Now may the
God
of hope
fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, that
you may abound in
hope, in the power of
the Holy Spirit
Romans 15:13
Sunday Praise and a Prayer to Live Worthy of Our Calling
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you for this beautiful day you’ve made. We praise you for your holiness and righteousness. You are the Almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of lords. You are our good Father from whom all blessings flow.
We look to you Father, to fill us again with the hope of your promises, with a steadfast faith, that we may act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with You.
Father, as we fix our eyes on you, our supreme Hope, help us remember to “submit ourselves for Your sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by You for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is Your will, that by doing right we silence the ignorance of foolish people. That we will act as free people, not using our freedom as a covering for evil, but using it as Your bond-servants.” 1 Peter 2:13-16
Father we submit those authorities into your hands and pray that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We pray for the salvation of each one, that they would fervently seek you and your wisdom to govern rightly.
In everything, with hope and faith, may we live worthy of the high calling you’ve placed on our lives, as children of the King.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
In Jesus’ holy and precious name we pray, amen.
The Saturday Song – Almost Home
I don’t have to tell you we’ve all had a rough year. And for a lot of us that’s on top of a rough decade…life…you get the idea.
And the trials of this life don’t show any signs of letting up.
But this life is not all there is.
For those who have chosen Christ as our Savior, this world is just a temporary place where we grow closer to the Lord, let His character replace our own, where we let the Author and Finisher of our faith mature us and prepare us for the life He has planned for us – the real life – the life after this, where we’re more alive than ever.
Right now, we live with our eyes on that prize. We live with a hope and a steadfast faith that seeks to be about our Father’s business, loving and drawing the people He’s given us into that most sacred of relationships so they, too, can live with hope, knowing this life is only temporary, and we’re almost home.
Almost Home
by MercyMe
by MercyMe
Are you disappointed
Are you desperate for help
You know what it’s like to be tired
And only a shell of yourself
Well you start to believe
You don’t have what it takes
‘Cause it’s all you can do
Just to move much less finish the race
But don’t forget what lies ahead
Are you desperate for help
You know what it’s like to be tired
And only a shell of yourself
Well you start to believe
You don’t have what it takes
‘Cause it’s all you can do
Just to move much less finish the race
But don’t forget what lies ahead
Almost home
Brother it won’t be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild, run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home
Brother it won’t be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild, run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home
Well this road will be hard
But we win in the end
Simply because of Jesus in us
It’s not if but when
So take joy in the journey
Even when it feels long
Oh find strength in each step
Knowing heaven is cheering you on
But we win in the end
Simply because of Jesus in us
It’s not if but when
So take joy in the journey
Even when it feels long
Oh find strength in each step
Knowing heaven is cheering you on
We are almost home
Brother it won’t be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild, run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home
Almost home
Almost home
Brother it won’t be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild, run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home
Almost home
Almost home
I know that the cross has brought heaven to us
But make no mistake there’s still more to come
When our flesh and our bone are no longer between
Where we are right now and where we’re meant to be
When all that’s been lost has been made whole again
When these tears and this pain no longer exist
No more walking we’re running as fast as we can
Consider this our second wind
But make no mistake there’s still more to come
When our flesh and our bone are no longer between
Where we are right now and where we’re meant to be
When all that’s been lost has been made whole again
When these tears and this pain no longer exist
No more walking we’re running as fast as we can
Consider this our second wind
Almost home
Brother it won’t be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild, run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home
Almost home
Almost home
We are almost home
Almost home
Almost home
We are almost home
Brother it won’t be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild, run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home
Almost home
Almost home
We are almost home
Almost home
Almost home
We are almost home
Remain Steadfast
STEADFAST
The Lord has been putting this word on my heart lately.
Remain steadfast.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
1 Peter 5:8-9
This is Peter telling us this.
Peter, the one who told Jesus he would never deny Him – even if he had to die with Him.
Peter, one of the apostles whom Jesus took and asked him to pray the night before He was arrested, and then fell asleep.
Peter, the one who impetuously drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant.
Peter, the one who vehemently denied Christ three times.
But all that doesn’t make him less credible; it makes him more.
He’s saying don’t do what I did! He learned what the devil had been up to and he wanted to warn his brothers and sisters in Christ to be aware.
To remain steadfast in the faith – steadfast in our convictions, steadfast in the truth, steadfast in our reliance upon Christ and Christ alone, now and forever.
The devil’s ways are the same as ever. he’s looking for people who are at a weak place, who aren’t being alert and vigilant to the devil’s ways, who aren’t steadfastly trusting in the power and righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Right now, when the world seems like a raging sea, is an opportune time for the enemy to try to discourage us, to trip us up, to question Jesus, and maybe even walk away from Him, even a step.
But we who are in Christ can confidently “lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever…”
Hebrews 6:18b-20
No matter what happens in this life, we don’t have to give in to fear and be tossed around in the waves of confusion. We have an anchor of hope.
We have the promises of God, all of which in Christ are yes and amen. His promises are for this life and extend all the way behind the veil that lies between this life and the next.
Our sure hope, our anchor in rough seas, is that Christ is with us now, and He will surely call us to live with Him in His home where we’ve laid up treasures beyond comprehension, and where love and peace and joy are the way of life.
And we’re reminded of this hope every time we pray, every time we read God’s Word, and every time we enter into fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Our steadfast anchor of hope will keep us steadfast, too.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Cor 15:58
Sunday Praise and a Prayer for Pastors Everywhere
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise your holy and righteous name. You are the First and the Last, the I AM, the Creator of everything and everyone.
Father, we want to thank you today, on this Pastor Appreciation Day, for every pastor who has answered your call on their lives to serve you and your people.
Thank you for giving them the strength and courage they need to do all they do every week, and every day. Thank you for leading them, for giving them your wisdom, for holding up their arms when they’re exhausted from the constant call they face in this high-profile calling, along with all they do for their wives and families.
We pray you would continue to renew their hearts for service, that they would not grow weary, but would continue to serve you in your strength. We pray you would fill them with wisdom to meet the challenges they face, to keep loving the people you’ve given them, and to keep serving you with a pure and sincere heart.
Father we pray for pastors’ wives as well. We know they work hard to support their husbands, to sacrifice time with them, and to serve their families.
Lord, we pray for continued strength and wisdom for them, too.
Lord, may they all know how very much they are loved and appreciated by those of us they serve, and of course by you.
We pray they know their service is not in vain. That they would know you are using them in mighty ways even though they might not always see it. And help them remember they are laying up the most precious treasures in heaven.
Please protect them from the enemy, fortify them, and fill them with your peace. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.