Meditation:
Psalm 63: 1 (NIV)
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you.

God of love and truth, we thank you that you are not a silent God, isolated from humanity, leaving us to guess and speculate about the things that matter. You are a Father to us. You have given us life and cared for us.

Reach out to God in faith knowing that he loves you and understands you and in Christ accepts you just as you are.

Personal:

Phil 4: 8-9
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Ask the Lord to allow you to focus on Christ and the beauty of his grace. Allow the Holy Spirit to remove all distractions, and anxieties as you worship him in the stillness. Open your heart to His love. Enjoy the warmth and preciousness of His presence.

“Our lives are like photographic plates and prayer is like a time exposure to God. As we expose ourselves to God for half an hour, an hour, perhaps two hours a day, his image is imprinted more and more upon us” (Kent Hughes)

We confess to you, Lord:

the times when we have fallen short of even our own standards and hurt others

the times when we are far from being all that you want us to be.

We thank you Heavenly Father for:

the immensity of your grace

the way you forgive and forgive our repentant hearts

the wonder of all you have made for us to enjoy

Pray for our church leadership:

Pastor Gary, Dennis, Mike, Terre, Nancy, Otis and Beth

Ask that their confidence might be in the Lord as they lead us week by week

Our Deacons and Sunday School Teachers

Pray that they might have a fresh awareness of the call God has given them and ask that they might feel aware of our prayers and renewed as the lead us.

Prayer for our church:
Isaiah 12: 4-5 (NIV)

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.

Pray for our witness as individuals and as a fellowship, that God might help us to be obedient to his call to tell others of all He has done for us, even those we might never have thought of without the Holy Spirit bringing them to our minds.

Pray that each of us may be aware we are part of God's family and that we are to precious Him and to each other.

Ask God to help us to meet the needs of those who are suffering.