Prayers Drawn from Micah for Vespers - 26 January 2020

Ah, LORD God, you once spoke through your servant Micah about the popular prophets, and how they lead your people astray, crying ““Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths. Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination. The sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be black over them; the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God” (Micah 3:5-7). We pray for those who pervert and twist your truth for their own gain and greed, adulation and advantage (…). Grant them repentance, that they may escape the snare of the devil. Grant them to see what they are and what they’re doing, and how it is blaspheming your name among the unbelievers. And if they will not turn, bring their councils to nothing. O Lord, hear our prayer.

Further, LORD, you promised in Micah that your Son would be born in Bethlehem, and that he would stand and shepherd his flock “in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace” (Micah 5:4-5). And so, we pray, that he would securely shepherd us, fostering even greater peace in us, among us, and through us. And by his leadership and liberation may his name go forth from us and be great to the ends of the earth. We do ask you to open up opportunities for each of us to present the Gospel of our great Shepherd, and that we may enjoy seeing new believers come into this church, 12 household baptisms even, please! And may this congregation continue to flourish with the growth you have been giving us. May many belong and believe with us as together we mature in truth, worship and Christian love. O Lord, hear our prayer. 


Finally, again as you promised in Micah that you would establish your Church on a high hill, to which the nations would flow to hear you, and from which they would go, like leopards and wolves lying down with lambs, beating their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks (Micah 4:1-4). May your Church not only be the place where people meet and hear from you, but may your Church lead the way to peace among the nations by being a people of peace. Where Hatfields and McCoys, Shias and Sunnis, Hutus and Tutsis can actually worship together and love one another; where Billy Yanks and Johnny Rebs, Crips and Bloods can lay down their arms and embrace one another because of Jesus, turning from bloodletting to believing together. O Lord, hear our prayer.

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