Heavenly Father,

Your steadfast love never ceases; Your mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness, o Lord.

I confess that I have not always lived in such as way as to bring You glory. I have not loved You with my whole heart and I have not loved my neighbor as myself.

(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:

Heavenly Father,

You do not treat me as I deserve based on my sin, but according to Your great mercy and grace. You do this not because I have earned it, but because of Your great love.

Help me to trust in Your promises, especially the promise that I am saved not by what I have done, but by what Jesus has done. Remind me again and again that Your mercy is greater than my sin. When the devil claims I’m not good enough, strengthen my faith say, “Yes, you are right, but my salvation is not because of how good I am, but Jesus work on the cross.”

Help me to rest in truth that my works have no role in my salvation. Give me peace.

Teach me to trust in Your mercy and, therefore, to gladly and regularly come to You in repentance, confessing my sin to receive Your forgiveness.

Be with Faith Lutheran Church. Help us to faithfully proclaim salvation by faith in Jesus apart from works. Help us to bring the message that brings rest to the weary soul and comfort to the tormented mind. May we be a church where people find Sabbath rest in the grace of Jesus Christ.

Lord, give us attitudes and actions that reflect Your grace and mercy. Help us to never look down upon anyone for their sin, as though we ourselves aren’t covered from head to toe in sin.  Rather, help us to be a church where people can freely confess their sins not only to You through prayer, but to each other, that we migh support one another and proclaim God’s grace to each other.

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 51

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

(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