prosper in the thing for which you sent it. May your church, including this congregation, as well Mayfair Church of Christ, Memorial Rd. Church of Christ, Midway Church of Christ and Northeast Church of Christ, display your righteousness, exhibit your justice and thrive in your steadfast love as we are reformed by your word and your way.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. O God who directs jet streams and weather patterns make the earth bountiful with your plenty. Bestow abundance and success, but may we never be beaten and bound by our abundance and success!

Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Empower your missionaries to boldly and compassionately bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ into all lands. Open doors that are closed; open homes that are locked; open universities, colleges, schools and medical institutions that are barred.

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! O Father, we implore you to work in our own nation so that your counsels and plans might prevail in this land from the atriums of power to the alleyways of poverty!

The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. O Lord God, may the parties, factions, organizations, and societies that promote degeneracy or savagery be stopped dead in their tracks, brought to their knees, and submit themselves to you! We also implore your graciousness and generosity to flow into the lives of our friends and loved ones who don’t know you.

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Give your help and healing to those who are weak, worried or worn thin by sickness, sadness or sudden misadventure…protect those traveling…and provide for those without jobs…

Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

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