2 Corinthians 12.15
The world away from me is vast.
I would despair and stand aghast
Were it not for the Lord who said
We must not fear nor feel its dread,
For he is with us to the end.
Oh, God, may I be spent and spend.
I shall look upon this day
Holy Father, another day is here. I shall look upon it as a gift of life, as a door of opportunity, as the expression of love.
Oppression, hatred, falsehood, and dishonesty rule the world. We are still surprised by it, although we shouldn’t be. Let your Kingdom, seen now in the people of Christ, be my refuge and safe space.
Carry me beyond the façades of the lost, to enter their emptiness and fear, and deliver to them the peace of eternal hope.
Let me see Jesus who forgot himself in order to save others.
I shall look upon this day, whatever its limitations, as a mission to fulfill.
Jesus is my Lord, the Spirit my helper, your Word my guide and power. Amen.
Why Me?
To you all praise for your marvelous plan,
Such love that saves the spirit of man,
Of whom am I a humble one! —
To be lost forever you want none.
Why me? So many ask about
Their suffering — here I have no doubt.
I ask, Why me? as a thankful soul,
Since cleansing Blood has made me whole.
Why did the Gospel reach my ear,
With billions who have yet to hear?
What act of grace reached down to me
That set this simple creature free?
How was I chosen by Mercy’s hand,
So that I now in your presence stand?
Why me, O Lord, by what Decision
Plucked me from death in the great Division?
Such thoughts for me are much too great,
But praise I give for the narrow gate.
The answer to why, O Father, I know:
To the world with Jesus I must go.
Please share this prayer with your friends.
Fear to witness the judgment of man
Father, I fear to witness the judgment of man.
It starts with us. You shall call to account
What we have done with the treasure of the gospel.
Basically, we’ve sat on it. With notable exceptions,
We created isolated kingdoms, a people
For our own pleasure, doing what suits us.
If Israel paid dearly for its disobedience,
For insubordination, worship of idols,
Abandonment of the one true God, then how
Much more shall we, the blood-bought Church of Christ,
Stand guilty for surrendering our gospel task?
O God, I and my people have grievously sinned.
Be merciful, O Lord, and raise up a nation
That carries your heart, desires your sovereign will
Be done and all be drawn to you in love.
Your name will be exalted. Woe to us
Who fail in the one thing we have to do.
For ’tis a fearful thing to fall in the hands
Of the living God for whom failure is not an option.
Fling Out the Sons of Faith
A prayer of thanks, beside your loving Word,
Beside your saving works of power, O God,
Is little enough, though from a thankful heart —
In all our need, your mercy stands apart.
What grace received, in Christ, and every gift,
What spiritual change, what holy Spirit to lift
Our souls from dark and weary bondage — Lord!
By every man and woman let Christ be heard!
Fling out the sons of faith, that all may hear
The blessed News of grace, and come to fear
Your Name. Let countless prayers of thanks abound!
Let angels sing with joy, the lost are found!
Fling out across the islands, waters, and lands,
And if themselves refuse to cross the sands
And seas to reach the unsaved — O Lord, then raise
A holy nation, a people who follow your ways!
Make Me a Man
Make me, O Lord, a man of God complete,
Help me today the prince of death defeat!
Rouse up the righteous powers of early morn,
In this frail heart lift high your mighty horn.
Come near to me your word, that I might hear,
To obey your precious law and tremble in fear.
May perfect love as yours with sun and rain,
Shower down upon my fellow man, constrain
The carnal mind with Christ, and every thought
Take captive! For pardon, flowing blood has sought,
Before the world began, a soul to redeem,
A perishing life to dip in a cleansing stream.
Make me, O God, for life, be unafraid,
A pure and useful vessel with power to persuade.
Be God in Me
Be glorified this day on earth —
O God, let kingdom light appear!
Let multitudes behold its worth,
May many a man and woman come near!
Be God in me and through me call
With news of hope and cleansing blood,
By words I speak of vinegar’s gall —
Let grace be my consuming food!
At the forefront of my desire
O God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, guide me today. Hear me because the Lord is my helper. I seek to fulfill his work. Your mission is at the forefront of my desire. Give me success in faithfulness. Bring forth fruit from my labors. Thank you for calling me to yourself and to your plan of salvation. Thank you for giving me gifts to use in your task of redeeming all people. Be glorified in me this day.
The virtue of acceptance
Our Father in Heaven,
- The universe sings your praise. The world declares your glory. The heavens sing about your splendor. Honor belongs to you.
- Be ever more present in our lives. May your holy Spirit inhabit us. We desire the Lord Jesus dwell within us.
- Protect us from the sin of anger, that we might not destroy relationships and prevent love from developing.
- Develop in us the virtue of acceptance, that we might embrace our situations, live contentedly in the circumstances in which we find ourselves, and learn from the sufferings and challenges that we face.
- We are thankful for sleep, which allows us to rest and be refreshed for the next day. We are grateful that you are in charge of this world and its affairs, so we can lay our heads on our pillows and at night and find comfort in your charge.
- We ask on behalf of the people of Aruba, that the gospel might reach every soul in such a way that they may respond to the message and be faithful in its practice.
- Bless the life and efforts of our missionary friends Mike and Brenda Brooks, as they serve in Nepal and Bangladesh, sharing the gospel and training servants in the Word.
- We ask for our children that they might know you, grow in grace, serve with their gifts, be mature in their faith, show faithfulness in their relationships and to the truth.
- Thank you for salvation in Christ. Thank you that the truth has come to us. We are grateful to share with you the mission of reaching always outward to the lost.
- Thank you for the Bible. May we give it due respect, as it truly is — a word from you and not the word of man.
What a privilege is prayer, O Father!
The gospel in my country
God over all nations —
Make the gospel spread in my country. Send workers into the vineyard here. And from here may many go out to other places and reach other peoples.
Increase our sense of urgency. Help us see the wide chasm between salvation and perdition. Remind us of the final destiny of the faithful and the disobedient.
Give us courage to speak and teach the word of Christ. Open our mouths so that not an opportunity is missed. Endow us with your wisdom so that we can know how to reach others.
We trust in you, O Lord, for the harvest.
Amen.