Psalm 42
June 19, 2022
Heavenly Father, we are thankful today that we can come before you together as Your people. You are the God of our lives, our Rock, and our Salvation. You are the living water that satisfies.
Some of us come here this morning thirsty, Father, perhaps feeling, like the psalmist, that our tears have been our food for a while. We remember the glad times but we feel the turmoil. As much as we don’t want to admit it, it’s easy for us to feel like You’ve forgotten us when we can’t see how You’re at work in the hard things. For those in this place today, Lord, call us back to hope in You. Remind us of Your faithfulness throughout history and through our lives—that it is Your character to be good always. As we pour out our hearts to You, help us to trust You in the waiting. Surround us with the confidence of Your presence and goodness and fill us with songs of praise because You are our Savior and our Hope.
We are grateful, Father, for the evidence of You at work in our church. Thank You for the Van Loons and their time of bringing stability and healing to our church family. Thank You for bringing David and Abbie to us and for the excitement that comes along with opening a new chapter in the life of Centennial Church. We ask that You continue to guide David, our elder board, our ministry leaders, and all of us as Your people, that we would be near to Your heart and in step with Your Spirit. May we delight in Your will and walk in Your ways, and as we do, give us opportunities to share Your Word with those who do not know You. I pray that our hearts would be burdened for our neighbors and friends who are lost and that You open the door for us to share Your good news. Thank You, Lord, that You have promised to give power to Your church and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
We also want to thank You, Heavenly Father, for the fathers in our church family. We are grateful for the ways you’ve made dads to be such a picture of Your sacrificial love, Your protective care, and Your joy simply in being with us. Give energy and patience to the dads of young kids who are juggling many things. Give wisdom and joy to the dads of teens and adult children, as relationships shift but their presence and guidance is still so important. We pray for those who are growing up without a godly father, or who have lost their dads or children, or who are experiencing a strained relationship – that they will find that You provide a hundred times more in the family of God and in You as their perfect Father.
We are grateful for Your constant presence, that You are the Rock we can trust through all that life brings. We ask You to draw us closer to You and to increase the fruit in our lives and in our church, for our joy and for Your glory. We pray this in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and all God’s people said, Amen.