Holy, Almighty God, you made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. You are steadfast, keeping faith forever; you execute justice for the oppressed; you set the prisoners free; you open the eyes of the blind; you lift up those who are bowed down; the Lord, our God, loves the righteous; you take pleasure in those who fear you. Yes, Lord, you sing over your people with exultation and joy and delight. Praise the Lord, our great and holy and majestic God.

Holy God, we have sinned times without number; we are guilty of pride and unbelief; we neglect to seek you in our daily life; we pursue lustful thoughts; we put others down by slandering and gossiping about them; with greed we build up treasures in this world; we worry and fear grips our heart and we are paralyzed and prevented from trusting in you. Yes, Lord it is true, our transgressions and short-comings present us with a list of valid accusations before the Judge of the universe.

But we bless you that these charges will not stand against us, for all have been laid on Christ. Now our pronouncement is “Righteous!” And you, the judge of the universe, become our very own Father! May this truth quench our thirst like water on a hot summers day.

Purge from us every evil desire. Deliver us from every sinful habit. When confronted with former sins and tempted to do the same, cause our eyes to gaze upon the cross of Christ and our heart to find greater satisfaction and joy in our risen Lord. Help us flee from everything that dims the brightness of your grace in our lives. Fill us with your Spirit and conform us to look more like Jesus. In every decision, every trial, every joy, every sorrow, sanctify us for the glory of your holy name.

Yes, triumphant Lord, build your people; build your church. Father, we pray for Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg. Use them as a bold gospel witness and keep them faithful all their days. For the fame of Jesus, sustain the ministry of Christ Reformed Church in Logan circle. Give their pastor Brian much grace and wisdom as he leads that congregation. And we pray for our brothers and sisters in other cities across the nation; for Summit Church in Denver, and for Cornerstone Church in Myrtle Beach and for Renewal Church in Greenville, SC. Build these churches upon the solid rock of Christ Jesus.

And build this church that we might display your manifold wisdom. Would joy and delight in Christ mark us? Would we be a people that are zealous to make and mature disciples? We praise you for the servants you have brought to serve our church. We thank you for the tedious labor of Brandi and Dawn in developing Restoration Kids. We thank you for the men and women who lead us in music weekly. We praise you for those who arrive early and cry out to you in prayer. We thank you for those who put up signs, take out trash, and do other countless and thankless duties.

We pray for our sister Preeta. As she goes back to Pennsylvania may the joy of Christ comfort her; may the gospel compel her to love and serve others. Help her find a church that faithfully teaches your word and may it warmly welcome her into their midst. We pray for Nic and Isabel and ask that you would continue to mature them in Christ Jesus. Give them both an unceasing desire to know the surpassing worth of Christ. May their marriage picture the gospel. Yes, Lord, for the sake of your name, sustain and strengthen their marriage.

Father, we pray for our government. We praise you for the many freedoms we enjoy and the multiplied privileges that go with living in this nation. May we use our freedom to pray boldly for our government officials that you would guide them. We pray for our President Barrack Obama. We bring our president before the occupied throne of heaven, and we ask you to be at work in his heart and through his hands. As with all rulers, you set them up and you sit them down at your discretion. So we trust you for the accomplishment of your sovereign purposes through our president, in keeping with the eternal wisdom of your heart.

Gracious God, we approach your throne and ask these things solely upon the merit of Jesus as we are united to him by your Holy Spirit. Grant our prayers for your glory and our good, in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.