Friday Morning Prayer: 24 Jul 2020 – Psalm 131:3, Revelation 4:6-11, Isaiah 6:1-9 ~ “Send me!”

Friday Morning Prayer, 24 Jul 2020

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

Opening:*

Most powerful Holy Spirit, come down upon us and subdue us.
From heaven, where the ordinary is made glorious, and glory seems but ordinary,
Bathe us with the brilliance of Your light like dew.

Believer, hold Him high that all may see the light of Jesus in a son of man. “Aidan”

Scripture Reading (CEV)

Psalm 131:3

People of Israel,
you must trust the Lord
now and forever.

Revelation 4:6-11

Also in front of the throne was something that looked like a glass sea, clear as crystal.

Around the throne in the center were four living creatures covered front and back with eyes. The first creature was like a lion, the second one was like a bull, the third one had the face of a human, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and their bodies were covered with eyes. Day and night they never stopped singing,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord,
the all-powerful God,
who was and is
and is coming!”

The living creatures kept praising, honoring, and thanking the one who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever. At the same time the twenty-four elders knelt down before the one sitting on the throne. And as they worshiped the one who lives forever, they placed their crowns in front of the throne and said,

“Our Lord and God,
you are worthy
to receive glory,
honor, and power.
You created all things,
and by your decision they are
and were created.
__________

“Holy, Holy, Holy” – the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

__________

Isaiah 6:1-9

A Vision of the Lord in the Temple

In the year that King Uzziah died, I had a vision of the Lord. He was on his throne high above, and his robe filled the temple. Flaming creatures with six wings each were flying over him. They covered their faces with two of their wings and their bodies with two more. They used the other two wings for flying, as they shouted,

“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord All-Powerful!
The earth is filled
with your glory.”

As they shouted, the doorposts of the temple shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I cried out, “I’m doomed! Everything I say is sinful, and so are the words of everyone around me. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful.”

One of the flaming creatures flew over to me with a burning coal that it had taken from the altar with a pair of metal tongs. It touched my lips with the hot coal and said, “This has touched your lips. Your sins are forgiven, and you are no longer guilty.”

After this, I heard the Lord ask, “Is there anyone I can send? Will someone go for us?”

“I’ll go,” I answered. “Send me!”

Then the Lord told me to go and speak this message to the people:

“You will listen and listen,
but never understand.
You will look and look,
but never see.”
__________

Here I Am, Lord – John Michael Talbot

Closing

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.

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

* Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer (Kindle Locations 38-45). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Thursday Morning Prayer: 23 Jul 2020 – Psalm 131:2, Isaiah 35:1, Mark 6:30-31 ~ God in the quiet

Thursday Morning Prayer, 23 Jul 2020

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

Opening:*

Most powerful Holy Spirit, come down upon us and subdue us.
From heaven, where the ordinary is made glorious, and glory seems but ordinary,
Bathe us with the brilliance of Your light like dew.

Believer, hold Him high that all may see the light of Jesus in a son of man. “Aidan”

Scripture Reading (CEV)

Psalm 131:2

But I have learned to feel safe
and satisfied,
just like a young child
on its mother’s lap.

Isaiah 35:1

God’s Splendor Will Be Seen

Thirsty deserts will be glad;
barren lands will celebrate
and blossom with flowers.

Mark 6:30-31

After the apostles returned to Jesus, they told him everything they had done and taught. But so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest.”

__________

Reflection**

How wonderful it is to talk with God
when cares sweep o’er my spirit like a flood;
how wonderful it is to hear His voice,
for when He speaks the desert lands rejoice. (Theodore H. Kitching)

We’ve all got little cells in our hearts, little hermitages that God wants to fill. For some there’s a physical place of silence. It’s hard to be silent. It’s hard to stop. To know God in the quiet is worth a lot – it’s there we’ll get our vision and our peace to come through whatever hits us.

A Prayer for Stillness When Life Is Rushed – one thing alone ministries

Oh Lord, You know my heart better than I know it myself. You know my struggles and You hold each hope and fear in Your caring hands. Teach me, LORD, to be still and to know that You are God.

You are in Your holy temple; let all the earth, including my mind and heart, be silent before You, resting in Your sovereignty. Like Elijah, teach me to wait for Your still, small voice and quiet the earthquakes and blazing fires in my life.

Replace my restless doing with inner calm, and help me, like Mary, to sit at Your feet in quiet adoration even if there are a million things clamoring for my attention. Just as You spoke over the tumultuous sea and storms, so speak over my heart Your shalom.

“Peace. Be still,” You said to them, and immediately they quieted. Teach my heart to cease striving and to know– to yada, to have an intimate and deep, personal, first-hand experience–that You are God.

Help me cultivate a quiet heart, like a baby content in its mother’s arms, no longer coming to You with a “gimme” spirit but instead calmly nestling against Your heart. Help me find quietness and happiness in intimate communion with You. You will be exalted over all the earth, and You’ve got the details of my day covered. I can rest in You.
Amen

__________

How wonderful it is to walk with God – International Staff Songsters of The Salvation Army

How wonderful it is to walk with God
Along the road that holy men have trod;
How wonderful it is to hear him say:
Fear not, have faith, ‘tis I who lead the way!

How wonderful it is to talk with God
When cares sweep o’er my spirit like a flood;
How wonderful it is to hear his voice,
For when he speaks the desert lands rejoice!

How wonderful it is to praise my God,
Who comforts and protects me with his rod;
How wonderful to praise him every hour,
My heart attuned to sing his wondrous power!

How wonderful it is to fight for God,
And point poor sinners to the precious blood;
How wonderful it is to wield his sword
‘Gainst sin, the enemy of Christ, my Lord!

How wonderful ‘twill be to live with God
When I have crossed death’s deep and swelling flood;
How wonderful to see him face to face
When I have fought the fight and won the race!

Closing

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

* Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer (Kindle Locations 38-45). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.
** Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer (Kindle Locations 13192-13198). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Wednesday Morning Prayer: 22 Jul 2020 – Psalm 131:1, 1 Samuel 16:14-23, Acts16:23 ~ peace and quiet

Wednesday Morning Prayer, 22 Jul 2020

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

Opening:*

Most powerful Holy Spirit, come down upon us and subdue us.
From heaven, where the ordinary is made glorious, and glory seems but ordinary,
Bathe us with the brilliance of Your light like dew.

Believer, hold Him high that all may see the light of Jesus in a son of man. “Aidan”

Scripture Reading (CEV)

Psalm 131:1

I am not conceited, Lord,
and I don’t waste my time
on impossible schemes.

1 Samuel 16:14-23

The Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord was terrifying him. “It’s an evil spirit from God that’s frightening you,” Saul’s officials told him. “Your Majesty, let us go and look for someone who is good at playing the harp. He can play for you whenever the evil spirit from God bothers you, and you’ll feel better.”

“All right,” Saul answered. “Find me someone who is good at playing the harp and bring him here.”

“A man named Jesse who lives in Bethlehem has a son who can play the harp,” one official said. “He’s a brave warrior, he’s good-looking, he can speak well, and the Lord is with him.”

Saul sent a message to Jesse: “Tell your son David to leave your sheep and come here to me.”

Jesse loaded a donkey with bread and a goatskin full of wine, then he told David to take the donkey and a young goat to Saul. David went to Saul and started working for him. Saul liked him so much that he put David in charge of carrying his weapons. Not long after this, Saul sent another message to Jesse: “I really like David. Please let him stay with me.”

Whenever the evil spirit from God bothered Saul, David would play his harp. Saul would relax and feel better, and the evil spirit would go away.

Acts16:23

After [Paul and Silas] had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully.

__________

Reflection**

A place of quiet

He walks with God who speaks to God in prayer,
and daily brings to Him his daily care. (Dorothy Ann Thrupp)

In every man lies a zone of solitude that no human intimacy can fill: and there God encounters us. (Brother Roger of Taizé)

Prayer for Quiet Confidence

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest
we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our
strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy
presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
__________

Near to the Heart of God – Sharon Mennonite Bible Institute Singers

Closing

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

* Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer (Kindle Locations 38-45). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.
** Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer (Kindle Locations 13135-13141). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Tuesday Morning Prayer: 21 Jul 2020 – Psalm 130, Jonah 3:5-7, 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 ~ sorry enough to be saved

Tuesday Morning Prayer, 21 Jul 2020

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

Opening:*

Most powerful Holy Spirit, come down upon us and subdue us.
From heaven, where the ordinary is made glorious, and glory seems but ordinary,
Bathe us with the brilliance of Your light like dew.

Believer, hold Him high that all may see the light of Jesus in a son of man. “Aidan”

Scripture Reading (CEV)

Psalm 130

Trusting the Lord in Times of Trouble

From a sea of troubles I call out to you, Lord.
Won’t you please listen as I beg for mercy?

If you kept record of our sins, no one could last long.
But you forgive us, and so we will worship you.

With all my heart, I am waiting, Lord, for you!
I trust your promises.
I wait for you more eagerly than a soldier on guard duty waits for the dawn.
Yes, I wait more eagerly than a soldier on guard duty waits for the dawn.

Israel, trust the Lord!
He is always merciful, and he has the power to save you.
Israel, the Lord will save you from all of your sins.

Jonah 3:5-7

They believed God’s message and set a time when they would go without eating to show their sorrow. Then everyone in the city, no matter who they were, dressed in sackcloth.

When the king of Nineveh heard what was happening, he also dressed in sackcloth; he left the royal palace and sat in dust. Then he and his officials sent out an order for everyone in the city to obey. It said:

None of you or your animals may eat or drink a thing. Each of you must wear sackcloth, and you must even put sackcloth on your animals.

You must also pray to the Lord God with all your heart and stop being sinful and cruel. Maybe God will change his mind and have mercy on us, so we won’t be destroyed.

2 Corinthians 7:8-10

I don’t feel bad anymore, even though my letter hurt your feelings. I did feel bad at first, but I don’t now. I know that the letter hurt you for a while. Now I am happy, but not because I hurt your feelings. It is because God used your hurt feelings to make you turn back to him, and none of you were harmed by us. When God makes you feel sorry enough to turn to him and be saved, you don’t have anything to feel bad about. But when this world makes you feel sorry, it can cause your death.
__________

Reflection**

In my dream, behold I saw a man clothed in rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and saw him open the book, and read therein, and as he read he wept and trembled… (John Bunyan)

As Christian walked on he came to a hill which grew steeper and steeper. The load on his back was very heavy as he climbed. Near the top there was a cross, and just as Christian came to the cross his burden fell from his back. It rolled and tumbled down the hill until it fell into a dark hole, and he saw it no more. (John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress)

Prayer of Repentance & Restoration: By Cheryce Rampersad

Dear God, I humbly come before You in total appreciation for all that You have done for me. Jesus, thank You for dying on that cross so that I can be reconciled back to the Father and be set free from bondage and sin.

Thank You for enduring so much suffering on my behalf. I pray that I may have the same kind of strength to endure life for Your sake. You died and rose again so I can live for You.

Repentance:
I repent, Oh Lord my God, of all iniquities. I have been led astray, but now I renounce iniquity.

Wash me in your cleansing blood, purify my soul. Strip me of anything displeasing to You, that’s against Your Holiness.

I declare my heart and my mind are clean and pure! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen and Amen!

Forgiveness:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word in 1 John 1:9 that declares If we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Merciful and Loving Father, I thank you for the blood of Jesus that was shed for me to have the right to come before your throne of grace and plead my case for the forgiveness of my sins. Through your son, I have forgiveness. Thank you, Lord, Amen.

__________

From The Depths of Woe – Indelible Grace

Closing

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

* Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer (Kindle Locations 38-45). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.
** Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer (Kindle Locations 13084-13095). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Monday Morning Prayer: 20 Jul 2020 – Psalm 129, Esther 3:13, 4:7, 8:6, Matthew 25:35-37 ~ Kingdom vision

Monday Morning Prayer, 20 Jul 2020

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

Opening:*

Most powerful Holy Spirit, come down upon us and subdue us.
From heaven, where the ordinary is made glorious, and glory seems but ordinary,
Bathe us with the brilliance of Your light like dew.

Believer, hold Him high that all may see the light of Jesus in a son of man. “Aidan”

Scripture Reading (CEV)

Psalm 129

A Prayer for Protection

Since the time I was young, enemies have often attacked!

Let everyone in Israel say:
“Since the time I was young, enemies have often attacked!
But they have not defeated me, though my back is like a field that has just been plowed.”

The Lord always does right, and he has set me free from the ropes of those cruel people.
I pray that all who hate the city of Zion will be made ashamed and forced to turn and run.
May they be like grass on the flat roof of a house, grass that dries up as soon as it sprouts.
Don’t let them be like wheat gathered in bundles. And don’t let anyone who passes by say to them, “The Lord bless you! I give you my blessing in the name of the Lord.”

Esther 3:13, 4:7, 8:6

The letters were taken by messengers to every part of the kingdom, and this is what was said in the letters: On the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month, all Jewish men, women, and children are to be killed. And their property is to be taken.
_____

Mordecai told him everything that had happened. He also told him how much money Haman had promised to add to the king’s treasury, if all the Jews were killed.
_____

I can’t bear to see my people and my own relatives destroyed.”

Matthew 25:35-37

When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.”

Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, “When did we give you something to eat or drink?

Prayer: You offer us the Kingdom* by by Christine Jerrett

We name you gracious Master and our God,
Great Redeemer and King.
You offer us the kingdom, Lord Jesus;
a realm where the hungry are fed,
the thirsty are given something to drink;
and the homeless are housed,

You offer us a realm where
those who are shivering are clothed,
the sick are visited,
those in prison hear good news.

We wonder how we are to receive such a gift:
Will you require of us more than what we are already doing?
Will you judge us for
what we have done and what we have left undone?
Will you leave us out of your community of salvation?

In your great love and mercy,
move us beyond fear;
move us beyond guilt;
move us beyond our anxious worry.
Move us deeper into your surprising grace;
Heal the blindness that does not see you
when you come to us in distressing disguise.

Set us free from serving lesser gods.

Most of all, form in us the mind of Christ,
so that we see the world through your eyes,
so that our hearts are broken by the things
that break your heart, and
so that we delight in the things that delight you,
and you create in us courage enough not to duck.

We ask in your life-giving name.

__________

Waltraud Rennebaum – Shir ha Ma’alot: Adonai tzadik – Psalm 129 (Song of Ascents)

Closing

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

* Northumbria Community. Celtic Daily Prayer (Kindle Locations 38-45). HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

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