Time to Pray – Daily Prayer for Friday 13 July, 2018

Grace to you and peace

from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1.2

Glory to God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.

A poem: A Song of Praise

God be gracious to us and bless us:
and make your face to shine upon us,
That your way may be known upon earth:
your salvation among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God:
let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy:
for you judge the peoples with equity
and govern the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God:
let all the peoples praise you.
Then the earth will bring forth its increase:
and God, our own God, will bless us.
You, O God, will bless us:
and all the ends of the earth will fear you.

Psalm 67

The opening prayer

By night and by day we worship the Lord; let us pray with one heart and mind.

We remember God’s presence and pause in silence.

Father of lights, receive the prayer and praise we offer you as our daily sacrifice; make us a light for all the world, delivered by your goodness from all the works of darkness; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

The readings

Hosea 14.2-end

Take words with you
and return to the LORD;
say to him,
‘Take away all guilt;
accept that which is good,
and we will offer
the fruit of our lips.
Assyria shall not save us;
we will not ride upon horses;
we will say no more, “Our God”,
to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy.’

I will heal their disloyalty;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily,
he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon.
His shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive tree,
and his fragrance like that of Lebanon.
They shall again live beneath my shadow,
they shall flourish as a garden;
they shall blossom like the vine,
their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like an evergreen cypress;
your faithfulness comes from me.
Those who are wise understand these things;
those who are discerning know them.
For the ways of the LORD are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.

Psalm 80.1-7

Hear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you that led Joseph like a flock;

Shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim,
before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.

Stir up your mighty strength
and come to our salvation.

Turn us again, O God;
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

O Lord God of hosts,
how long will you be angry at your people’s prayer?

You feed them with the bread of tears;
you give them abundance of tears to drink.

You have made us the derision of our neighbours
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

Matthew 10.16-23

‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.

This week’s prayer:

O God,
you have prepared for those who love you
such good things as pass our understanding:
pour into our hearts such love toward you,
that, loving you above all things,
we may obtain your promises
which exceed all that we can desire;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We thank God for what we have and pray for what we need.

Today we pray for ourselves, that God would give us humility and compassion. In our local church, we ask God to care for the young people in our church. In our world, we pray for a just and compassionate response to people coming to our country as refugees. We remember before God those who have asked for our prayers, or who are in need of them.

A prayer for the day

Almighty God, who wonderfully created us in your own image and yet more wonderfully restored us in your Son Jesus Christ: grant that, as he came to share our human nature, so we may be partakers in his divine glory; who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Lord be with us

now and forever.

Let us praise the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

May the Lord bless us and keep us; the Lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious to us; the Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace. Amen.

Numbers 6.24-26