Deus Misereatur

  O LORD, you who are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, (Exodus 34:6-7): we lay before you our prayers for your world and your church. And so we pray in the name of Christ; O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth (Psalm 54:2). For those who have no one to pray for them: alone, abandoned, abducted, enslaved, ignored, or eliminated, please take up their cause, O Lord, and show them that you know them and know where they are. Rescue them, raise them up, refresh them, and restore them to their families or to society. And where evilness and iniquity have entrapped them, bring justice. And so we pray; O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth . For those who are ailing; for those who have received disappointing diagnoses; for those buried under a suffocating pile of bills...

  (From my letter to my congregation sent out on 15 April 2026) Since life at Heritage is about truth, worship, and Christian love to equip us in making disciples who will belong and believe with us as we grow in truth, worship, and Christian love, then we are rightly concerned about being disciple makers. In the words of Kevin DeYoung, “If you walk with God and walk with people, you’ll reach the next generation” (“The (Not-So-Secret) Secret to Reaching the Next Generation,” pg. 4). Simply put, disciple-making is not a program or project, but a person-to-person lifestyle, and our Lord Jesus has placed it in our hands with a powerful promise (Matthew 28:19-20).   Besides one-on-one fellowship ( Part 2 ) and parents raising their children ( Part 1 ), another venue where disciple-making naturally happens is in our Care Groups [Some congregations call them Life Group, Community Groups, or Small Groups]. The time we spend together eating, fellowshipping, applying Scripture to our...

  Almighty God, Heavenly Father, you have summoned us to pray for the Church and the world, that your grace and salvation might become known to all. And you have promised that as we pray in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, you hear us and answer us. And so we pray in the name of Christ, hear in heaven our prayer and our plea, and maintain our cause (1 Kings 8:45). For those in need, the poor and the hungry, the homeless and unemployed, the sick and lonely (…). May they receive the right help at the right time in their distress and find real relief. And so we pray, hear in heaven our prayer and our plea, and maintain our cause . For those who have not yet believed; all in spiritual need; and those who have stumbled and fallen (…). For all of these we pray you to bring them faith, hope and comfort in Jesus Christ. And so we pray, hear in heaven our prayer and our plea, and maintain our cause . For the peace and security of the nations of this world – including Mali, Malta, Marsha...

  O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure…And you will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. You will swallow up death forever; and you, O Lord GOD, will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of your people you will take away from all the earth, for you, O LORD, have spoken” (Isaiah 25:1, 7-8); “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). On this great day as your Church all around this globe, in the Presbyterian Church in America, and in the greater Oklahoma City area, rejoices in the victory you have brought through the resurrection of Christ, we pray for those who have, and are, suffering horribly on behalf of our Lord that you would wipe away their tears and remove their reproach. Bring us all to stand in one Spirit, with one mind, striv...

Paul Mallard, a retired minister, put together a very useful, 160-page softback, "When Children Walk Away from Jesus: Comfort & Hope for Parents of Prodigals." The title tells the reader the whole aim of the work, and who it's for. Millard biblically handles this subject with compassion, sympathy, and clarity. For example, I appreciated how he made very clear that God's promises in Proverbs (especially 22:6) are not automatic. Also, Mallard doesn't shy away from the tougher issues, such as when children of believers begin to think they're a different sex in the wrong body, or when they are burdened with mental health issues, and more. He also nicely handles Titus 1:6 with regard to church leaders when their children walk away from Jesus. As I was reading this book several families came to mind. I thought about what they had dealt with, their heartbreak, and how this little manual would be an aid to them. I'm certain a copy will find its way into their...

  “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down,” declares the Lord GOD. “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice” (Ezekiel 34:15-16 ). It is to you we pray. Look, O Good Shepherd, with compassion on your one flock all around the world, and around the OKC area to include: New Bethel COGIC, Page Sanctuary, Trinity, and Victory COGIC. With rod and staff, comfort the people of your pasture and the sheep of your hand. Seek out your sheep and rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. Seek the lost, and bring back the strayed, and bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak (Ezekiel 34:12, 16). Look, O Good Shepherd, with compassion upon this part of your one flock, Heritage Presbyterian Church. Bring us to dwell securely; to be a more expressive e...