We pray for Thy Kingdom to come and for Thy will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. We pray that the mind of Christ might permeate every institution on earth. We pray that the mind of Christ may permeate every nation on earth. We pray that as Your will is carried out in Heaven, so may it be carried out here on earth.

Lord, the tides of evil sweep upon us. Wickedness has become accepted as normal. We no longer fight the battles of years ago. We lost most of those battles. We failed. We gave up. We lost the battle to save the lives of the unborn. We lost the battle to call sodomy sin. We lost the battle for a sound currency. We have drowned ourselves in a sea of debt from which we will never recover. We are slowing becoming a Third World Country. We have soiled our privileges and traded our inheritance for a mess of pottage. We lost the battle for the culture. We no longer live in a Christian culture.

Yet, Lord Thou art a God of grace and mercy. In the midst of pain we will find relief. In the midst of persecution, we shall find the angels of Heaven on our side. In the midst of tragedy, we shall be ministered unto by the Lord Himself. With trouble comes the Lord's mercy. After the first Adam came the second Adam. After the night of tears comes the morning of joy. Lord, grant that the gospel of grace and mercy be sounded form housetop to housetop. Call the sinner to repentance and the lost soul to come home.

Lord, we have failed Thee in so many ways. Our Church, even though we have been faithful over the years, has failed in so many ways. We have not always been a friend to the friendless. We have not always been there for the lonely. Lord, forgive us as we remember the phone call we could have made, the visit we put off until it was too late, the words of encouragement when our brother was discouraged, and the prayer we failed to pray when we were asked to pray.

Yet, Lord, I've seen Your people surround the dying and bear them up until they gave up the spirit. I've seen the widow comforted. I've seen the young child greeted with a special smile. I've seen the hungry fed. I've seen the house repaired. Lord, we can be really hard on ourselves, maybe too hard. Let us learn to judge with a righteous judgment. Let each man examine his own work, and so judge himself rightly.

Lord, be merciful to us because we are both sinner and saint. We are helpful and helpless. We are growing and yet we are losing ground. We are happy and yet we are unhappy. We are content and yet we are discontented.

Our Father, we yearn to see thy churches full. Lord, help us avoid a generation war. Help us to avoid the worship wars. There is nothing new under the sun. Everything new is simply the old come to life again. Others promise more than we can give, but in the end people are just people. Help us not to be enamored with men. Men boast of many things. They promise us heaven on earth. Help us to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. Only He is worthy of our worship. Only He can deliver on His promises. Only He can give us peace and joy.

Lord, have mercy on the sick. For some reason only known to Thee some are called to suffer through life. Some are called to tears. Some spend every day anxious and worried. Some diseases are never healed. Miracles don't always happen, even after much prayer. Lord, help us to pray for the downhearted and suffering. Help us to see that the more we suffer in this world, the more we shall find favor in the next. Suffering makes men wise and humble. Lord, we need wisdom and we need to be humbled. Comfort Thy people. Lord, give us faith to rejoice in trials, because there awaits for us a joy unspeakable in the life to come.