Heavenly Father,

I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be above all the earth.

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:

Dear Jesus,

You gave Your all for us, serving people, obeying the Father perfectly, and giving Your very life for us. Raise up a church that is as committed to following You, both at Faith Lutheran Church and throughout the world.

All that we have is Yours. Help us to use the many resources You have given us for Your glory. May our earthly treasures never take the place of You, our greatest treasure.

You have given us life and each breath we breathe is from You. Everyday, there are many demands on our time. Help us to remember our lives are Yours and remember what is truly important.

You have equipped Your saints for ministry, giving each of us talents and spiritual gifts according to Your grace. May we neither hide our talents nor grow proud from them, but use them with the others in Your body to Your glory.

Help us to go the distance for 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 37:1-11, 39-40

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity…

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

(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