Wednesday Morning Prayer, 19 Aug 2020

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

O Lord, show your mercy upon us; and grant us your salvation.
O Lord, guide those who govern us; and lead us in the way of justice and truth.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness; and let your people sing with joy

“I pray that God, the source of hope,
will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him.”
(Romans15:13)

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: Psalm 111 / 112 (NLT)

Psalm 111:1-4

Praise the Lord!

I will thank the Lord with all my heart
as I meet with his godly people.
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in him should ponder them.
Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.

He causes us to remember his wonderful works.
How gracious and merciful is our Lord!

Psalm 112:1-4

Praise the Lord!

How joyful are those who fear the Lord
and delight in obeying his commands.
Their children will be successful everywhere;
an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
They themselves will be wealthy,
and their good deeds will last forever.
Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.

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Psalm 111 and 112 (first 4 verses of each) – MIQEDEM (in original Hebrew – for translation turn on CC!

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Scripture Reading

Romans 15:1-13 (NLT)

We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:

“For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing praises to your name.”

And in another place it is written,

“Rejoice with his people,
you Gentiles.”

And yet again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles.
Praise him, all you people of the earth.”

And in another place Isaiah said,

“The heir to David’s throne will come,
and he will rule over the Gentiles.
They will place their hope on him.”

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Reflection:

Confident Hope (Matthew Henry)

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him.
Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:13)

God is the God of hope. He is the foundation on which our hope is built, and he is the builder that doth himself raise it: he is both the object of our hope, and the author of it.

The joy and peace of believers arise chiefly from their hopes…. this is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Prayer:

God the source of our hope:

+ Fill us with true heavenly joy, that satisfies the deep longing of our souls….

+ Produce in us unspeakable joy, through the powerful working of your Holt Spirit….

+ Fill us with peace of conscience, the confident assurance of sins confessed and forgiven….

+ Strengthen our faith, in the goodness and love of Christ – the substance and evidence of our hope….

We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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“Confidence” – Sanctus Real

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Closing: Romans 15:13

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.