Wednesday, Week 2

So Jesus told them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.
— Luke 11:2 (BSB)

I believe many a man is praying to God to fill him, when he is full already with something else. Before we pray that God would fill us, I believe we ought to pray Him to empty us.
— Dwight L. Moody

O God our Father, we come now at the close of this day to Your feet with our evening sacrifice. Please accept us and our worship, and grant to us Your mercy. We gave ourselves into Your hand in the morning, and You have kept us through all the experiences of the day.

We bring You our day's work. It is not what it should have been. We have not lived as well as we knew how to live. We have done many things we did not mean to do — and we have failed to do many things we meant to do. Our own hearts condemn us, and You are greater than our hearts, and Your holy eye has seen much sin in our day, that even we ourselves have not seen. We plead with You for forgiveness.

Yet we beseech You to accept what we bring to You, imperfect and stained as it is. You know how frail we are. You remember that we are dust. Pity our weakness, and teach us how to grow strong. Accept, therefore, the mere fragments of living which we bring You tonight, and use them for the honoring of Your own name, and the blessing of the world.

Whatever has been acceptable in our life and work this day — may You take from our hands and use so that it may become a blessing to others. Bless to others the influences that have gone forth from our lives. If we have done hurt to any of Your children, may You forgive us, and heal the wounds we have made. If we have discouraged others by word or act, or by example, making life harder for them — we plead for forgiveness, and may we be enabled so to live that our lives shall be a constant help and inspiration to others. We ask all in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.