Thursday Morning Prayer, 27 Aug 2020

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

Opening:

Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“[God’s] peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.“
(Philippians 4:7b)

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Scripture: Psalm 122:6-9, 123 (NLT)

Psalm 122:6-9 (NLT)

Pray for peace in Jerusalem.
May all who love this city prosper.
O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls
and prosperity in your palaces.
For the sake of my family and friends, I will say,
“May you have peace.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.
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Psalm 123:1-4 (NLT)

I lift my eyes to you,
O God, enthroned in heaven.
We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy,
just as servants keep their eyes on their master,
as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,
for we have had our fill of contempt.
We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud
and the contempt of the arrogant.
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Psalm 122:6 – Shalom Jerusalem – paul wilbur

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Scripture Reading

Philippians 4:4-9 (NLT)

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

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Reflection:

God’s peace

“[God’s] peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:7b)

•  God’s peace comes to us as a gift from God.
• God’s peace describes a relationship that we enter into through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
• God’s peace is beyond our ability to understand and to explain; it must be experienced.

“What is God’s peace? The unruffled serenity of the infinitely-happy God, the eternal composure of the absolutely well-contented God.” (Spurgeon)

Guard your hearts and minds

The peace of God is on guard over our hearts and minds.

“God’s peace, like a sentinel, patrols before the heart.” (Vincent)

“Shall keep them as in a strong place or a castle.” (Clarke)

This peace will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus; it will keep us from sinning under our troubles, and from sinking under them; keep us calm and sedate, without discomposure of passion, and with inward satisfaction. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, Isa. 26:3. (Matthew Henry)

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Prayer:

Heavenly Father: Guard my heart and mind through Christ Jesus, and grant me your peace –

+ that I may focus on what’s true, and ignore what’s false….
+ that I may focus on what’s honorable, and ignore what’s deceptive….
+ that I may focus on what’s right, and ignore what’s wrong….
+ that I may focus on what’s pure, and ignore what’s corrupt….
+ that I may focus on what’s lovely, and ignore what’s ugly….
+ that I may focus on what’s admirable, and ignore what’s shameful….

Heavenly Father: Guard my heart and mind through Christ Jesus, that I may practice what I know to be true, and experience your peace. Amen.

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“Think On These Things” – Bob Wilson

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Closing: 

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  (Philippians 4:8)

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