Opening Prayer, August 3, 2008
Offered by Amy Staples
Oh merciful God, we draw near to You this morning to lift Your name on high. We are calling on You and ask that Your presence be felt by those who are in need of your touch today.
Come close to us so that we may hear the truth that You are whispering in our ears. You are near. You are in this place of worship right now and You are with us in our darkest moments. We are never alone and we never have to face our battles on our own. We serve a God who is compassionate and there is no pain of ours that You have not experienced. You know how much it hurts and You care about our pain. You are also our strength, an ever present help in times of trouble. May we never forget that. It is in our weaknesses God that we can experience Your strength if we will only surrender it all to You. We praise You in the midst of our trials recognizing that our suffering on earth is only temporary and cannot compare to the glory that will be our reality forever.
We join in prayer with those who have gone before us; “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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, AMEN.
