Daily Prayer for Tuesday, November 17, 2020

​“God, our Maker, doth provide for our wants to be supplied…”        
                                        —-Henry Alford, 1844

Preparation for worship
Sit in a relaxed position. Take a slow, deep breath (or 2 or 3 or as many as needed) until you feel your body, mind, and soul begin to relax and rest in the Spirit.  Take time to reflect as you move through this time of worship…

Opening Sentences                                                            Revelation 1:6-7
Jesus Christ is coming to reign.
To God be glory forever and ever!

Prayer                                                                       John Calvin (1509-1564)
Let us fall down before the majesty of our God and acknowledge our offenses, beseeching him to have mercy upon us that we may find favor at his hands, although we deserve it not, and beseeching him to pardon not only the sins which we have already committed but also to rid us of all our faults ,until he hath clothed us with the perfection of his holiness, whereunto he deal exhorteth us.  Amen.

Hymn of the Day                            
Siyahamba (We Are Marching), by the Angel City Chorale.  Listen and pray. 

Reading of the Day                                                           Jeremiah 23: 1-8
1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. 3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
5 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
7 Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, “As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,” 8 but “As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them.” Then they shall live in their own land.

Prayers for self and others
Please pray today for those who are being affected by COVID-19 and by its side effects in our world. Pray for the thousands who are still being diagnosed positive in the U.S. each day, especially for Mario Berrios, his son Caleb Berrios, and their family; for the Jantzen family upon the loss of Dave’s uncle from the virus; for Cindy Salias and family, some of whom have tested positive; for Becky’s sister’s coworker and her husband Francisco and Denie, both hospitalized with the virus- Denie is in ICU; for Shelby Ardell’s friend Hannah, in Iowa, who has the virus but doesn’t have health insurance to get treatment, and for Susan Smith's brother-in-law, who is sick with the virus.  As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Pray today for people with health conditions that make them especially vulnerable to this virus, that they would be able to stay well. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God.

Benediction
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.