Untitled Sermon (3)

A pastoral Prayer

Father as we look around at the natural creation this morning, which in most part is in a state of rest and rejuvenation this time of year, minus a few beautiful birds that you speckle the landscape with day in and day out, we recognize that your heavens declare your glory, and that the sky proclaims your handiwork.

Those of us that study chemistry, biology, natural sciences and know you realize that you are a majestic glorious God who puts his artwork upon the microscope table for us to enjoy and learn about. You are the sole creator of this universe. You set the sun on its path and it runs its course with joy, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. You made the moon as a lesser light that it may reflect the glory of the son. We ask that you might make us each more like the moon, that we would reflect the glory of your son upon this earth.

You also give us your word, your law is perfect, your ways are right, your commandment is pure, reverence for you is clean, your rules are true, and they are to be desired more than gold, even fine gold. To us, your beloved, they are sweeter than hone.

And yet we hear in them a stern warning from a loving father. When we disobey by acts of commission or omission, we feel the weight of our sin when we enter into your word and your law. It convicts our conscience of the acts that we have done, and tried to hide in our private lives.

Lord this week we have seen first hand the wickedness of men. From raw, unwholesome behavior on the capital, to lawmakers celebrating the murder of children. God we realize that we are a divided nation, full of error, and we ask that you would make your children blameless, and that you keep back your servants from presumptuous sins. That you would not allow us to be caught up in a culture that is quick to judge, and quick to speak, but be quick to hear and slow to speak.

Lord you blinded the apostle Paul on the road to persecute your church, surely you can blind lawmakers and bring them to their knees. Either bring them to repentance or remove them from office. We pray that there would be an end to abortion in this land and that our hands would not be covered in the blood of innocent children. We also pray that there would be peace at the borders, and amongst the different ethnicities that are in this nation. I do not know the answers for these things, but I seek you and ask that you would guide your church to be faithful to your teachings, give us sound wisdom, not sound bites from the culture at large. Also help us to reach out of a heart that is changed by your gospel, not because this is what the culture deems important in this time and place. Declare us innocent of hidden faults.

Lord I pray for this congregation here today and abroad, as we continue going through this series on speaking the truth in love. I pray that as we listen we wouldn’t be gospel mutes, but that we would be instruments that you pour mercy through to one another. I pray that you would heal us of being weak in spirit and avoiding confrontation, as well as not running into a fight for the sake of having a fight like so many of us are quick to do. I pray that you help us when we enter into times of speaking the truth of the gospel that we are lowly, broken vessels created for your glory and that we are in the process of being sanctified as we are going to another to restore fellowship. Bring healing to your children that we may have renewed spirit for your mission. Help us to have ears to hear and eyes to see, feet to walk the path obedience.

O Lord you are my rock and my redeemer. Amen