O Good and Gracious God,
of boundless mercy and grace,
we come before You now in prayer,
not by our merit,
but only by the perfect work of Christ,
by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit,
who unites us to Christ,
that You might not stand far from us,
but be close to us,
so close that You invite us to call You, “Our Father.”
We approach You in joyful awe of who You are.
You are all-powerful, able to accomplish anything and everything.
You are all-together good.
You restore those things that bring You
the greatest glory and Your people the greatest joy.
You are all-together wise,
able to devise perfect goals,
and achieve those goals by the most perfect means.
Yes, Lord God Almighty, You always work with flawless precision.
Not only could Your acts not be better done,
but a better way to do them could not be imagined.
You, an infinitely astute God,
work in ways that are far beyond our comprehension.
O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom and creativity, You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your riches and glory.
We praise You for calling us into a family of believers.
We thank You for giving us one another,
for giving us the community of the church.
We thank You for the opportunity to come to this place
and to join our hearts and voices together with others
and to know that You hear us and restore us from all our troubles.
We praise You that in our fears, You are our rescuer and refuge.
You call us to do our part -
to work, pray, trust, and believe
that You are who You say You are.
You can turn our losses into gains,
our rollercoaster lives into straight paths.
You can restore the broken and the crushed,
the hurting and the lonely.
You can do all things.
Like Job, when we ask for Your presence and intervention,
we will end up on our knees, astounded at Your greatness,
and humbled by our own unworthiness.
When we authentically share our hopes and dreams with You,
You promise a harvest of joy.
Fill us with expectations of Your goodness.
Help us see You in this world, active in love,
and help us notice Your presence by our side,
so we may walk Your way without stumbling.
You, who makes all things new;
You, who brings beauty from our ashes:
bind up our broken hearts,
proclaim freedom over our lives,
and release us from darkness.
For You are the One who promises
to comfort those who mourn,
and bestow upon us crowns of beauty,
oils of joy, and garments of praise.
You will turn our despair into rejoicing.
For we will put our trust in You
and believe in Your promises of hope.
Our suffering will become a testimony
to Your greatness and faithfulness.
Our brokenness will become a testimony
of Your miraculous power of restoration.
Lord, plough the Gospel deep within each of us,
that our hearts may be a fertile field,
the roots of Your grace spreading far and wide in our lives.
Give us a deeper trust in Christ Jesus;
give us a deeper knowledge of Yourself
as Savior, Restorer, Lord, and King.
Give us deeper communion with You in prayer,
more sweetness in Your Word,
a more steadfast grip of its truth.
By Your Spirit, knit us together in love,
to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding
and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
and who gave us these words to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
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