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Prayers by Elizabeth Waller : Lord God, Our alpha and omega, our beginning and our end; Who has defeated sin and death through your Son Jesus Christ; who wipes the tears from our eyes even now, with the promise of a future where tears will only be for joy; We praise you, 0 Lord, and love you with heart, soul, and mind. May this worship be like a spring of cold, clear water, refreshing, cleansing, renewing, living, and pleasing in your sight Amen! Now let us pray the prayer you taught us to pray in unison: "Our Father ..... Offertory Prayer: Holy God, we offer these gifts in gratitude for the blessings you bestow upon us. Despite our unfruitful ways, we have endless opportunities to reflect your glory in our lives. We turn our hearts and minds to the commitment that you have made to us through your son Jesus Christ. May these gifts become symbolic of our desire to renew our covenant relationship with you, 0 Lord, our Rock and Redeemer. Amen Heavenly father, Be with us this morning as we find ourselves well into the season of Lent, and turn our eyes to the horizon, and the coming of Easter .. I Help us to see this as a journey to cast away our struggles and our demons, in hopes of receiving you more fully into our lives. We ask that you make this Lent a season where we find our way out of darkness and find our way back to you. Let us be true in the devotions we give to you this season. Today, we raise the names of our friends, family and neighbours that grieve; we pray that they keep their trust in you strong. Remind them, and remind us, that it was never your promise to have a life without grief or pain. Your promise is that you will stand with us, or for us, when we hurt. Your promise is to heal our hearts when they break. Let us feel your presence again, during this time of Lent. This morning we raise our celebrations and joys. Help us to see these moments as Blessings from you. Let these moments of smile and laughter provide the strength we need when times get tough. Help us to see the joy in every moment, and that laughter which can turn around our days in moment. This Lent, Help us to find more opportunities to experience the Joys you provide. We recognize that lent is a time of temptation and personal struggle. Help us as we fight against the urges and the addictions in our lives that threaten to steal the joy from our life. Help us to fight the urges that threaten our happiness, our health and our relationship with you. We pray that the church continues to grow, and embraces its role as a life changer and lifesaver to our communities. We ask that you remind each of us, of just how integral we are to its successes. Help us to find the opportunity to pray for its leaders, its pastors, its ministries, and its future. Remind us that in your church, there is a home for each of us, and a role for each of us to play. Help us to hear your calling for us during this Lenten season. Lastly, we ask that for each of those we have raised in prayer that you provide a person of faith to be with them in their journey and their struggle. Help us to become to others those people who are willing to risk everything to be the face of Jesus for others. Teach us to risk this Lenten season. We raise these prayers, with words that do no justice to our fears or desires, along with the prayers we have yet to understand or articulate, to our Father, who taught us that only one prayer was necessary, the prayer that says .... Our Father, .... "Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart" by Kevin Harvey Trust and Obey! or Trust and Acknowledge! Proverbs 3:5-6 King James Version (KJV) 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. It is a creed to live by. It is a promise to bank on.
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Trust with substance . It is easy to trust when things are good. Trust in Him when times are hard, times of suffering, times of blessing. Sometimes you think you are the only one suffering. Lean not on your own understanding. What does that mean? What if our understanding of God is warped or unbalanced. For example :
************************************ When the question comes up, which are inevitable. Why would a loving God allow horrible atrocities? Where is God when :
I don't understand! Where are you Lord? ************************************ Perhaps we have swallowed the new popular teaching of the prosperity Gospel! Give us your money, you will be rich.... you will never die..... If you are not well, you do not believe in God.... Baloney! Where is the promise that everything is OK in this world.... not true ************************************ Acknowledge Him with your lips, he provides, he loves, he cares, he connects ************************************ Perhaps we need to ponder the book of Job. God paid him back double. Job 13:15 King James Version (KJV) 15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. Job trials, for example, friends with poor counsel. What were Job's friends telling Job? God is perfect and makes no mistake. (God always rewards good and punishes evil) Eldest book of the Bible Who are these nitwits who are giving you advice? Where were you when I laid down the foundation of the world? ************************************ Message of suffering Can you take that beast and make a pet out of him? 1 Peter 4:12-19 King James Version (KJV) 12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. Hebrews 11:36-38 King James Version (KJV) For some perspective 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
************************************ Finally 1 Peter 5:6-10 King James Version (KJV) 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. In conclusion : Proverbs 3:5-6 King James Version (KJV) 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Ok to not understand. Do not carry that to the point you do not believe in God anymore. It is a fair statement and a logical conclusion to say : We don't know everything. We can't see the big picture ...BUT The Lord does JUST TRUST HIM, ACKNOWLEDGE HIM.
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