The good news of Christ
It matters not that men don’t see,
Nor ears be never pleased by praise;
I live, O God, for you alone,
To walk beneath your gracious gaze.
Make it so, O Lord! that I
Be a man against the world’s hard sway,
To passions of the flesh immune,
To do your will without delay —
Without delay to oft return
When feet would stray from the narrow path.
Let the heart be won by Jesus’ love,
The mind be warned by your righteous wrath.
Lord who cares,
This prayer, no finer made, is mine:
“I believe; help my unbelief.”
So many times, O God, you proved
Your power and will to change our lives,
Forgive our sins, and reconcile.
Without a shadow of a doubt,
I know you live and move and act.
But still — yes, still! — after all these years,
My faith wavers and worry moves in,
Like storm clouds rolling in from the sea.
Ah!, my God, whose glory shines —
Forgive my foolish human sight.
Remove the ifs from my trembling lips,
That thanks may flow before the fact.
Lord, I believe! In you I trust.
When darkness comes, give me faith at last.
In the Man of the Cross, amen.
Read Psalm 89
Reality seems far from your promises, Lord.
The Kingdom’s glory seems trampled in the dust.
How long can your people bear up under suffering?
What happy subjects who have learned to worship you!
They joyfully walk in the light of your presence.
They delight in your righteousness.
The heavens praise all your wonders, O Lord.
Who in the heavens can be compared to you?
Among us you are powerful and fearful.
Do not forget us, O God of all eternity.
Enemies overrun your Kingdom.
Where, O Lord, is your former love?
You act with reason and move with purpose.
We trust in you, consoled by your faithfulness.
May you be praised forever. Amen!
In so many places, O God,
unbeknown to us,
You are working to expand the Kingdom,
to save more souls and gather them
into your family.
Let me hear more how you bring in
and preserve for all eternity
multitudes in so many places.
My heart inclines before You,
I worship you for your power,
your love, you drive to redeem.
And, last of all, O Lord,
work in me and in our number,
for the sake of your holy Name.
Read Hebrews 11
God who promises an eternal city,
The ancients walked in faith.
They saw beyond the visible.
They hoped for a better country.
Abraham, Moses, Joseph,
And countless others never saw
What they’d been promised.
And we, today, O God,
Go by what we see,
Rather than what we might hear.
Even Bibles now have pictures.
Verses on the internet
Have to show an image.
We’re deaf and, truly, blind.
Open my ears, O Lord,
That I might hear your Word.
Turn my sight away
From colors that excite,
To simple black and white.
Focus my heart to delight
In words of power from Heaven,
Where you in glory rule.
In Christ, I pray, Amen.
Of all the truths to give me ground
and reason, joy and peace of mind,
it’s this: that God is just and true:
the lives of all he’ll equally weigh.
God Almighty, needy am I,
I’ve nothing good or great to show,
Have mercy on me, a mere worm —
Save me with your upraised arm.
Holy Father,
I trust you deeply. Completely. Thoroughly. I live in peace because of your presence. I ask for daily bread. The now is where I live, not tomorrow. By doing so I can have true hope in eternity. Thank you for your promise, so solid and firm and true.
That momentary thoughts make me restless I confess. Each time, bring me back to the center, which is Christ. He had no pillow to lay his head on. He had no home to call his own. In this world the Lord owned little. He came to do your will and return to heaven. In him is full comfort and constant joy.
God of all, you are my God. Praise belongs to you for your mercy. Glory to you for your patience. Honor is yours because you are faithful every day.
Without you I cannot live. Stay with me.
In Christ, Amen.
Dead all at once, and slowly dying —
Life in Christ means distancing
ourselves from worldly pursuits.
O eternal God in Heaven!
What affliction we feel, like Lot,
to see in our own divided hearts
the wicked ways of man.
Purify us for your presence!
To give and forgive is your desire,
This grace in Christ, no need more dire;
Good News must reach the farthest isle —
Your church must face the harshest trial.
O Lord! more faith and courage send,
More love to carry us to the end!
Let us enter the opened door,
To speak salvation more and more.
Show me, Lord, a brother in need.
Open my shuttered eyes to see
Whom I can help, to love in deed
And truth — but not in small degree.
Like you among your people in prayer,
May I be present to know and hear
That hurting heart who cannot bear
The lonesome pain — may I be near.
From solitude, where power I seek,
Lead me to where my brethren meet,
To ease their burdens, lift the weak,
Instruct the novice, and wash their feet.