Opening Prayers/Prayers of Adoration on Circumstances
God our Father,
Lord our Shepherd,
Spirit of the Living God,
One in Three … and Three in One:
We praise You our Creator, Savior, and Provider.
By Your grace, we lack nothing.
You feed us in body and in soul.
You give us rest when we are weary.
You direct us on ways that are good and right.
You go with us through the dark times
so we will not walk them alone.
You protect us in Your goodness
with Your strength.
You spread before us
a banquet in the wilderness
and a feast in the face of whoever
and whatever threatens us.
You pour over us Your oils
of cleansing grace, of healing, and of gladness.
And no matter where we have wandered,
You open wide Your arms to welcome us home.
That is why we praise You;
That is why we love You;
That is why we are here to worship You today,
our God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
the One in Three and the Three in One. AMEN.
how excellent is Your Name in all the earth!
When we are faithless – You are faithful.
When we wander – You come after us.
When we’re alone – You draw near to us.
When we are caught up in circumstances
that seek to undo us –
You take what we see as evil and work it for good,
For in Your grace and power,
You work all things for the good of those who love You
and are called according to Your purpose.
(Prayer of Confession)
Yet, while Your love is consistent, eternal and strong,
Our love is fickle, finite and easily swayed.
So, we confess today
that we have not loved You as You deserve,
with our whole selves –
heart, mind, soul, body and strength.
Nor have we loved our neighbors as we love ourselves.
We know Your good will for us, and we shun it.
We think our ways are better than Your ways,
and our wisdom wiser than Yours.
We are wrong!
So, hear now our silent confession of those things
we are too ashamed to say aloud
and too uncomfortable to share with anyone but You …
(Pause) … AMEN.