Join with us in a reading and some prayers as we come together at the end of the Lords day.
OUR BIBLE READING
Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgements are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your salvation to the upright of heart!
The first four verses of the psalm focus on the character of sinful man. It may be David’s expression of the consciousness of his own sin. When we come to know God more intimately and view ourselves purely in God’s light, we come to see more clearly our sinfulness and arrive at the same conclusion as Isaiah when he saw the vision of God and cried out in response, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:4). We will no longer compare ourselves with others but with the unattainable standard of God.
Let us pray
We thank You, our heavenly Fatherbecause, by Your divine power,You have given us everything we need for living a godly life.We have received all of these by coming to know You,our Lord Jesus,the one who called us to Himself,inviting us to become part of His family.We thank You for the great and precious promises You have given uswhich enable us to share in Your divine nature,and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.You promised to continue to abide with usand to empower us through Your Spirit.Thank You for the fellowship of believers,for brothers and sisters who are extensions of Your love to us.We thank You for the various gifts and abilities You giveto enable us to fulfil our mandate in the world.Receive our thanks our heavenly Father.We offer them with hearts full of praisein the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, we pray for the Church,Your body and ambassadors,to which You have committed the ministry of reconciling people to You.Grant us grace to live as light and salt in Your worldthat we may be effective witnesses for You inOur Jerusalem: our family and close friends,in our Judea: our neighbourhood and our city,in our nation and the world at large.Help us to commit ourselves to pray earnestlythat Your kingdom may come in our community, nation and the world.We pray that Your church will stand firmly in Your word.We pray for our ministers and spiritual leadersFor wisdom and grace to proclaim Your truth without fear.We pray for our political leaders in our city, in Scotland and in the United Kingdom,that they may be endowed with wisdom and a longing to serve You faithfully.We pray for Your protection upon our leaders.The winter period is particularly challenging for the poor in our nation.Thank You for our social support system that is in operation,for the NHS and our care system.May we continue to be an extension of Your love to those who are in dire need.Comfort those who have lost their loved ones.Grant healing to the sick.May we all have the assurance of Your ever abiding presence.We thank You because You will abundantly exceed all that we ask or think.Be glorified in Your church and in our life.Amen
Bellshill Central Church 