Daily Prayers for Thursday, August 27, 2020

​“Laud and honor to the Father, laud and honor to the Son, laud and honor to the Spirit, ever three and ever one…”        
                                        —-Henry Thomas Smart, 1867

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                                                                    Psalm 30: 5
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.   

Prayer                                                          Book of Common Worship, PC(USA)
Almighty God, you have taught us
that all our deeds without love are worth nothing.
Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts
that most excellent gift of love,
the very bond of peace and of all goodness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Hymn of the Day
“40”, by U2.  This is an interpretation of Psalm 40, our reading for today.  Listen and pray as you read.

Reading of the Day                                      Psalm 40: 1-4, 11-17
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the desolate pit,
    out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
    making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord.
4 Happy are those who make
    the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after false gods.

11 Do not, O Lord, withhold
    your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    keep me safe forever.
12 For evils have encompassed me
    without number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
    until I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
    and my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
    O Lord, make haste to help me.
14 Let all those be put to shame and confusion
    who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
    who desire my hurt.
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
    who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
16 But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
    say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
    but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    do not delay, O my God.

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. Please pray for Mark Sabala, working with Covid patients as a nurse, Marcy Szeliga, working as a case investigator and contact tracer,
for Jeanette and her family who’ve been heavily impacted, for Sylvia Washer, and for all who have been recently diagnosed with- or are recovering from- the virus.  Pray for extroverts, desperate to see their friends.  As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here.  Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God.

Benediction
Now to the One who is able
to keep you from falling,
and to make you stand without shame
in the presence of God’s glory with rejoicing,
to the only God our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
be glory, majesty, power, and authority,
before all time and now and forever.
Amen.