Morning Prayer, Tuesday, 22 Sep 2020
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
God most high, your ways are not our ways, for your kindness
is lavished equally upon all. Teach us to welcome your mercy toward others,
even as we hope to receive mercy ourselves. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen
My hope has been in you, O LORD;
I have said, “You are my God.” My time is in your hand….
(Psalm 31:16-17)
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 31
1 In you, O LORD, have I put my trust; *
let me never be put to confusion; deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Bow down your ear to me, *
make haste to deliver me,
3 And be my strong rock and house of defense, *
that you may save me.
4 For you are my strong rock and my castle; *
be also my guide, and lead me for your Name’s sake.
5 Draw me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, *
for you are my strength.
6 Into your hands I commend my spirit, *
for you have redeemed me, O LORD, O God of truth.
7 I have hated those who hold to worthless vanities, *
and my trust has been in the LORD.
8 I will be glad and rejoice in your mercy, *
for you have considered my trouble, and have known my soul in adversities.
9 You have not shut me up in the hand of the enemy, *
but have set my feet where they may walk at liberty.
10 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; *
my eye is consumed with heaviness, and also my soul and my body.
11 For my life has grown old with heaviness, *
and my years with mourning.
12 My strength fails me because of my iniquity, *
and my bones are consumed.
13 I have become a reproof among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbors; *
my acquaintances are afraid of me, and those who see me in the street shrink from me.
14 I am utterly forgotten, as a dead man, out of mind; *
I have become like a broken vessel.
15 For I have heard the whispering of the multitude, and fear is on every side, *
while they conspire together against me and take their counsel to take away my life.
16 But my hope has been in you, O LORD; *
I have said, “You are my God.”
17 My time is in your hand; *
deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
18 Show your servant the light of your countenance, *
and save me for your mercy’s sake.
19 Let me not be confounded, O LORD, for I have called upon you; *
let the ungodly be put to confusion, and be put to silence in the grave.
20 Let the lying lips be put to silence, *
which cruelly, disdainfully, and despitefully speak against the righteous.
21 Oh, how plentiful is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, *
and which you have prepared for those who put their trust in you, even before the children of men!
22 You hide them in the secret place of your presence from those who conspire against them; *
you keep them in your refuge from the strife of tongues.
23 Thanks be to the LORD, *
for he has shown me marvelously great kindness in a strong city.
24 But when I was afraid, I said in my haste, *
“I am cast out of the sight of your eyes.”
25 Nevertheless, you heard the voice of my prayer *
when I cried unto you.
26 O love the LORD, all you his saints, *
for the LORD preserves those who are faithful, and plenteously repays the proud.
27 Be strong, and he shall establish your heart, *
all you that put your trust in the LORD.
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Psalm 31 (You Are My Strength) – My Soul Among Lions
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Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Proverbs 21
1 The Lord controls rulers,
just as he determines
the course of rivers.
2 We may think we are doing
the right thing,
but the Lord always knows
what is in our hearts.
30 No matter how much you know
or what plans you make,
you can’t defeat the Lord.
31 Even if your army has horses
ready for battle,
the Lord will always win.
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Consider:
My hope has been in you, O LORD; I have said, “You are my God.”
My time is in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.
(Psalm 31:16-17)
“You are my God.” (vs 16)
So long as our faith, which is our shield, is safe, the battle may go hard, but its ultimate result is no matter of question…. (Spurgeon)
Nothing is more difficult, when we see our faith derided by the whole world, than to direct our speech to God only, and to rest satisfied with this testimony which our conscience gives us, that he is our God. (John Calvin)
“My time is in your hand.” (vs 17)
The sovereign arbiter of destiny holds in his own power all the issues of our life; we are not waifs and strays upon the ocean of fate, but are steered by infinite wisdom towards our desired haven…. It is [right] to desire escape from persecution if it be the Lord’s will; and when this may not be granted us in the form which we desire, sustaining grace will give us deliverance in another form, by enabling us to laugh to scorn all the fury of the foe. (Spurgeon)
Q: Can you say “O Lord, you are my God” with heartfelt conviction?
Q: What things are going on in your life that test this pledge of allegiance to God?
Q: Do you believe that God is sovereign over your life (your country)?
Q: How does that affect the way you live (your thoughts, your feelings, your actions)?
Prayer:
+ For Our Nation
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure conduct. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom, in thy Name, we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ For Mercy
Almighty God, you have not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; grant that we, who for our evil deeds deserve to be punished, by the might of your grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. 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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“My Life is in Your Hands” – the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
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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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