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The Morning Prayer of Expectation · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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We're going to begin our worship by singing to God's praise in Psalm 30.
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! Let's sing Psalm 30.
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! We're going to sing from verse 1 to verse 8.
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Let's sing from verse 1 to 8, and the tune is St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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St. Minvar.
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Let's come to God in prayer.
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Let us pray.
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Lord, our gracious God, as we have been singing these words,
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we are reminded of every reason that we have to give thanks to you.
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We are reminded of all that you have done for us,
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all that you are doing for us,
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and indeed all that you will do for us.
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For you are a God of salvation,
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one who we can exalt, for you have rescued us.
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When you bring us from darkness to light,
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we know that that great work has been done,
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that you have rescued us from the dominion of darkness
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and brought us into that kingdom of light.
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And so as we know you, Lord, and as we put our trust in you,
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we thank you that that is our cry to you,
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that we exalt your name,
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that we praise you for all that you have done,
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that you have heard our cry,
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and that you have listened to us in our cries for mercy,
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and that you have been gracious towards us.
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And so we thank you for everyone here
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who can testify to these words this evening,
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for everyone who knows what it has been
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and even is at this time to cry unto you
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and to know that you are a God
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who is mighty and awesome in power,
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the one who is above all rule and authority of this world,
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the one who has power in the heavens high,
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and yet who looks down upon us so graciously in so many ways.
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But you have not dealt with us as we deserve, oh Lord,
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but that you have been merciful to us
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and even patient and compassionate.
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You have, oh Lord, not given us what we deserve,
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but yet you remember us.
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And we thank you that your favour is upon us still,
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and that we know a day of grace and mercy.
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But in that we know too that other days come,
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and a final day will come,
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when a day of judgment will be upon us.
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And we know, Lord, that it is what we hear now
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and what we do in these days
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that's so important for us.
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And so we pray for maybe any who haven't listened
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to your voice as yet,
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for any who have not cried out for mercy as yet.
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That this evening, Lord,
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we would realise the great privilege that we have in prayer,
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the blessing that is ours to be able to call upon you
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as one who hears and answers according to your will.
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We do thank you, Lord,
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for the blessing that prayer is to us as a people.
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We are surrounded by prayer,
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and we thank you for that.
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But we pray, Lord, that we will see prayer far and wide
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throughout our nation and throughout the world.
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We do thank you that you have your people
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to all ends of the earth.
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But we remember those in particular who rule over us,
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and we thank you for them, Lord,
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and we pray for kings and queens throughout the world.
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We pray for presidents and prime ministers.
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We pray for those who have that sense of authority and power,
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and yet, oh Lord,
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not recognising that it comes from you,
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not depending upon you in prayer,
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but seeking to do things according to their own ways
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and their own wisdom.
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We pray, Lord,
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that you will humble,
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that you will humble them under your mighty hand,
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and that they would come to recognise
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that all authority and power is from you,
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and that they would cry out to you,
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that they would call upon your name,
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even for mercy for themselves
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and for all our nations of the world,
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that we would be a people
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who would see our great need for you.
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And we thank you, Lord,
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that as we call,
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that you are able to show us your ways
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and to teach us your paths,
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just as you have done through all the generations.
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When we see even the psalmist,
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as he cries out,
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Lord, he knew direction.
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When we see your people
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throughout the Old Testament
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in times of great need and anxiety and fear,
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yet being able to call upon you
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and to know that you are with them.
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When we think of the Gospels,
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when we think of Jesus in them,
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as he taught his disciples how to pray,
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and even as we repeat that prayer
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so often here, the Lord's Prayer,
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we thank you for its simplicity
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and yet its depth.
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We thank you that it teaches us
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about our relationship with you,
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that you are our Father in heaven,
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and that we depend on you for all things,
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that with you is forgiveness,
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that with you is all that we need
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for life and for eternity.
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And so we thank you for the teaching
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we have in prayer.
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We thank you for the way
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we see prayer answered,
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even as the disciples
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and Paul on his missionary journeys
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as they went out with the Gospel.
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We thank you for the way
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that you brought them through
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so many different places
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and among so many different people
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by the power of prayer
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and the movement of your Spirit.
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And we thank you that today
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we still have that power,
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we still have that access to you
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and through your Holy Spirit
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that we are guided in all that we do.
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And so we pray, Lord,
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teach us to pray
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and to look to you
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and to wait upon you.
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Remember us in our homes
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and our families,
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we pray, Lord,
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that you would have mercy upon us.
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We thank you that
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even as we pray together this evening,
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we all have our individual prayers
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being offered up to you as well.
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The things that go on
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in our own lives
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and experiences
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that maybe we only know ourselves.
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We thank you that
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they are already revealed to you
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and that you are with us
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in every situation.
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And we do thank you, Lord,
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that your peace and blessing
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is over us in these ways
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that we know that
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you have blessed us so much
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with the Gospel,
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with the peace that we enjoy,
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with the way of life that we have.
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Lord, we have so much
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to be thankful for
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and yet we take so much for granted.
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And we just pray, Lord,
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that you would just come
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in a day of your power.
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Come and restore to us
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days of great blessing,
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days of revival,
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days of your Spirit
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working powerfully in our midst.
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We pray that for our churches
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throughout our island.
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We pray it to know it
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in the preaching of the Gospel
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in these days
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and times of communion season,
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that there would be times
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of refreshment
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and blessing to us.
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But we pray to know it, Lord,
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throughout our communities as well.
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In our homes,
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that there would be peace
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in families
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and among parents
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and children
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and all relationships like that.
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We pray for our workplaces, Lord,
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places where there can be
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so many challenges to us
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when we can feel resentment
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or anger in different ways,
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when we feel hurt
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or used in different ways.
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We pray, Lord,
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for peace
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and for your goodness
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and mercy upon us there.
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We pray for it in our schools
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and among our young people.
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We think of those
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who are growing up
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in a different generation
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to what we have known,
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with all the different pressures
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and worries that they bring
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in terms of technology
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and so many other different pressures
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weighing heavily
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upon our young people.
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We do pray, Lord,
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for your protection,
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your blessing
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on children,
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upon teachers,
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upon all the staff
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in our schools
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and the Nicholson
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and the primary schools
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and throughout our communities,
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that we would see
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your blessing
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poured out upon us.
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We do thank you, Lord,
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that the things
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that seem impossible for us,
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the things that seem
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outwith our control,
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the things that we seem
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to only ask,
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maybe thinking,
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is it ever possible
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that these things might be?
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We thank you
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that we come to the one
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through whom
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all things are possible.
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For you are God
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and you are Lord of all.
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You have power,
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you have authority
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over all things.
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And so help us, Lord,
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to have faith
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as we pray
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and that we would wait upon you
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and wait upon you
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with that great expectation
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that you are able
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to do abundantly more
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than all that we ask
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or imagine.
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So hear our prayers, Lord,
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and look down upon us.
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Continue with us
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as we open up your word
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this evening.
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Guide us through it
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and may your spirit
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work in our hearts
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and go with us
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in the week ahead, Lord,
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in all that we do
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and all the places
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that we go
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that your hand
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would guide us
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and uphold us
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and keep us
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and forgive us
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all our sins
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as we come anew
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this evening
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confessing before you
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that we are a people
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who fall short
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of your glory,
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that we can never
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meet your standards,
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that your ways
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are so far above our ways
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and your thoughts
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above ours.
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And yet, O Lord,
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we thank you
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for your mercy.
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We thank you
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for your grace
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towards us
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and we thank you
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for the forgiveness
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that we know
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as we confess
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in the name
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above every name,
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the name of our Lord
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and Saviour,
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Jesus Christ.
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So hear our prayers
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through him
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as we ask it all,
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seeking your favour
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upon us anew.
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In Jesus' name,
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Amen.
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Well, we're going to sing again
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to God's praise
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this time
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in the Scottish Psalter,
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singing in Psalm 86,
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page 341
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of the psalm books.
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Psalm 86,
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we're going to sing
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from verse 6
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down to verse 11.
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Psalm 86,
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at verse 6,
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page 341,
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Hear, Lord,
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my prayer
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and to my voice
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of my request
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attend.
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In troublous times
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I'll call on thee,
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for thou
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wilt answer send.
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The tune is Earshire
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and we sing
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from verse 6
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down to verse 11.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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έ έ έ
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Let us pray.
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Let us pray.
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which God has come, not any word is there.
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All nations, new the nations shall come
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and worship reverently
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before thy face and day, O Lord,
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thy name shall glorify.
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Cause the heart exceeding great
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and words by thee are done,
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which are to thee
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admire not the heart of thyself alone.
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Be thy way,
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I'm delighted, O Lord,
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and what will I?
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Good night, my heart,
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as I live with thee for January.
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Amen.
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We turn to read God's word together
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and we're reading in the book of Psalms.
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I'm going to read in Psalm 5,
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the whole of this Psalm.
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Psalm 5.
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You'll find it around page 538 of the church Bibles,
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if you're using them.
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Psalm 5.
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And we can read the whole of this Psalm together.
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It's a Psalm of David.
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Give ear to my words, O Lord,
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consider my groaning.
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Give attention to the sound of my cry,
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my King and my God.
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For to you do I pray.
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O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
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In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
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For you are not a God who delights in wickedness.
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Evil may not dwell with you.
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The boastful shall not stand before your eyes.
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You hate all evildoers.
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You destroy those who speak lies.
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The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
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But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
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will enter your house.
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I will bow down towards your holy temple
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in the fear of you.
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Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
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because of my enemies.
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Make your way straight before me.
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For there is no truth in their mouth.
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Their inmost self is destruction.
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Their throat is an open grave.
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They flatter with their tongue.
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Make them bear their guilt, O God.
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Let them fall by their own counsels.
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Because of the abundance of their transgressions,
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cast them out.
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For they are rebelled against you.
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But let all who take refuge in you rejoice.
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Let them ever sing for joy
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and spread your protection over them.
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That those who love your name may exult in you.
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For you bless the righteous, O Lord.
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You cover him with favour as with a shield.
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Amen.
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And may God bless that reading from his word.
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We're going to sing in the Psalms again.
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Singing in Psalm 116.
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In the Sing Psalms version.
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Page 154.
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Psalm 116.
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Page 154.
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Psalm 116.
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Page 154.
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All our Psalms this evening have this theme of prayer being heard and answered by God in amazing ways.
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And of course, Psalm 116 is that prayer of love towards the Lord because he's heard the voice of the Psalmist.
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Psalm 116 at verse 1.
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I love the Lord because he heard my voice.
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He listened when I cried to him for aid.
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I'll call on him as long as I shall live because he turned to hear me when I prayed.
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We're going to sing from verse 1 down to verse 9 to God's praise and the tune is Eventide.
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I love the Lord because he heard my voice.
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He listened when I cried to him for aid.
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I'll call on him as long as I shall live because he turned to hear me when I prayed.
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In the hearts of death, breathed and eternal thee,
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Half on became free, languish of the grave,
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With grief and trouble I was overcome,
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Then on the name of God I call, Lord, sing.
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The Lord the Lord is kind and full of grace.
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O righteous and compassionate is he.
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The Lord protects all those of childlike faith.
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When I was in great need, he rescued me.
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O my soul, God has been good to you.
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For you, O Lord, have saved my soul from death.
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My feet from stumbling and my eyes from tears.
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That I may live for you while I am afraid.
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Amen.
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Well, we can turn back together to our reading in the book of Psalms and Psalm 5.
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And we can read again at the beginning of the psalm, the first three verses there.
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Give ear to my words, O Lord.
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Consider my groaning.
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Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God.
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For to you do I pray.
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O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
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In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
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And then at the end of the psalm, at verse 9, it says,
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The Lord has heard my plea.
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The Lord accepts my prayer.
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Sorry, wrong psalm.
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But let all who take refuge in you rejoice.
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Let them ever sing for joy and spread your protection over them.
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For those who love your name may exult in you.
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For you bless the righteous, O Lord.
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You cover him with favor as with a shield.
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The title for this evening's sermon is The Morning Prayer of Expectation.
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And it may not seem to make sense to have it in the evening.
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But it's just a reminder to us of the importance of prayer.
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And that's going to be the theme of our service this evening, the importance of prayer.
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And as you look at Psalm 5, you find here David beginning the day in prayer.
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And he's going on throughout the day, then looking and watching to God who he has prayed to
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and waiting with that sense of expectation.
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So that's why we call it the morning prayer of expectation.
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And prayer is such an important part of church life.
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It's an important part of the Christian life.
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Prayer is our relationship with God.
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Both in a congregational sense as we gather together, prayer is important.
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Every sermon, you hear every service, you come to, there's prayer in it.
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Every time we have a prayer meeting, it is about prayer, praying to God.
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There are times in our denomination once a year when we have a national day of prayer.
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A day that's set aside for that very purpose.
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But every day is a day of prayer.
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We have prayer meetings throughout the week.
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There's a monthly meeting on a Monday evening.
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There's prayer meetings in Laxdale on Tuesday.
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The English in the Seminary on Wednesday and the Gaelic on Thursday and the Seminary.
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There's the Saturday evening prayer meeting.
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Prayer is just part of our life and our routines.
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It's such an important thing.
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But how do we approach it?
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It can sometimes become just a habit.
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It can become something of just going through a routine.
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And that's something we always have to guard against.
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Do we have a sense of expectation as we come to prayer?
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Yeah.
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I think it's good to remind ourselves that that is the way that we should come.
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We should always come with a sense of expectation that we are praying not to ourselves,
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not to a people who we see around us, but that we are lifting up our voice to God,
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the God of heaven and earth.
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And that we remember who it is that we are praying to.
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That then helps us to have that sense of expectation and anticipation of what God can do.
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Because there may be times when we sense that coming to God and we feel that things are beyond
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our reach, beyond change, beyond our capabilities, beyond recovery.
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There are things that are just totally outwith our control.
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And in a way, it's good that we would come like that.
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Because that then reminds us that is why we come to God in prayer.
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Because what is impossible with man, it is possible with God.
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And so it's that dependence that we have.
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And that's what we see with David in this psalm.
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When we think of prayer and its importance, it is our lifeblood, our relationship with God.
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And we see it with David in the psalms again and again.
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In his own life, we see it again and again.
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And with all God's people in the scriptures, you see it as so vital, so important.
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And does it make a difference?
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Well, of course it does.
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When you look at David in this psalm, he's beginning his day with that sense of expectation,
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praying to God, I'm crying to you, my enemies are all around me.
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And yet he concludes this psalm with that, you cover him with favor as with a shield.
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So he knows that God has been with him.
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He knows that God is looking after him.
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And you see it again and again through the scriptures, how God answers prayer in amazing ways.
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But it's not just in the scriptures.
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Many of us can testify to it in our own lives.
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The way God has answered prayer.
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The way God has helped us in different situations.
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The way God, maybe even today, you've been praying about someone or something or yourself.
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And you've seen God do something remarkable, something amazing.
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That God is able to answer prayer.
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And we can all look back, I'm sure, and see answered prayer in so many different ways.
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And I'm sure many of us can look back and not just see answered prayer, but see how many of us are tokens to answered prayer.
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The people who prayed for us when we seemed maybe beyond the reach of God.
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When we seemed so far away from God that salvation was the last thing on our mind.
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And yet people were praying.
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And by God's grace, he brought us to himself.
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That many of us are tokens to answered prayers.
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Faithful prayers.
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People who wouldn't give up in prayer.
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Who kept praying.
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Always believing that this God who we are praying to, the God of heaven and earth.
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He is able to save.
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He is able to do so much more than all that we ask or imagine.
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And the scripture is full of people who are faithful in prayer.
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David here we're seeing, but there's others too.
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You think maybe names might come to mind immediately.
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You think maybe of Daniel.
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Daniel was a man of prayer.
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And a man of prayer no matter what.
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Didn't matter what was going on around him or what the threat was.
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He still prayed to God.
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That's what you read of in Daniel chapter 6.
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When they decided, the wise men around Nebuchadnezzar decided that all prayer was to be made to him as king.
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Not to God.
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So they said, anyone who prays to any God or man during the next 30 days except to you, O king,
29:38
shall be thrown into the lion's den.
29:41
The lion's den was the threat for anyone who would pray to any other God or man apart from Nebuchadnezzar.
29:48
And it was a real threat.
29:51
It wasn't just they were saying something they weren't going to do.
29:54
We know because they were thrown into the lion's den.
29:58
But what was Daniel's response?
30:01
Was he terrified of this?
30:04
Was he afraid of this and said, I better stop praying?
30:08
No.
30:09
Daniel's response was when he learned about the decree that had been published in verse 10.
30:14
He went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem.
30:19
And three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God,
30:25
just as he had done before.
30:29
He was faithful in prayer.
30:32
And God heard and answered his prayers in amazing ways.
30:38
And so you see it throughout the scripture, this relationship of God with his people.
30:44
And even Jesus himself is a reminder to us of the importance of prayer.
30:49
Jesus spent time in prayer with his Father.
30:55
And it was often at times when things were busy.
30:59
In the Gospel of Luke chapter 5, for example, you read there that there were large crowds
31:05
who were hearing about him and starting to come and follow him.
31:08
But in verse 16 of Luke 5, it says,
31:13
But he, that's Jesus, would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
31:21
So you see there, it wasn't just once.
31:24
It was his habit, his routine.
31:27
He would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
31:31
He would find his quiet place to pray.
31:34
And down through history, there's so many examples given to us of people who were faithful in prayer.
31:42
People who put us to shame as you read about them and the kind of prayer life that they had.
31:49
For example, Matthew Henry, who wrote a commentary on the whole Bible.
31:54
It's said of him that he would spend eight hours a day in pure study and prayer.
32:01
Eight hours a day in pure study and prayer.
32:06
And so many of the Puritan theologians of the 16th, 17th century, the same was true of them.
32:13
They were people of prayer.
32:17
And so we are reminded again and again of the importance of prayer.
32:23
And as somebody once put it, if you are too busy to pray, you are too busy.
32:28
If you don't have time to pray, you're not using your time right.
32:34
That's the challenge to us all the time, is it not?
32:39
Our relationship with God in prayer.
32:41
And I'm saying this to myself first.
32:45
And the situation with David here in Psalm 5 is one,
32:48
when we see him in a situation where there's so much going on around him.
32:54
There's so much that's going on that's weighing heavy upon him.
32:59
He's surrounded by enemies.
33:02
He's surrounded by those who are out to get him.
33:05
Those who are looking for an opportunity to bring him down.
33:10
Making him out to be an enemy of the people.
33:14
And yet, who is David?
33:17
Who is this David we read of in the Psalms?
33:20
Who is this David we read of in the Scriptures?
33:23
He is the king who was chosen by God.
33:28
He is the one through whom the line of Jesus would come.
33:33
So he is appointed by God.
33:37
He is a man after God's own heart, as the word describes him.
33:41
He is someone who has this closeness with God.
33:45
And yet, here he is under attack.
33:48
Here he is with his troubles are never far away, as it were.
33:52
And what we see him again and again is reminding us of the need to cry out to God.
33:58
And how real this cry is.
34:01
How real this prayer is.
34:05
The example we are given by David here is to begin each day in prayer with God.
34:12
And look with that expectation to him.
34:17
The God who shields and watches over his people.
34:23
Prayer is so important.
34:27
Spurgeon, Charles Spurgeon, in his book entitled Only a Prayer Meeting,
34:33
he speaks about the importance of prayer in that sense of togetherness.
34:39
And in his first chapter, there's two points that kind of stand out for me.
34:45
He said this, how could we expect a blessing if we're too idle to ask for it?
34:51
How can we expect a blessing if we're too idle to ask for it?
34:55
The importance of having that time of prayer with God.
34:59
But also of that collective nature of prayer, being together in prayer.
35:02
He said, how could we look for a Pentecost if we're never met with one accord in one place to wait upon the Lord?
35:11
How can we expect the blessing of God to be poured out if we're not meeting together with one accord in one place to wait upon the Lord?
35:19
To have that sense of watching and waiting expectantly on God.
35:24
And so there's lessons for us to learn from this psalm.
35:29
And the first thing is I want to see is David's approach is to God.
35:36
And it sounds obvious, doesn't it?
35:38
David's approach is to God.
35:41
But it's key because he doesn't start to deal with things by himself.
35:47
He has God with him.
35:49
And prayer has been much in the news recently.
35:53
And not for the reasons we would want it as such.
35:57
But it highlights that even in a negative sense it can highlight how important prayer is to people.
36:04
For example, just in the last month there has been a call by some to scrap Christian prayers
36:10
at the start of every session of the House of Commons.
36:15
We don't need prayer today.
36:18
We've moved on, was what some were saying.
36:22
And yet it was met with a pushback.
36:26
That there are still those who see the importance of prayer.
36:29
But it's just a reminder to us that that's the mindset of so many.
36:33
We don't need prayer.
36:36
We've seen it too in the news recently with talk of exclusion zones around health clinics.
36:43
Now without going into the details of why they're set,
36:45
it's the challenge that it's bringing towards those who would seek to be a praying people.
36:51
Where the threat is seen not just in the zones around,
36:55
but even in the homes around them as being under threat if you're praying.
36:59
Even in your own home.
37:00
That there could be a challenge against you.
37:03
And so there's all these things that are being highlighted for us
37:06
about the challenge that's being made against prayer.
37:09
Let's get rid of prayer.
37:13
Instead of seeing the gift and power that there is in prayer.
37:19
And who it is that we're praying to and what he's able to do for us.
37:23
And David reminds us in this psalm that in these days,
37:26
even our own days today,
37:28
it is such a time to see prayer and its importance.
37:31
And to see that it is only by seeking God in these days
37:37
that we will know days of blessing and days of peace.
37:41
And so David's approach is to God.
37:46
And his approach is in the morning.
37:50
C.S. Lewis said,
37:51
What was he saying?
38:16
He was saying,
38:17
We wake up in the morning and we can immediately be faced with,
38:21
I need to do this, that, and the next thing.
38:24
It's all such a rush.
38:27
And yet he's saying it's time,
38:29
that time in the morning is that time to make sure we push back
38:31
on all these things that will come as a first priority to us
38:36
and just make sure that we let that voice of the Lord come in.
38:41
That time with the Lord come in.
38:44
And so there's the challenge.
38:47
David is approaching God,
38:49
and he's approaching him in the morning.
38:51
Is that our priority at the beginning of the day?
38:54
To have that time with God.
38:57
Because the temptation would have been there for David here as well.
39:01
That same temptation coming under attack from those around him.
39:05
It would be so easy for him to turn on the offense,
39:08
to go on the attack against them.
39:10
But what he does is he approaches his Lord,
39:14
his God,
39:15
and his King.
39:17
David,
39:18
a king,
39:19
a royal king in this world,
39:21
still sees his dependence upon the Lord,
39:26
the Lord of all.
39:28
And so David is a great example to us
39:31
of the need for ourselves
39:32
to pray as well.
39:34
And he approaches God in an honest way.
39:38
Look at how he comes to him.
39:39
Give ear to my words,
39:41
O Lord.
39:42
Consider my groaning.
39:45
Give attention to the sound of my cry.
39:48
So he comes honestly.
39:51
He comes with words.
39:53
It's obvious as we pray that we use words.
39:58
But then he says,
39:59
Consider my groaning.
40:02
And hear my cries.
40:05
The sound of my cry.
40:08
And so he's coming,
40:09
just bearing his heart to God in every way.
40:12
It's not a case of approaching God
40:15
depending on how you feel.
40:19
It's not a case of saying,
40:20
I don't feel close to God just now.
40:23
I shouldn't come and pray.
40:25
It's coming whatever our situation,
40:28
whatever our circumstances.
40:31
Yes,
40:31
when there are times
40:32
when we can express our prayers in words,
40:35
but other times our prayers are just a groan.
40:39
They're just a noise that maybe comes out of us.
40:41
The groaning of our heart.
40:43
Or the cries of anguish that sometimes come.
40:46
They're still prayers that God hears.
40:51
And so we are to approach God with all our burdens,
40:55
all our cares.
40:58
And you notice too how he approaches God
41:00
in such a personal way.
41:04
Give ear to my words,
41:06
O Lord.
41:07
He is coming in that sense of knowing
41:09
who he is coming to.
41:11
And then at the end of verse 2,
41:13
he says,
41:13
My King and my God,
41:16
for to you do I pray.
41:19
So there's this personal nature
41:21
of coming to God.
41:24
My Lord,
41:26
my King,
41:27
my God.
41:28
And that's the relationship
41:30
that's open to us.
41:32
Every one of us can come
41:33
and approach the Lord,
41:36
the King,
41:37
my God,
41:37
in that same way.
41:39
He is the one
41:40
who is there for us.
41:41
He is the one alone
41:42
who is able to help.
41:44
We can approach God
41:46
through Jesus Christ,
41:47
our Lord,
41:48
the King of kings
41:49
and Lord of lords.
41:51
What a wonderful privilege it is
41:54
to be able to approach God,
41:57
the same God
41:58
as David prayed to,
41:59
the same God
42:00
that Daniel
42:01
was praying to,
42:03
the same God
42:04
down through all the generations,
42:06
the only God
42:07
who is able to help.
42:10
Somebody once said this,
42:11
Prayer is man's
42:12
greatest means
42:13
of tapping
42:14
the infinite resources
42:16
of God,
42:18
invoking by prayer
42:19
the mercy and might
42:20
of God
42:21
as our most effective means
42:23
of guaranteeing peace
42:25
and security
42:26
for the harassed
42:27
and helpless people
42:28
of this earth.
42:32
Invoking by prayer
42:34
the mercy and might
42:35
of God.
42:37
That is what we have
42:38
in prayer.
42:39
We have that access.
42:43
We approach the God
42:45
who is able
42:47
to do so much more
42:49
than we can ask
42:51
of him.
42:51
So much more
42:52
than we can even imagine
42:53
in our own minds.
42:55
He is able
42:56
to do it.
42:58
So David's approach
42:59
is to God
43:01
and so
43:01
is ours.
43:03
Second thing we see
43:04
is David's approach
43:05
is a priority.
43:08
It's a priority.
43:10
And again,
43:11
we see it just here
43:13
how he
43:14
just comes
43:15
to him
43:15
in this sense
43:16
of it's
43:17
the most important
43:18
and the most precious
43:19
thing he could do.
43:23
Martin Luther,
43:24
the reformer,
43:26
again,
43:26
who we're studying
43:27
in the Bible study
43:28
on Wednesday evenings,
43:29
the Reformation,
43:30
and it was Martin Luther
43:31
who was at the heart
43:32
of that.
43:33
He did so much
43:34
to bring the truths
43:36
of the gospel
43:36
to the people
43:38
of God.
43:39
And he would spend
43:41
at least two hours
43:42
a day
43:43
in private prayer.
43:45
And he once said
43:45
to a friend of his,
43:47
he said,
43:48
I've got so much
43:49
to do tomorrow.
43:51
I need to spend
43:52
an extra day,
43:53
an extra hour
43:54
in prayer.
43:56
Now,
43:57
is that the kind
43:57
of response
43:58
we would have
43:59
to the busyness
44:00
of life?
44:00
I've got so much
44:01
to do tomorrow
44:02
that I'll add
44:04
an extra hour
44:05
of prayer
44:06
into my schedule.
44:07
We would probably
44:08
go the other way.
44:10
We would think,
44:10
I've got so much
44:11
to do tomorrow,
44:12
I'll need to cut
44:13
back on my time
44:14
in prayer.
44:16
And yet,
44:17
for Martin Luther,
44:18
the priority
44:18
was that
44:20
prayerful relationship.
44:21
The priority
44:23
with David
44:23
here is that
44:24
prayer
44:25
with God.
44:27
That morning
44:28
prayer with God,
44:29
even though
44:29
there's so much
44:30
going on.
44:33
It was John Bunyan
44:33
who once said,
44:34
he who runs
44:35
from God
44:36
in the morning
44:37
will scarcely
44:37
find him
44:38
the rest
44:39
of the day.
44:40
And again,
44:42
it's just that
44:42
reminder for
44:43
ourselves
44:44
that in our
44:44
prayer life,
44:46
it is so important
44:47
to begin
44:48
the day
44:49
in prayer.
44:50
That priority
44:51
of beginning
44:51
the day
44:52
in prayer
44:53
with God
44:54
is set
44:54
the day
44:55
before him.
44:57
We depend
44:59
on him.
45:01
Jesus'
45:02
prayer life
45:03
was there
45:03
to see us
45:04
as well as
45:04
we saw
45:05
in Luke's
45:06
gospel,
45:07
how he would
45:07
go away
45:08
to a
45:08
quiet
45:09
place
45:09
and pray.
45:10
But you
45:10
also see
45:11
that so
45:11
often
45:12
it was
45:12
in the
45:12
early
45:13
hours
45:13
of the
45:14
morning,
45:16
in that
45:16
quiet
45:16
time
45:17
of the
45:18
day.
45:19
And that's
45:20
again a
45:21
lesson to
45:21
us.
45:21
When we
45:22
are fresh,
45:24
when we
45:24
have just
45:25
had our
45:25
night's
45:26
sleep,
45:26
when we
45:26
are about
45:27
to go
45:27
into
45:28
the
45:28
busyness
45:29
of a
45:29
day,
45:30
that we
45:30
give that
45:31
quality
45:32
time
45:32
to God.
45:34
Because we
45:35
have every
45:35
reason to.
45:36
because you
45:37
see in the
45:38
scriptures how
45:39
often it
45:39
tells us that
45:40
the blessings
45:41
of God are
45:42
new each
45:43
morning.
45:45
Lamentation
45:46
speaks of it
45:47
in chapter
45:47
3,
45:48
verse 22,
45:49
because of
45:50
the Lord's
45:50
great love,
45:51
we are not
45:52
consumed,
45:53
for his
45:53
compassion
45:54
never fail.
45:58
So there's
45:58
that reminder
45:59
of his
46:00
great love
46:01
towards us.
46:03
So what
46:05
other reason
46:05
do we need
46:05
to come
46:06
and pray
46:06
than we
46:07
know the
46:08
Lord's
46:08
great love.
46:09
We are
46:09
not
46:09
consumed,
46:11
we don't
46:11
get what
46:12
we deserve
46:13
because of
46:14
his
46:14
compassions
46:15
that never
46:16
fail.
46:17
So we
46:18
have all
46:18
of these
46:19
reasons,
46:19
but then
46:20
in the
46:20
next verse
46:20
it says
46:21
they are
46:21
new
46:22
every
46:23
morning.
46:24
So it's
46:25
not just
46:26
a one-off.
46:28
It's not
46:28
just we
46:29
pray on
46:30
the Monday
46:30
for the
46:31
whole week
46:31
ahead and
46:32
don't come
46:32
back again
46:33
until the
46:34
next Monday.
46:35
Our
46:35
relationship
46:36
with God
46:36
is on a
46:37
daily basis.
46:39
They are
46:40
new every
46:41
morning.
46:41
Great is
46:42
your
46:42
faithfulness
46:43
it says
46:44
in
46:44
lamentations.
46:46
So we
46:46
have that
46:46
reminder
46:47
every day
46:48
we have
46:49
reason to
46:50
give thanks
46:50
to God,
46:51
to make it
46:52
our priority
46:53
to come
46:54
to him
46:55
and especially
46:55
in the
46:56
morning.
46:57
Zephaniah
46:58
has the
46:59
same thing.
47:00
Zephaniah
47:00
chapter 3
47:01
verse 5
47:02
The Lord
47:03
within her
47:04
is righteous.
47:05
He does
47:05
no wrong.
47:07
Morning by
47:07
morning he
47:08
dispenses
47:09
his justice
47:10
and every
47:11
new day
47:12
he does
47:13
not fail.
47:15
Again
47:15
there's this
47:16
reminder
47:16
it's every
47:17
new day
47:18
morning by
47:20
morning he
47:20
dispenses
47:21
his justice.
47:23
So every
47:23
day
47:24
you wouldn't
47:25
miss breakfast
47:26
or you
47:27
wouldn't miss
47:28
a meal
47:28
in the
47:29
day that's
47:29
going to
47:29
keep you
47:30
going.
47:31
And so
47:31
we see
47:31
here
47:32
morning by
47:33
morning
47:33
we are
47:34
reminded of
47:35
his great
47:35
faithfulness.
47:40
And so
47:41
we are to
47:41
make it
47:42
that priority
47:43
to come
47:45
to him.
47:46
Are we
47:46
giving the
47:46
best to
47:48
God in
47:48
terms of
47:49
our prayers
47:50
and beginning
47:51
each day
47:53
with him?
47:54
In many
47:55
ways and
47:55
you see it
47:56
here in
47:56
David what
47:57
he says
47:58
in the
48:00
morning you
48:00
hear my
48:01
voice in
48:02
the morning
48:02
I prepare
48:03
a sacrifice
48:04
for you.
48:05
And so
48:06
there's this
48:06
sense of
48:07
prayer it
48:08
is a
48:08
sacrifice.
48:10
We don't
48:11
prepare a
48:11
sacrifice maybe
48:12
in the same
48:13
way that was
48:14
done in the
48:14
Old Testament
48:15
but prayer
48:17
is still a
48:18
sacrifice.
48:19
It is still
48:20
something costly
48:21
something that
48:23
takes time
48:23
for us to
48:25
prepare and
48:25
to come
48:26
to God
48:27
with.
48:28
And it's
48:28
pleasing
48:29
to God.
48:32
So let us
48:33
make it our
48:33
priority to
48:35
pray.
48:36
Each new
48:36
day to be
48:37
as David
48:38
was coming
48:39
to the
48:39
Lord in
48:40
the morning
48:40
in the
48:41
freshness of
48:41
the day
48:42
thankful for
48:43
the Lord's
48:43
mercies that
48:44
are new each
48:45
day, for
48:45
his faithfulness
48:46
each day,
48:47
for all that
48:47
he gives us
48:48
day by day,
48:50
coming with
48:50
thankfulness to
48:52
him, to
48:52
commit that
48:53
day ahead
48:55
to him,
48:56
asking for
48:57
blessings anew
48:59
in it.
49:00
So it's a
49:01
priority.
49:02
The final
49:02
thing we see
49:03
here is David's
49:04
approach is
49:05
with confidence.
49:08
And you see
49:09
that just in
49:09
these two
49:10
words at the
49:11
end of verse
49:12
3.
49:13
And watch.
49:16
O Lord, in
49:16
the morning you
49:17
hear my voice.
49:18
In the morning
49:18
I prepare a
49:19
sacrifice for
49:20
you and
49:22
watch.
49:25
As David
49:26
offers his
49:27
morning prayer
49:28
to God, he
49:29
does so in
49:30
a way where
49:30
he leaves it
49:31
with the
49:31
Lord and
49:32
waits expectantly
49:34
on him.
49:36
How often
49:37
are you guilty
49:38
of praying,
49:40
committing
49:40
something to
49:41
God in
49:42
prayer, but
49:44
you can't
49:44
wait.
49:45
You can't
49:46
wait for an
49:47
answer.
49:48
You can't
49:48
wait to see
49:49
if God is
49:50
going to
49:50
work.
49:50
You start
49:51
to take
49:51
the situation
49:52
into your
49:53
own hands.
49:53
You'll do
49:54
something about
49:55
it yourself.
49:57
We all
49:58
do it.
50:00
We all
50:00
lose patience.
50:01
We all
50:02
try and do
50:02
things in
50:03
our own
50:03
way instead
50:04
of waiting
50:05
on God.
50:07
But here's
50:08
another reminder
50:09
to us
50:09
that God
50:11
is never
50:11
idle.
50:13
God is
50:13
never not
50:14
listening to
50:16
our prayers.
50:17
He doesn't
50:17
always give
50:17
us what
50:18
we want
50:19
as we
50:19
were thinking
50:19
this morning,
50:20
but he
50:21
does give
50:21
us what
50:22
we need.
50:24
And he
50:24
doesn't turn
50:25
any prayer
50:26
away.
50:27
He hears
50:28
our prayer,
50:29
and we are
50:29
to pray that
50:30
prayer in
50:31
his will
50:32
to be done.
50:34
And that's
50:34
what David
50:35
is saying
50:35
here in
50:36
these words.
50:37
He offers
50:38
up his
50:38
prayer and
50:39
his sacrifice
50:39
in the
50:40
morning and
50:41
watches.
50:42
watches.
50:43
And the
50:43
word there
50:44
for watch
50:44
has that
50:45
great sense
50:46
of expectation
50:47
behind it,
50:49
where he's
50:49
looking to
50:50
God, where
50:51
he's looking
50:51
to see what
50:52
is God
50:53
going to
50:53
do today.
50:55
There's a
50:55
sense of
50:55
excitement,
50:57
anticipation
50:57
in praying
50:59
to God.
51:01
And again,
51:02
we think of
51:02
our own
51:02
prayer life.
51:04
Do we
51:04
have that
51:05
sense of
51:05
expectation,
51:07
anticipation
51:07
as we pray
51:09
to God?
51:09
What is he
51:10
going to
51:10
do?
51:12
How is he
51:12
going to
51:13
work in
51:14
our midst?
51:15
And we
51:15
just think
51:15
of things
51:16
that we
51:17
have prayed
51:17
for as
51:18
a congregation.
51:20
What have
51:20
we prayed
51:21
for when
51:21
we've seen
51:22
God answer
51:23
prayer?
51:25
When we've
51:25
prayed for
51:26
conversions,
51:27
have we
51:28
prayed
51:28
expectantly
51:29
and watched
51:30
and waited
51:31
and say,
51:32
God, you
51:33
are going
51:33
to do
51:33
it?
51:35
Well, we've
51:35
seen it.
51:36
We've seen
51:37
people come
51:38
to faith.
51:39
Praise God,
51:41
he has
51:41
heard,
51:42
prayers.
51:43
We think
51:44
of different
51:46
things going
51:46
on in
51:47
our congregation.
51:49
Whether it's
51:50
Friday at the
51:50
Free, as
51:51
people have
51:51
prayed for
51:53
that, and
51:54
we've
51:54
prayed,
51:54
Lord, let
51:55
us see
51:55
people come
51:56
in.
51:57
Let us
51:57
see people
51:58
show an
51:59
interest in
52:00
the gospel
52:00
here.
52:01
Praise God,
52:02
we've seen
52:03
prayer answered.
52:04
We've been
52:05
able to watch
52:06
and wait on
52:06
God and see
52:07
amazing ways
52:09
that he
52:10
has answered
52:11
prayer.
52:12
Think of
52:12
prayers for
52:13
holiday clubs
52:13
or youth
52:14
work,
52:15
praying for
52:15
young people
52:16
to come.
52:17
Praise God
52:17
they're here
52:18
tonight.
52:19
They're here,
52:20
you're here
52:20
with us.
52:21
The gospel is
52:22
being heard and
52:23
we see it in
52:23
the mornings as
52:24
they go out to
52:24
Sunday school.
52:26
We see it
52:26
week by week.
52:27
Praise God,
52:29
he has
52:29
answered
52:29
prayer.
52:32
And has that
52:32
been because of
52:33
our confidence?
52:34
confidence.
52:35
Well,
52:36
sometimes it's
52:36
despite our
52:37
lack of
52:38
confidence.
52:40
But we are
52:41
reminded here
52:42
that as we
52:42
pray to
52:43
God,
52:44
we pray
52:44
and watch.
52:46
That sense
52:47
of expectation,
52:49
God is
52:50
able.
52:51
So that
52:51
whatever it
52:52
is that we're
52:52
asking for,
52:54
he is
52:55
able.
52:57
You see it
52:57
with the
52:58
prophets in
52:59
the Old
52:59
Testament as
53:00
well.
53:01
The prophet
53:02
Isaiah in
53:02
chapter 30.
53:04
verse 18.
53:06
Therefore the
53:06
Lord waits to
53:07
be gracious
53:08
to you and
53:08
therefore he
53:09
exalts himself
53:10
to show
53:11
mercy to
53:12
you.
53:12
For the
53:13
Lord is a
53:13
God of
53:14
justice.
53:15
Blessed are
53:15
those who
53:17
wait for
53:18
him.
53:19
There is
53:19
blessing in
53:21
waiting on
53:22
the Lord.
53:22
Micah the
53:23
prophet, he
53:24
had the same
53:25
experience.
53:26
And you can
53:26
often go through
53:27
so many of
53:28
the Lord's
53:29
people in
53:29
the scriptures
53:30
waiting on
53:31
God.
53:32
Micah 7
53:33
verse 7.
53:34
But as
53:34
for me, I
53:35
watch in
53:36
hope for
53:36
the Lord.
53:37
I wait for
53:38
God my
53:39
Savior.
53:39
My God
53:40
will hear
53:41
me.
53:42
There's
53:42
confidence.
53:44
God will
53:45
deal with
53:46
this.
53:48
And
53:48
surely there's
53:48
a sense of
53:49
excitement in
53:50
that.
53:51
That God
53:52
is able to
53:53
deal with
53:54
this.
53:55
For David,
53:56
he had
53:57
offered his
53:57
prayer, he
53:58
had offered
53:58
his sacrifice,
53:59
and watch.
54:00
He is
54:02
able to
54:02
wait for
54:04
God.
54:06
In
54:06
Psalm
54:07
116,
54:10
as we
54:10
sang there,
54:11
the second
54:12
half of
54:13
verse 5,
54:14
the Lord
54:15
protects all
54:15
those of
54:16
childlike
54:17
faith.
54:18
When I was
54:19
in great
54:19
need, he
54:20
rescued me.
54:21
The Psalm
54:21
is all about
54:22
crying out
54:23
to God.
54:25
Do we
54:25
have that
54:26
childlike
54:26
faith?
54:28
That
54:29
childlike
54:29
faith, that
54:30
dependence on
54:32
him.
54:33
We need to
54:34
be like
54:35
that child,
54:36
but a
54:37
child with
54:37
that sense
54:38
of expectation,
54:40
childlike
54:40
faith, where
54:42
we trust
54:42
that God
54:44
is able.
54:46
Dr.
54:46
Helen
54:46
Rosevear,
54:47
she was a
54:48
missionary in
54:49
Africa, and
54:50
she tells
54:51
some amazing
54:51
stories of
54:52
how she saw
54:53
prayer answered.
54:55
I wanted to
54:56
finish with
54:57
this one.
54:58
It's a story
54:59
of a time
54:59
when they
55:01
had had a
55:02
great tragedy
55:03
where they
55:04
were.
55:05
She was
55:06
working in
55:06
a mission
55:07
station, and
55:09
she was
55:09
working among
55:10
young mothers,
55:12
and she
55:12
said this
55:12
day a
55:13
mother at
55:14
her mission
55:14
station died
55:15
giving birth
55:16
to a
55:17
premature
55:18
baby.
55:19
So obviously
55:20
it was a
55:20
difficult time,
55:22
and they
55:22
didn't have
55:23
the medical
55:24
facilities
55:25
that we
55:26
have today.
55:27
And she
55:27
was saying
55:28
we tried
55:28
to improvise
55:29
an incubator
55:30
to keep
55:31
the infant
55:32
alive, to
55:32
keep the
55:33
baby warm.
55:34
But the
55:35
only hot
55:36
water bottle
55:36
we had
55:37
was beyond
55:37
repair.
55:39
And so
55:40
we asked
55:40
the children
55:41
to pray
55:42
for the
55:43
baby and
55:44
for her
55:44
sister.
55:46
And she
55:46
goes on to
55:47
say one
55:47
of the
55:47
girls responded
55:48
and prayed
55:49
like this,
55:50
dear God,
55:51
please send
55:52
a hot
55:53
water bottle
55:54
today.
55:56
Tomorrow
55:56
will be
55:56
too late,
55:58
because by
55:59
then the
55:59
baby will
56:00
have died.
56:01
And dear
56:02
Lord,
56:02
please send
56:03
a doll
56:03
for the
56:04
sister so
56:05
she won't
56:06
feel lonely.
56:08
It's such
56:09
a simple
56:10
prayer,
56:12
a child
56:12
prayer.
56:15
Well,
56:16
that afternoon
56:16
she said a
56:17
large package
56:18
arrived from
56:19
England.
56:21
And the
56:21
children watched
56:22
eagerly,
56:23
she said,
56:23
as we
56:23
opened it.
56:25
And much
56:25
to their
56:26
surprise,
56:26
under some
56:27
clothing,
56:28
was a
56:28
hot water
56:29
bottle.
56:31
The
56:31
prayer was
56:32
answered.
56:34
But the
56:34
little girl
56:35
who had
56:35
prayed,
56:36
what did
56:36
she start
56:37
doing?
56:38
Ellen
56:38
Rosevear
56:38
says immediately
56:39
she started
56:40
digging into
56:41
the package
56:41
and exclaiming
56:43
with great
56:44
excitement,
56:44
well,
56:44
if God
56:45
sent that
56:46
hot water
56:46
bottle,
56:47
I'm sure
56:47
he sent
56:48
a doll
56:48
too.
56:50
And there
56:50
in the
56:51
bottom of
56:51
the box
56:51
was a
56:52
doll.
56:53
And what
56:54
was so
56:54
amazing
56:55
about it
56:55
was God's
56:56
timing.
56:58
It was
56:58
five months
56:59
previous that
57:00
that package
57:01
had been
57:01
made up
57:02
and sent
57:03
from England
57:03
and sent
57:04
over to
57:05
this mission
57:06
station in
57:07
Africa to
57:07
arrive on
57:09
that very
57:09
day that
57:10
it was
57:11
needed.
57:13
God
57:13
had known
57:14
that prayer
57:15
even before
57:16
it was
57:16
offered up.
57:17
They'd
57:17
known,
57:18
he had
57:18
known
57:18
their
57:19
need.
57:20
That
57:20
childlike
57:21
faith
57:22
was
57:22
rewarded.
57:24
And God
57:25
has promised
57:25
to hear
57:26
his praying
57:27
people.
57:29
And that's
57:29
what we
57:30
have to
57:30
remind
57:30
ourselves
57:31
of too.
57:32
We are
57:32
to come
57:33
and approach
57:34
God who
57:36
is able,
57:36
God who
57:37
is Lord
57:37
of all.
57:39
And we
57:40
are to
57:40
make it
57:40
our priority
57:41
to come.
57:42
God
57:43
and we
57:44
are to
57:44
wait and
57:44
watch
57:45
with that
57:46
expectation
57:47
as we
57:48
do so
57:48
that he
57:49
is able
57:49
to hear
57:51
and answer
57:52
prayer.
57:54
And again,
57:55
somebody wants
57:55
prayer like
57:56
this, when
57:56
we pray we
57:57
are to
57:57
remember
57:57
three things.
58:00
First,
58:01
the love
58:02
of God
58:02
that wants
58:03
the best
58:03
for us.
58:04
Secondly,
58:06
the wisdom
58:07
of God
58:09
that knows
58:10
what is
58:11
best for
58:12
us.
58:13
And thirdly,
58:14
the power
58:15
of God
58:15
that can
58:16
accomplish
58:17
it.
58:19
And so
58:19
as we
58:19
think of
58:20
David
58:20
here,
58:22
reminding
58:22
us of
58:22
the importance
58:23
of prayer,
58:26
let us
58:26
have that
58:27
confidence,
58:28
that boldness
58:29
to come
58:30
and approach
58:31
God with
58:32
all our
58:33
cares,
58:33
with all
58:34
our
58:34
prayers,
58:35
making it
58:36
our
58:36
priority
58:37
and knowing
58:38
that he
58:39
is able,
58:40
that we
58:41
can watch
58:42
and wait
58:43
for him
58:44
to do
58:44
more than
58:45
we ever
58:45
ask or
58:47
imagine.
58:48
Let us
58:49
pray.
58:51
Lord,
58:51
our
58:52
gracious
58:52
God,
58:53
we do
58:53
thank you
58:53
that we
58:54
have such
58:55
great power
58:56
in prayer,
58:57
not from
58:57
ourselves,
58:59
but in
58:59
the one
58:59
to whom
59:00
we offer
59:00
our prayers
59:01
up to.
59:02
We thank
59:02
you that
59:03
the way
59:03
is opened
59:03
up for
59:04
us
59:04
through
59:04
Jesus
59:05
Christ,
59:06
our
59:06
Lord,
59:07
that we
59:07
come in
59:08
his name,
59:09
the name
59:09
above
59:09
every name,
59:11
acknowledging
59:11
their
59:12
dependence
59:13
upon you
59:13
and thankful
59:14
for every
59:15
blessing that
59:16
you give
59:16
to us.
59:17
Your
59:17
blessings
59:18
new each
59:18
morning,
59:19
great is
59:20
your
59:20
faithfulness,
59:22
and may
59:22
you make
59:22
us a
59:23
faithful
59:23
people
59:24
to keep
59:25
on praying
59:26
and not
59:26
to lose
59:27
heart,
59:27
and to
59:28
remember
59:28
that we
59:29
can watch
59:30
and wait
59:30
with
59:30
expectation,
59:32
for you
59:32
are God
59:33
who is
59:33
able.
59:34
So continue
59:35
to hear
59:35
our prayers,
59:36
continue to
59:37
answer
59:37
according to
59:38
your will,
59:39
and teach us
59:40
always to
59:40
pray as a
59:42
priority in
59:43
our lives.
59:44
We ask it
59:45
with the
59:45
forgiveness of
59:45
our sin,
59:46
in Jesus'
59:47
name,
59:48
Amen.
59:48
We're going
59:52
to conclude
59:53
by singing
59:54
from this
59:54
psalm that
59:55
we've been
59:55
looking at,
59:56
Psalm 5.
59:57
In the
59:58
Sing Psalms
59:58
version,
59:59
the first
1:00:00
two stanzas,
1:00:02
Psalm 5
1:00:03
on page
1:00:03
4,
1:00:06
the tune
1:00:07
is Arlington,
1:00:08
O Lord,
1:00:08
give ear to
1:00:09
what I say.
1:00:10
Think on
1:00:11
me as I
1:00:12
sigh,
1:00:12
and listen,
1:00:13
O my
1:00:13
King and
1:00:14
God,
1:00:14
as I
1:00:15
plead
1:00:15
earnestly
1:00:16
for help,
1:00:17
because
1:00:18
to you
1:00:18
I cry.
1:00:19
We'll sing
1:00:19
the first
1:00:20
two stanzas
1:00:21
to God's
1:00:22
praise.
1:00:22
Amen.
1:00:48
singing,
1:01:18
As morning light returns again
1:01:26
I lay before you my request
1:01:35
And with expectation here
1:01:42
After the benediction I'll go to the door to my left
1:01:45
We'll close with the benediction
1:01:47
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God
1:01:50
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
1:01:52
Rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore
1:01:56
Amen
1:02:17
Amen
1:02:20
Amen
1:02:22
Thank you.