Morning Prayer, Wednesday, 09 Sep 2020
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
O Lord God, grant me grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and with a pure heart and mind to follow you, the only God; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Sovereign Lord says: “I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people.
I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live.”
(Ezekiel 33:11)
Preparation:
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ my Lord. Amen.
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The New Cloverdale Psalter (2019 Update of 1535 Original)
Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks unto you, O LORD, with my whole heart; *
I will speak of all your marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; *
indeed, my songs will I sing of your Name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies are driven back, *
they shall fall and perish at your presence;
4 For you have maintained my right and my cause; *
you sit on your throne judging right.
5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the ungodly; *
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6 As for the enemy, their destruction has come; they are in perpetual ruin; *
like the cities which you have destroyed, their memory has perished with them.
7 But the LORD sits enthroned for ever; *
he has prepared his seat for judgment.
8 For he shall judge the world in righteousness, *
and minister true judgment to the peoples.
9 The LORD will be a defense for the oppressed, *
even a refuge in the time of trouble;
10 And those who know your Name will put their trust in you, *
for you, LORD, have never failed those who seek you.
11 O praise the LORD who dwells in Zion; *
tell the peoples what things he has done.
12 For when he takes vengeance for blood, he remembers them, *
and forgets not the cry of the poor.
13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider the trouble I suffer from those who hate me, *
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may tell of all your praises within the gates of the daughter of Zion; *
I will rejoice in your salvation.
15 The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made; *
in the same net which they hid secretly is their foot caught.
16 The LORD is known to execute judgment; *
the ungodly are trapped in the works of their own hands.
17 The wicked shall return to the grave, *
even all the peoples that forget God.
18 For the poor shall not always be forgotten; *
the patient hope of the meek shall not perish for ever.
19 Rise up, O LORD, and let them not have the upper hand; *
let the nations be judged in your sight.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD, *
that the nations may know themselves to be merely human.
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(Psalm 9: Zion’s Daughter) – My Soul Among Lions
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Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Proverbs 9: 10-11, 13-18
Wisdom
Respect and obey the Lord! This is the beginning of wisdom. To have understanding, you must know the Holy God. I am Wisdom. If you follow me, you will live a long time.
Stupidity
Stupidity is reckless, senseless, and foolish. She sits in front of her house and on the highest hills in the town. She shouts to everyone who passes by, “If you are stupid, come on inside!” And to every fool she says, “Stolen water tastes best, and the food you eat in secret tastes best of all.” None who listen to Stupidity understand that her guests are as good as dead.
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Consider: Our core values shape how we live our lives. Different values produce different results. Our actions have consequences.
Wise people fear the Holy God; they know God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. They respect and obey God as guided by His Word and Spirit. They live full, satisfying lives now and forever.
Stupid people reject the Holy God, and His Son, Jesus Christ. They live reckless, senseless, and foolish lives, without any thought to the consequences for themselves or others. They are “as good as dead.”
“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes”
Q: Can you think of times when you have done something stupid? What happened?
Q: What kind of lives are the people around you living – wise/stupid? How does that affect you?
Q: On balance, how would you describe the life you’re living now – full, satisfying / as good as dead?
Q: What core values got you to where you are now?
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Prayer:
+ For Trustfulness in Times of Worry
Most loving Father, you will us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on the One who cares for us. Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested unto us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ In Times of Social Conflict
Increase, O God, the spirit of neighborliness among us, that in peril we may uphold one another, in suffering tend to one another, and in homelessness, loneliness, or exile befriend one another. Grant us brave and enduring hearts that we may strengthen one another, until the disciplines and testing of these days are ended, and you again give peace in our time; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ To Please God Rather than Men (Thomas à Kempis)
Our God, in whom we trust: Strengthen us not to regard overmuch who is for us or who is against us, but to see to it that we be with you in everything we do. Amen.
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Good To Be Alive : Jason Gray
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Blessing:
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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