Morning Prayer: Wed, 26 Oct – Psalm 119:141-143; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Matthew 11:25-26 ~ too smart for my own good

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

Opening Sentence

I have come to seek You, O God, just as I am I come.
I have come to be sought by You, just as I am I come.

I will wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in His word do I hope.

Reading: Psalm 119:141-143 (NLT)

I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true. Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight.

Reading: Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NLT)

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

Reading: Matthew 11:25-26 (NLT)

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”
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Prayer for Child-like Faith:

Lord Jesus: You bid me to come to you with child-like faith; but that’s not easy for me to do at my age. Bring me back to the basics, Lord, and strip away the baggage that I have accumulated over the years that prevent me from drawing ever closer to you.

+ Give me child-like innocence – that I may trust you in all things.
+ Give me simplicity of understanding – that I may follow your plain teaching.
+ Give me an open mind – that my decision-making may not be clouded by preconceived notions.
+ Give me a joyful spirit – that I may forget myself with light-hearted abandonment.
+ Give me a sense of wonder – that I may be awed by the majestic splendor of your creation.
+ Give me the gift of faith – that I may believe that all things are possible with you.
+ Give me an awareness of my own smallness – that I may live humbly before you.
+ Give me a child’s contentment with small things – that I may live simply, in a spirit of continual gratitude for all you have given me.

Lord Jesus: may I delight in you every day, in every way – to your honor and glory. Amen.
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“God Knows Me” – St Andrew’s Church, Kildwick

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!

Morning Prayer: Tue, 25 Oct – Psalm 119:137-140; 2 Kings 10:16-17; Matthew 23:1-13 ~ on going forward

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

Opening Sentence

I have come to seek You, O God, just as I am I come.
I have come to be sought by You, just as I am I come.

I will wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in His word do I hope.

Reading: Psalm 119:137-140 (NLT)

O Lord, you are righteous, and your regulations are fair. Your laws are perfect and completely trustworthy. I am overwhelmed with indignation, for my enemies have disregarded your words. Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much.

Reading: 2 Kings 10:16-17 (NLT)

Then Jehu said, “Now come with me, and see how devoted I am to the Lord.” So Jehonadab rode along with him.

When Jehu arrived in Samaria, he killed everyone who was left there from Ahab’s family, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

Reading: Matthew 23:1-13 (NLT)

sara-hudson-in-panama — Senior friend In Panama helping Christian mission to indigenous mountain people.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’

“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.
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Prayer: Ita (480-570) – in fostering courage

I have set my heart on going forward,

+ do not ask me to turn back. Traveling uncomfortably in the right direction, I will not let middle age overtake me; I will not let old age overcome me.

+ Keep me out of any rut of my own making, and from the grave of habitual failings.

Keep me flexible and eager to serve.
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“I Will Follow” – Chris Tomlin

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: Mon, 24 Oct – Psalm 119:136; Isaiah 5:1-4; Luke 13:34; 19:41 ~ tears of sorrow

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

Opening Sentence

I have come to seek You, O God, just as I am I come.
I have come to be sought by You, just as I am I come.

I will wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in His word do I hope.

Reading: Psalm 119:136 (NLT)

Rivers of tears gush from my eyes because people disobey your instructions.

Reading: Isaiah 5:1-4 (NLT)

Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.

Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?

Reading: Luke 13:34; 19:41 (NLT)

Statue of Jesus Weeping at St. Joseph’s Church near the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me….”
_____

But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep.
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Prayer

Lord God:

Fill me with your sorrow and compassion for those who disobey and even flaunt your law.

+ Touch my heart with the sorrow of your broken heart, that I may love the lost.

Your law is good, and just, and given to care for and tend the people you love.

+ Conform my life to your Kingdom rule, that I may demonstrate your love to the lost.

Call out in me again a willingness to love and serve you.

“Sovereign Over Us” – Worship Mob

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: Sat, 22 Oct – Psalm 119:129-132; Habakkuk 2:14; John 7:37-39 ~ come to the well

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

Opening Sentence

I have come to seek You, O God, just as I am I come.
I have come to be sought by You, just as I am I come.

I will wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in His word do I hope.

Reading: Psalm 119:129-132 (NLT)

Your laws are wonderful. No wonder I obey them! The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand. I pant with expectation, longing for your commands.

Come and show me your mercy, as you do for all who love your name.

Reading: Habakkuk 2:14 (NLT)

For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.

Reading: John 7:37-39 (NLT)

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
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Prayer – 22 October, Celtic Daily Prayer (Aidan Readings)

O Lord, Your word enters and lets in the light. It gives understanding to the simple.

Open-mouthed and longing I come to You. To whom else shall I go? You have the words of eternal life. I have believed, sometimes recklessly, sometimes hesitantly, but I have believed, and come to know that You are the only one who can satisfy my thirst.

I am an emptiness for Thee to fill;
my soul a cavern for Thy sea.

George MacDonald

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“Come to the Well” – Casting Crowns

Blessing

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

Morning Prayer: Fri, 21 Oct – Psalm 119:121-128; 1 Kings 3:12-13; Matthew 22:15-22 ~ a wise and understanding heart

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

Opening Sentence

I have come to seek You, O God, just as I am I come.
I have come to be sought by You, just as I am I come.

I will wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in His word do I hope.

Reading: Psalm 119:121-128 (NLT)

Don’t leave me to the mercy of my enemies, for I have done what is just and right. Please guarantee a blessing for me. Don’t let the arrogant oppress me! My eyes strain to see your rescue, to see the truth of your promise fulfilled.

I am your servant; deal with me in unfailing love, and teach me your decrees. Give discernment to me, your servant; then I will understand your laws. Lord, it is time for you to act, for these evil people have violated your instructions.

Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold. Each of your commandments is right. That is why I hate every false way.

Reading: 1 Kings 3:12-13 (NLT)

I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!

Reading: Matthew 22:15-22 (NLT)

Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

His reply amazed them, and they went away.
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Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, I thank You: Through Your cross and resurrection You offer freedom and hope to those ready to receive them. Lord, show me Your loving-kindness.

+ Give me wisdom and understanding: help me to live in the light of Your presence.
+ Guide my thoughts, my words, my actions: that what I do today may be pleasing to You.
+ Help me to avoid wrongdoing: redirect me and show me Your mercy and love.
+ Through Your passion and death You have won life for me: give me the strength of Your Holy Spirit.

Lord God, You hold out the light of your Word to those who do not know You. Strengthen in my heart the faith You have given me, so that no trials may quench the fire Your Spirit has kindled within me. Through my Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
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“God I Look to You” – Jenn Johnson (Bethel Church)

Blessing

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

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