Saturday Morning Prayer, 08 Aug 2020
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening: (Luke 1:78-79)
God’s love and kindness will shine upon us
like the sun that rises in the sky.
On us who live in the dark shadow of death
this light will shine to guide us
into a life of peace.
“Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. “
Romans 7:25
Collect for Purity
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Scripture Reading (NLT)
Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
When evil people come to devour me,
when my enemies and foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
I will remain confident.
God Is My Light (Psalm 27) – The Psalm Project
The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.
For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
singing and praising the Lord with music.
Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Do not turn your back on me.
Do not reject your servant in anger.
You have always been my helper.
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,
O God of my salvation!
Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will hold me close.
Teach me how to live, O Lord.
Lead me along the right path,
for my enemies are waiting for me.
Do not let me fall into their hands.
For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;
with every breath they threaten me with violence.
Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.
Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
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Scripture Reading (NLT
Romans 7:4-6, 18-25
So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.
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And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
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Reflection on: “living in the Spirit”
“Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.”
Romans 7:6
+ The Law says: “Here are the rules and you had better keep them.” But it gives us no power for keeping the law.
“Instead of being a dynamo that gives us power to overcome, the Law is a magnet that draws out of us all kinds of sin and corruption.” (Wiersbe)
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
(Romans 7:18)
“No man knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good.” (C.S. Lewis)
Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 7:24-25)
+ The Spirit says: “Get outside of yourself!” look to Jesus for deliverance; there is victory in Jesus!
There is power in the name of Jesus!
Deliverance Prayer– Meg Bucher
Father, Today, as we begin our prayer, we praise You, for You say we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). This world is hard. It threatens to crush us in many ways. Physically, we cannot always outrun the ailments of our bodies. Sickness and injury take hold of us, and we are not always healed to the original state of our health. Mentally, we are bombarded and pulled at by unfiltered thoughts threatening to run away with our self-esteem on a daily basis. Spiritually, You promise us a battle in this life. John 10: 10-11 reminds us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Bring our hearts to focus on Your Truth at the start of each day, expecting a battle, but also deliverance.
Father, in overwhelming moments help us to recall the truth of Psalm 32:7, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Remind us of the greats of faith that have gone before us in bravery, with courageous faith in Your protective hand of deliverance.
David defeated Goliath against all odds, and even after running for his life from King Saul cried out to You in faith to deliver Him. Even after he made terrible mistakes, but You delivered David, loving him still. For Paul, who tortured and had other Christians killed, You never left him even in his own jail cell. What we don’t understand is how much You love us regardless of our faults and fears. Help us to believe and strengthen our faith in Your love, for the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
Galatians 5:1 calls us to action, to stand firm in our faith. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Help us turn from shame, make a way for kindness, and rise up for those who can’t speak for themselves and find a way to make sure those who are burdened by distorted thoughts of who they are. Equip us, through the lessons of our own deliverance, to become ambassadors for Your love. For You assure us when we seek You, we will find You, when we seek You with all of our hearts. (Jeremiah 29:13)
Father we are grateful that You hear us and care for us beyond our understanding. “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” Psalm 34:17 We prayerfully proclaim deliverance in our own lives, and in the lives of those suffering next door to us, and around the world. We cry out to You in faith that You will deliver us from our physical pain and mental anguish. “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” Psalm 107:6
Help us to let go of our timeline and embrace Your process and Your perfect timing. We live in a “have to have it now” world, but Your ways surpass the convenience of free shipping and next day delivery. Give us the faith and patience to embrace Your process and purpose for our lives, remembering Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
When others mislabel us, give us the grace to pray for and empathize with them, but maintain the truth of what You say about us, and who You say we are. May we always remember to love others above all else (1 Peter 4:8) but have the inner strength to discount and discern lies from Your Truth. Kids aren’t the only ones that are bullied and teased. Tune our ears to Your voice of grace, love and kindness, as we respond and react to the attacks of others. Heal our distorted thoughts and broken-down boundaries. Help us to shield our hearts from shame and separate our mistakes and missteps from our magnificent purpose in life.
Grant us the courage to be brave and courageous as Jesus was when he walked this earth, yet kind and compassionate at the same time. Make the impossible possible in our lives as we seek Your will in our lives over our own vindication and defense mechanisms. Help us to remember this powerful truth: “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.” James 5:13
Deliver us, Father, from the everyday attacks on our conscience, health, relationships, and beyond. From what we can see coming and would never expect, protect and deliver us from anything that threatens to throw us off Your course for our lives. Give us strength to love people that are seemingly unlovable without compromising our character as Christians. Build a confidence in us that is unstoppable and immovable but guard our hearts from pride. Deliver us from our distorted thoughts, sickness, debt, sadness, struggles, hunger, pain, fear, oppression, conflict, and unbelief, for we proclaim Your Peace over our lives through prayer, today. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10 Help us to put on Your armor, daily, Father. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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“Spirit Lead Me” – Michael Ketterer & Influence Music
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Closing -(Romans 7:24-25
Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
__________
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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