Deus Misereatur

Adoration and Intercession: Lord God, our refuge, our hiding place in the storm, our mighty Savior triumphant over your and our foes; we give thanks to you, and declare that your steadfast love endures forever! Mighty Ruler and only real Potentate; king of kings and Lord of lords (1Timothy 6.15); who elevates nations and empires, to employ them for your purposes, and topples them when they have soured and sunk into sin: we pray for our country that you would preserve us – but not in our sin. Preserve us as a nation of justice and righteousness – even if it’s only a civil righteousness! Grant us to see our self-destructive ways with honesty and clarity, and to turn from them – just as you did Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just” (Genesis 18.25)? O Lord, hear our prayer. We pray on behalf of your Church world-over; this congregation; Westmoore Community Church; Wheatland Methodist Church; Wildewood Christian Church, Word of God ...

Your servant, Augustine, once rightly observed; “There is a joy which is not given to the ungodly, but to those who love you for your own sake, whose joy is you yourself. And this is the happy life: to rejoice in you, of you, for you. This is true joy, and there is no other” (“Confessions,” 10.22). We declare our agreement! You yourself are our true joy, and there is no other. But we acknowledge that we are often lured into seeking our joy in success at work, or the feats of our families, or triumphs of our own achievements. Lord God, forgive us! Help us to be fully persuaded that your yourself are our greatest joy, and loving you for your own sake is our utmost good. O Lord, hear our prayer. As we prayed last week: O God most high, we acknowledge that you are right and just, even when your wrath is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who often suppress your truth in unrighteousness. We love this nation you have providentially placed us in. But ...