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May faithfulness and love not disappear from among us

Based on Hosea 4

Father, let us hear your word, and may it not be a word of accusation against us. Help us to live according to your commandment so that we may hear your approval.

May faithfulness and love not disappear from among us, nor the knowledge of your glory. May they flourish in our midst.

May sin not been seen, but righteousness. As your servants and holy priests, keep us from stumbling. Let us not be destroyed for lack of knowledge. Let us not reject knowledge, but help us to choose it so that we may be chosen by you.

May we not ignore your law, so that we are not ignored by you. We confess, Lord, that so many among us disparage and disdain your commands. We confess that your people are moving away from your demands. Move among us, Lord, to place us squarely in obedience to your will.

Let us refuse to exchange our glory—our knowledge of you—for shameful things. Let us not feed upon the sins of the people nor feel pleasure in their iniquities.

Feed us, so that we may be satisfied. Keep us from abandoning you. Strengthen us that we might be faithful. Let us always turn to you for answers.

We want our sacrifices to be spiritual and acceptable to you. Keep us from running after the vain worship of the religions around us. Break our rebelliousness. Feed us as the pastor feeds his sheep in the field.

May we remain grounded and protected on the day when your wind of judgment sweeps away all those who belong to false religions.

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Praise belongs to you

Father in heaven, praise belongs to you for your justice, for bringing through Christ our justification, for carrying through with your saving purpose, for the promise of judgment in the last day, when the righteous will be seen as righteous and the wicked will be revealed for what they are. May I and mine and all whom I touch be found among the righteous, because of our confession of Christ.

Praise belongs to you for your faithfulness, for your word which never fails, for frustrating the plans of the nations and the evil purposes of the people, for your protection of those who fear you, those who have anchored their hope in your love, those who imitate the perseverance of your Son and our savior Jesus Christ. May I and mine and all whom I touch be found among those who reverence your Name and place their future in your hands.

Praise belongs to you for powerful help, for looking down from heaven upon us in your mercy, for your protection of your people who have no other source of strength but you, who have surrendered the politics and wars and human efforts at bringing about the divine kingdom, who have submitted themselves to your sovereign rule and benevolent reign. May I and mine and all whom I touch be found among those who belong to the kingdom, who have entered into Christ by obedience and faith, who dedicate their lives to the progress of the gospel.

Praise is yours, O God, and glory, and dominion. Yours, too, are wisdom, and power, and might, and splendor forever and ever. And ours is the joy and hope and love found only in Jesus Christ.

In this prayer you’ll find echoes of Psalm 33. If you can say amen to this prayer, please share it with others who might join us in that amen. Also, consider signing up to Believing Prayer, and receive the full text of the prayers by email.

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On Principle Let Me Stand

O Lord, remove from me that flat desire
To free myself, like cunning Pilate, to please
The clamoring crowd, and cowardly fearing the ire
Of others, making political moves to appease
The popular demand. On principle let me stand:
Commitment to Christ, forever faithful, strong
In truth, to suffer for love, the Word in hand —
My eyes on you, the Lord whose patience is long.

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When Close to Eternal Lands

When comes the time to breathe my last,
To pillow my head and rest,
Make all my deeds and doings past
To have been the Kingdom’s best.

Upon a work let me look back
That glorifies the Lord,
In my resolve no fault or crack,
In heaven my treasures stored.

Give strength, O Lord, to heart and hands,
No cause to stumble or fall,
May I, when close to eternal lands,
Be ready to heed your call.

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The progress of faith

Matthew chapter 16 provides a scale of faith. Where are we along this scale?

  1. Unbelief, Mt 16.1-4.
  2. Little faith, Mt 16.5-12.
  3. Faith in the revelation of the Father, Mt 16.13-20.
  4. Faithfulness in following Jesus, Mt 16.21-28.

To be pleasing to God, we need to reach the last stage of faith.

—JRMatheny

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The prayer of When

When silence prevails, let your Word speak gently in my heart.

When noise dominates, let your quietness rule within me.

When we find ourselves in the presence of foolishness, let your wisdom penetrate the moment.

When wisdom overcomes, let gratitude for the knowledge of you permeate and let the power of your Spirit guide us. Continue reading “The prayer of When”

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Hate the things you hate

God in heaven, let us hate the things you hate, and love the things you love. Keep us from exchanging these because of pressure from man or because of our love of people. Make us steadfast in our hate of evil and in our love of righteousness.

Make the love of the lost our guiding star to give us courage in face of opposition to speak the word of Christ.

Remind us of our need for faithfulness, for the return from infidelity and betrayal is fraught with pain and discord.

Keep us from arrogance, pride, materialism, and intrigue, that we may not be destroyed.

Today’s prayer was inspired by several readings, from Pro 6, Ac 14, 2 Sam 19, and Eze 27.