Tag: 14 Sep

Praying the Psalms: Fri, 14 Sep – Psalm 66 ~ Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! 

Praying the Psalms

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 66 (NLT)

Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Your enemies cringe before your mighty power. Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.” Interlude

Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people! He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him. For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations; let no rebel rise in defiance. Interlude

Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling. You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs. Then you put a leader over us. We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance.

Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings to fulfill the vows I made to you— yes, the sacred vows that I made when I was in deep trouble. That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you—the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma, and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats. Interlude

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: Almighty in power, working your good purpose in heaven and earth throughout history, manifest your mercy and loving-kindness among us now –

+ For you rule over human events even in the midst of our confusion, rebellion, and disobedience…
+ For you rule over the nations with truth and righteousness, ever advancing the kingdom of your Son…
+ For you preserve our lives and discipline us through trials, injustice and oppression…

O Lord our God: Almighty in power, consecrate us in love to your service –

+ That our faithfulness might be renewed every morning…
+ That our gratitude might be reflected in obedience…
+ That our witness might be evident in what we say and do…
+ That our prayer and praise might never cease…

This we ask through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Ruler of all, in unity with the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
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“Psalm 66” (You Are Great) – Robbie Seay Band

Come and see what God has done.
See what God has done for every daughter and every son.
Oh come and hear what God has done.
For everyone who fears the Lord will sing of what He’s done.

And all the earth will shout Your praise.
And all the earth will sing Your name.
For You are great! For You are great!

How glorious Your name.
How awesome are Your ways.
For You are great! For You are great!

Oh come and see what God has done.
See what God has done for every daughter and every son.
Oh come and hear what God has done.
For everyone who fears the Lord will sing of what He’s done.

Oh and all the earth will shout Your praise.
And all the earth will sing Your name.
For You are great! For You are great!

Oh and all the earth will shout Your praise.
And all the earth will sing Your name.
For You are great! For You are great!

Oh how glorious Your name.
How awesome are Your ways.
For You are great! For You are great!

Come and see what God has done.
Oh see what God has done for every daughter and every son,
For everyone. Come…
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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and 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!

Morning Reading & Prayer: Thu, 14 Sep – Amos 5-9 ~ Come back to the Lord and live!

Morning Reading & Prayer

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

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Please Read: Amos 5-9 (NLT) – click here

Reflection & Prayer

A Call to Repentance

Amos 5:1-4 (NLT) – Listen, you people of Israel! Listen to this funeral song I am singing: “The virgin Israel has fallen, never to rise again! She lies abandoned on the ground, with no one to help her up.”

The Sovereign Lord says: “When a city sends a thousand men to battle, only a hundred will return. When a town sends a hundred, only ten will come back alive.”

Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel: “Come back to me and live!

Amos 5:14-15 (NLT) – Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.

Warning of Coming Judgment

Amos 5:18-20 (NLT) – What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the Lord were here!” You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion—only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house—and he’s bitten by a snake. Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope.

Amos 6:8 (NLT) – The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his own name, and this is what he, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, says: “I despise the arrogance of Israel, and I hate their fortresses. I will give this city and everything in it to their enemies.”

A Vision of Locusts

Amos 7:1-3 (NLT) – The Sovereign Lord showed me a vision. I saw him preparing to send a vast swarm of locusts over the land. This was after the king’s share had been harvested from the fields and as the main crop was coming up. In my vision the locusts ate every green plant in sight. Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.”

So the Lord relented from this plan. “I will not do it,” he said.

A Vision of Fire

Amos 7:4-6 (NLT) – Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. I saw him preparing to punish his people with a great fire. The fire had burned up the depths of the sea and was devouring the entire land. Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please stop or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.”

Then the Lord relented from this plan, too. “I will not do that either,” said the Sovereign Lord.

A Vision of a Plumb Line

Amos 7:7-8 (NLT) – Then he showed me another vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”

I answered, “A plumb line.”

And the Lord replied, “I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins.

A Vision of Ripe Fruit

Amos 8:1-3 (NLT) – Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. In it I saw a basket filled with ripe fruit. “What do you see, Amos?” he asked.

I replied, “A basket full of ripe fruit.”

Then the Lord said, “Like this fruit, Israel is ripe for punishment! I will not delay their punishment again. In that day the singing in the temple will turn to wailing. Dead bodies will be scattered everywhere. They will be carried out of the city in silence. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

Amos 8:11-12 (NLT) – “The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.

A Vision of God at the Altar

Amos 9:1 (NLT) – Then I saw a vision of the Lord standing beside the altar. He said, “Strike the tops of the Temple columns, so that the foundation will shake. Bring down the roof on the heads of the people below. I will kill with the sword those who survive. No one will escape!

Amos 9:8-10 (NLT) – “I, the Sovereign Lord, am watching this sinful nation of Israel. I will destroy it from the face of the earth. But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel,” says the Lord. “For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost. But all the sinners will die by the sword—all those who say, ‘Nothing bad will happen to us.’

A Promise of Restoration

Amos 9:11-15 (NLT) – “In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory. And Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations I have called to be mine.” The Lord has spoken, and he will do these things.

“The time will come,” says the Lord, “when the grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested. Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel will drip with sweet wine! I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine. I will firmly plant them there in their own land. They will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.
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Prayer for the Nation – Billy Graham

Our Father and Our God, we praise You for Your goodness to our nation, giving us blessings far beyond what we deserve. Yet we know all is not right with America. We deeply need a moral and spiritual renewal to help us meet the many problems we face. Convict us of sin. Help us to turn to You in repentance and faith. Set our feet on the path of Your righteousness and peace. We pray today for our nation’s leaders. Give them the wisdom to know what is right, and the courage to do it. You have said, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” May this be a new era for America, as we humble ourselves and acknowledge You alone as our Savior and Lord. This we pray in Your holy name, Amen.

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“Cornerstone” – Praise And Harmony Singers


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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

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!

Morning Prayer: Wed, 14 Sep – Psalm 49:1-3; Isaiah 58:6; Matthew 25:37-40 ~ “Help Me”

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

Opening Sentence

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Reading: Psalm 49:1-3 (NLT)

Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! High and low, rich and poor—listen! For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight.

Reading: Isaiah 58:6 (NLT)

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people….”

Reading: Matthew 25:37-40 (NLT)

least_of_these

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”

Prayer

Then I heard a voice in heaven saying, ‘Whom shall I send? and who will go for us? Then said I, ‘Here I am; send me.’

+ I will go, Lord, if You lead me: I will hold Your people in my hand.
+ If I open my eyes to the world around me, if I open my heart to the people that surround me, than I feel pain and brokenness, I see suffering and injustice.
+ Use me, Lord, as an instrument of Your mercy to lift the burden of those who are struggling in life. May I serve them just as eagerly as I would serve You.
+ Lord, see what evil the prince of this world is devising. Let the wind of Your Spirit blow and reverse the works of darkness: and Your fire will cover the earth.

Deliver us, Lord from every evil and grant us peace in our day. In Your mercy, Lord, keep us free from sin, and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Let Your Kingdom come, Lord, in me. Amen.

“The Least Of These” – Karl Kohlhase

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Jesus 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!