Invitation — Psalm 68:19-20
"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death."
Quiet
Bible Song — Psalm 42:1-6a
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you.
Bible Reading — Mark 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.
Quiet
Dwelling
Remind yourself you are in God's presence and read again ... notice how God might be speaking to you through his Word — dwell on a word or phrase that jumps out at you ... let your heart respond to God in prayer ... take refreshment in God's presence.
Free Prayer
- for a deeper understanding of the gospel
- for the full experience of our adoption as God's children
- for a gentle, winsome witness and a readiness to give a reason for the hope within us
Prayer — HC 31
Jesus, Word of God: your teaching is fresh with wisdom and piercing with clarity. If I've ever wondered about the mind of God, if I've ever struggled to know God's heart, I need look no further than you. Help me listen to you as you perfectly reveal the hidden wisdom and will of God for my deliverance. Amen.
Blessing — Jeremiah 31:3
"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."