Psalm 9
August 20, 2023
Oh Lord, Our Lord,
As we come into this space whether rejoicing and shouting or weeping and doubting, by your Spirit give us the eyes to see and rejoice in You … for You are a stronghold for the oppressed. You are a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
And we are not forgotten, nor will our hope perish, Lord, because of who You are. So we praise You this morning, to the best of our abilities, by Your grace, with our whole being.
God we come to You weak, like David, saying, “Be gracious to us, O LORD! See our affliction from any and all who might hate us.
Lord, in your strength, remind our trembling hearts:
– That You are the God who makes our enemies flee away from Your presence.
– Indeed, our enemies will be sent away to everlasting ruin because they forget You.
– They will stumble and fall by their own plans.
But Lord, in Your graciousness, as we deal with our enemies, remind us how You have dealt with your enemies. Remind us that You have saved those who once were Your enemies and that includes us.
– You have lifted us up from the gates of death
– You have executed justice FOR us in Christ and now our great mediator, Jesus, pleads our cause.
– You do not forget our cries, nor shall our present hope in the resurrection perish forever.
May we rejoice in your salvation, Lord. That we might recount all Your praises, whether in the gates of Jerusalem or, more likely, in our neighborhoods.
Be with us as we seek to make Your name and victory known in the world. We say with David, “Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail… Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men!”
And as we pray that, Lord, we pray, as Jesus told us to, that more and more workers might be sent into the fields to harvest the wheat You have prepared. We pray for more missionaries, more church planters, and more money to be a blessing to the world around us.
We ask also for protection and wisdom and grace for our global partners seeking to bring your truth to the nations whether Europe, Asia, or the United States.
And we thank you, Lord, for the workers we have even among us here – particularly Jennifer.
God thank You for Your provision and grace over the Sabbatical and that it was a gift to her to be able to take time she would normally work and spend it in prayer, rest, and study. Thank You for impressing upon her that she can rest and trust in You because You continue to be at work and that prayer is perhaps the most important work we do.
And we pray Lord for her and for our Youth Ministry that has suddenly rapidly grown here at Centennial. We pray for Jennifer as she jumps back into student ministry and prepares for Fall and we pray for your provision and guidance as Centennial teams up with both Elmwood Church and Cornerstone Church of Blaine to put together a weekly Wednesday night program at the Edge and other special events throughout the year. Like David asks for in Psalm 9, let us see Lord what You might do through these partnerships.
God we thank You that even when our prayers seem to go unanswered, You do indeed hear us. For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. You do not forget the cry of the afflicted, the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O LORD!
And be with us as we study Your Word.
In Jesus name we pray, and all God’s people said … AMEN.