Father, we come into Thy presence because we know the Lord Jesus Christ and He has spoken unto us. He is Your Son. He sits at Thy right hand. He is our friend. We are His friends. You love Him so much that You are willing to do anything for Him. He has invited us to come into the presence of the Throne. You will not deny Him. Therefore, we come in the Name of the only Mediator between God and man. We come because He loved us enough to shed His own blood for us. We come because we have been declared righteous. Outside, we were dressed in rags. We were poor and without money. We were angry with Thee. He changed us. He clothed us with His robe and we stand as citizens of heaven. The poor stand in the presence of the King . How ridiculous it may seem to the world. How they taunt us and joke about us. Yet, here we are in Thy presence adopted as Your children. Whatever we ask, whatever we need, You will give us. What a privilege to be here among Thy people today.

Lord, Your providence is a great mystery to us. Who can know your next move? Who can predict the future? You ordain the end from the beginning, and yet we do not know from day to day what will happen. We are mere men and You are God. We really know very little. O Lord our hearts are not proud and our eyes are not haughty. We do not involve ourselves in great matters or in things too difficult for us. We know there are boundaries. We know there are things we are not supposed to know. Help us to understand our limits.

Lord, give us a quiet soul and calm our hearts. Though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea, and though the skies darken in the middle of the day, help us to be quiet and still. Help us to free from fear and to trust in the God who is sovereign over all things.

Our Father deliver us from temptation. When we sin, we do so because we have failed to fight the lust and enticement that originates in our own hearts. We ask not only for changed hearts, but improved hearts. Lord, it is not what goes in the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out that defiles a man. Lord, we cry out for hearts that are pure. Give us such a change that when we are tempted to sin, we can say no.

Lord, we confess like the Apostle Paul that the things we would do, we do not, and the things we would not do, those we do. Oh wretched people that we are. Who shall deliver us from this evil world and from ourselves? Who shall deliver us from our flesh?

Yea, we come like Paul, and say thanks be to the Lord Jesus Christ who gives us the victory. We may fail many battles, but we shall win the war. Christ is our captain. He is our General, and as long as we fight with him, we shall be on the winning side.

The day shall come when all sin will be gone. Temptation will never exist again. No more impure hearts. No more impure motives. No more being a hypocrite. No more failure. No more pain. No more tears. We shall rest from our labors and our works do follow us.

Lord, help us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. Help us to remember that men love to gossip. Men love a juicy story about others. Men love to expose the weakness of others. Help us to be merciful, longsuffering, and patient. Help us to be kind. Help us to be peacemakers. Let us not be trouble makers. Let us not stir up trouble when there is no need. Help us to be kind, gentle, and forbearing of each other. Help us to be a good testimony to the world. Give us wisdom that exceeds the wisdom of the world, and give us kindness and tenderness that exceeds the kindness and gentleness of the world.