Each week for this season our devotions will be centered around the practice of PRAYER. Like the disciples we too have the opportunity to ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” We encourage you to read all prayers and Psalms out loud – let the words of Scripture fill your prayers!
Prayer of Confession
Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.
Psalm 107:1-22
1 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious,
and his mercy endures for ever.
2 Let those whom the Lord has redeemed give thanks,
whom he has delivered from the hand of the enemy,
3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 They went astray in the wilderness, even in the desert,
and found no city to dwell in;
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them forth by a straight path
until they came to a city where they might dwell.
8 Oh, that they would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness
and declare the wonders that he does for the children of men!
9 For he satisfies the empty soul
and fills the hungry soul with goodness.
10 Some sat in darkness, and in the shadow of death,
being bound fast in misery and iron,
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God
and lightly regarded the counsel of the Most High.
12 He also brought down their heart with heaviness;
they fell down, and there was none to help them.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them out of their distress.
14 For he brought them out of darkness, and out of the shadow of death,
and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Oh, that they would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness
and declare the wonders that he does for the children of men!
16 For he has broken the gates of brass
and shattered the bars of iron asunder.
17 The foolish were plagued for their offense
and because of their wickedness.
18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
and they were even close to death’s door.
19 So when they cried unto the Lord in their trouble,
he delivered them out of their distress.
20 He sent his word and healed them,
and they were saved from destruction.
21 Oh, that they would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness
and declare the wonders that he does for the children of men!
22 That they would offer unto him the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and tell of his works with gladness!
The Lord’s Prayer
Jesus, in teaching the disciples how to pray, prayed the follow prayer in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke. We learn as well as we join with the prayers of Jesus!
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,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Thanksgiving Prompt
List three things you are thankful for about your home.
Intercession Prompt
Take a few minutes and pray for your needs and the needs of those around you.
Closing Prayer
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in this Advent season, help me to focus on your solutions and not mine. Help me to grow in appreciation for your coming into the world. Help me not to be distracted by the noise of the world. Thank you. Amen.