Dear Restoration,
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear
though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved
into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Selah
There is a river whose streams
make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her;
she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
Psalm 46
I am so grateful for the Scriptures and so grateful for our church.
I have been praying through our list of members this morning- imagining you in your homes and in your places of vocation. I have been praying for your household as you absorb the news of this election cycle. We are a community who is feeling so many feelings today: relief, joy, anger, fear, shock, hope, and uncertainty to name just a few.
Some of you are wondering about your jobs both present and future.
Some of you are wondering about your kids and what the coming years will hold.
Some of you are thinking about holiday gatherings and the conversations with friends and family about this election cycle.
Whatever you are feeling or wondering… God, alone, is our refuge and strength.
We need him in our joy and we need him in our sorrow.
A Commitment to Pray
As the psalmist describes, there are desolations throughout the earth. War is everywhere.
As a church, let’s commit ourselves again to prayer. The nations rage and the kingdoms totter, but the Lord of hosts is with us. God can make wars cease. He can bring people together in reconciliation.
The Lord of hosts is with us.
Be still and know that I am God.
In the coming days, during your times of stillness and prayer, I draw your attention to these two from our Prayer Book:
One for our nation- an aspiration of who we want to be.
One for His Kingdom- a certainty of what will happen.
See you on Sunday,
David
A Prayer for our Nation
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure conduct. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom, in thy Name, we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for His Kingdom
Hasten, O Father, the coming of your kingdom; and grant that we your servants, who now live by faith, may with joy behold your Son at his coming in glorious majesty; even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
