Friday, Week 5

Hear the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. May You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. May You hear and forgive.
— 2 Chronicles 6:21 (BSB)

Prayer gets us in on what God is doing.
— Eugene Peterson

O Lord, open our lips — and our mouth shall show forth Your praise. We thank You for all Your bountiful goodness. This has been a day of faithfulness and mercy. The heavens over our heads have dropped down their gentle influences upon us, filling our lives with the dews of grace. The earth beneath our feet has been filled with the fruits of Your love and thoughtfulness. We give you hearty thanks — for every good gift and every perfect blessing is from You.

We thank You for our home, and all that it contains of comfort and blessing. We thank You for home's friendships and for all the blessings they bring to us. We thank You for the blessings which we do not recognize — which do not seem to be blessings, but trials. We know that in every one of them, is wrapped up some gift of divine love. Help us always to find the blessing and the good, even in the rough husk. We desire never to miss any token of love You may send, though it comes in form of pain or sorrow.

We would worship You as our God. Let no voice of our soul be silent to You — but may every power of our being utter thanksgiving to You, the gracious God. We entrust ourselves to Your keeping for the night. Watch over us and let no evil touch our lives. Purify our hearts. Fill us with Your truth. Let your Spirit enter into us and make us like Yourself. Consecrate us to Your own service and use.

Lay not to our charge our manifold sins against You — but grant to us full remission and cleansing, and give us such a measure of Your grace that we shall henceforth live to Your honor and glory. We ask it in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.