Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord.

(take a moment to reflect on the past day and confess your sins.)

 

I am sorry for my sins and pray for Your great mercy. For the sake of Jesus Christ, please forgive me of all my sins.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.

Amen

Prayer of the Day:

Dear Jesus,

In Mark 10:45 You said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” You, the Son of God, who more than any other person deserves to be served and praised humbled Yourself and served us.

Give me the heart of a servant. Help me to love my neighbor and serve their needs. Give me the wisdom to create time in my daily schedule that I would have room in my day to serve others. Take away my selfishness that I would be willing to put aside my laziness and personal agenda and be willing to give of myself for those in need.

Give me eyes to see the needs of those around me. Help me to be attentive to the subtle or obvious cries for help and seek ways to meet the needs of my neighbors. As I do so, give me a humble heart that would not seek to gain personal gain or glory for these acts of service, but rather give all glory to You that others may see my works and praise Your name.

Be with Faith Lutheran Church and its members. Help us to serve one another in love and faithfulness. Then move in us that, as a group, we would find ways to serve those in the community, especially those who are far from You.

Amen.

The Psalms:

The Psalms have long been considered the prayer book of the Bible and have been used as prayers by countless Christians over the centuries. So, we join them in this practice and pray a Psalm.

Psalm 10

1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”

7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;
he covers his face and never sees.”

12 Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account”?
14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.

(Take a few minutes to add your personal prayers, now.)

Conclude your time of prayer with either Luther’s morning or evening prayer, depending on what time of day it is.

Luther’s Morning Prayer:

I thank you, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Luther’s Evening Prayer:

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray You to forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt