Invitation — Psalm 67:4
"May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth."
Quiet
Bible Song — Psalm 139:14-18, 21-24
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand —
when I awake, I am still with you...
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Bible Reading — Ezekiel 37:1-6, 14
The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said, "Sovereign Lord, you alone know."
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'"...
"'I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.'"
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 governments, world leaders, and the needs of our world
- for the continent of Australia
- for those trapped in prostitution and the sex industry
Prayer — HC 53/BC 8
Source of life, I don't simply want to learn the anatomy of faith, knowing all the parts but having only a dissected, lifeless knowledge. I need a faith that breathes and walks out into the world, alive to you. Rattle the bones of my soul with your eternal power, the Spirit's life-giving presence. Join me together, make me whole by making me share in the life of Jesus. Amen.
Blessing — Psalm 67:1-2
"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us — so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations."