I would invite you to turn just for a few moments tonight to Proverbs 15, Proverbs 15. And there I would draw your attention to two Proverbs, two verses in that chapter, verses 8 and 29. Proverbs chapter 15 is a chapter filled with Proverbs of Solomon, Proverbs of contrast. Contrast between the righteous and the wicked. And with respect to the righteous and the wicked, contrast between the tongue, we might say, the words of the righteous and the words of the wicked. Contrast between the actions and the attitudes of the righteous and the wicked. And then especially contrasts with regard to how the Lord looks upon and responds to the prayers of the righteous and the wicked. Especially in these two verses. Verse 8 says, The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases Him. And verse 29, The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous. Now, beloved, we live in a day of many, many modes of communication, many different ways of staying connected, such as cell phones, and texting, and email, Facebook, and Twitter. We spend quite a few dollars and quite a bit of time on these things. We depend on technology, we depend on the equipment, we depend on the servers. And with regard to these modes of communication, we are always ready to receive and to send messages. For example, if you're like us in our household, it seems like if the phone rings or if we are notified of an incoming message of some sort, we can't wait. I have to confess that so often I have let my own personal devotions be interrupted by the telephone or my cell phone or a text message coming in. We can't wait. We stop what we are doing immediately to see who it is and to respond to whomever it is. We make that a priority. Yet, if we are all so honest with ourselves, I suspect that we must admit that we can hardly find time to pray. God has given to us the means by which His children are immediately connected to Him. Indeed, we know that God is with us always. by His Holy Spirit. But indeed, He has given us that means by which we are immediately connected to Him, that gift of prayer. Prayer is free. Prayer does not depend on the servers being up. It does not depend on a nationwide calling plan. With prayer for the child of God, there are no dead zones. We don't have to type a message and then wait for an answer and think about if we're going to get an answer. With prayer, it is impossible to go over the minute limit, to go over the texting limit. With prayer, for the child of God, we have a truly unlimited plan. Just bow before Him. Meditate upon Him. Speak to Him. And therefore, it is good for us, just for a few moments tonight, before bowing before Him, in a special time of prayer, to be reminded of this precious gift and the blessing that is ours as we consider God's response to prayer. And Solomon leads us in that, first of all, as he gives a warning to the wicked. Verse 8 begins, The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked. God hates their prayer. Now we might say, but the wicked don't really pray, do they? Well, in the Old Testament, the sacrifice is represented prayer. Sacrifices were offered by all of the people, all of the nation, out of custom and by the laws that were set up. In Psalm 66, verse 18, we read, If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. We might say, if I was loving sin, if I was not wanting or not willing to turn away from sin, if this sin in my heart that I was cherishing was the most important thing to me, The Lord would not have listened. Solomon gives this warning in Ecclesiastes 5 verse 1 when he says, Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools who do not know what they do wrong. In our day, we might say the wicked might pray if they are desperate. The wicked might pray to cover their bases. I mean, in other words, it can't hurt. The wicked might pray for selfish reasons. Indeed, there are many who may very well go through the motions thinking that they pray. Yet the bottom line is they don't mean it. They don't come in faith to the only wise God who alone hears and answers true prayer. Their hearts are far from Him. Their hearts are asleep, deliberately and habitually absent from God. God hates their prayer. And to come without a heart of faith is actually to their danger. As chapter 21, verse 27 says this, The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable, how much more so when brought with evil intent. Blasphemous against God. And as Solomon says so simply in verse 29, God is far from, the Lord is far from the wicked. He will not hear them. His favor is far from them. The God of the universe, imagine that, rejects their prayer. However, Solomon also gives encouragement for the faithful. that their prayer pleases God. The second part of verse 8, but the prayer of the upright pleases Him. The upright, those upright by faith, by the grace of God. Those who come to God only in Jesus' name. Those then who understand the truth of God, that He is the Sovereign One, the God of the universe, the One who is holy and righteous and pure, the only God of salvation. They understand the truth of themselves, that they are unworthy, that they are completely needy because of their sin and shame. Those who understand by God's grace His mercy and grace in salvation through Jesus Christ alone. And therefore, those who do not cherish sin in their heart, but hate it and confess it and repent of it and trust in the forgiving grace of God alone. The prayer of the upright in Christ Jesus, no matter how feeble it is, because how often don't you think or don't we maybe even say to someone, I don't know how to pray. My prayer life is really bad because I just don't know what to say in prayer. Yet, beloved, the prayer of the upright in Christ Jesus by faith, no matter how feeble, is not only acceptable to God, but it is a delight to Him. He delights in those who recognize and confess their total dependence upon Him and understand that He alone is the giver of every good and perfect gift. And as Solomon says in verse 29, God hears the prayer of the righteous. The prayers of God's people are accepted not because they're perfect, not because they are so eloquent, not because we always choose just the right words, not because our language melts His heart. our prayers to God are accepted because they are offered in simple childlike faith for Jesus' sake. And even when we have no words, even when there are only sighs and groans of the heart, the Holy Spirit prays for us. Jesus Christ intercedes for us. And God hears. Imagine that again. The sovereign God of the universe, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the one before whom every single one of us, every single one of mankind will stand one day. He hears you. He hears me. He doesn't ignore us. He's not too busy. He's not away on vacation. He hears. And He answers. His promise, you see, to hear implies the fact that He answers us. And He answers us according to our needs as He knows best, which ought to fill us with joy, beloved, that what He gives to us and what He withholds from us is never a mistake. It's always just right. What blessed confidence. Someone has said no child runs to his father with such confidence as this. Children, especially young children, have confidence in their fathers. But even they cannot have more confidence in their fathers than we are able to have in our father who hears prayer. Charles Bridges in his commentary on Proverbs says, wrestle in prayer. In other words, we might say, be diligent in prayer. But, he says, sit still in faith. Why? Bridges goes on, he has bound himself by his promises. He has bound himself to you and to me by his promises. And God's promise in Jesus Christ for those who are saved in Him is that this is God's gift to us. And this is our assurance, as Solomon puts it before us. Beloved, there is no limit to how often, there is no limit to how many times we may call upon Him in prayer and we will never be disconnected because He loves to hear from His children. Our Father, we come before you and we adore you. We praise you for so many things. We praise you that we can call you Father. We praise you that because of Jesus, you are indeed our Father. We praise you because you are the Creator. By your hand, all things were created. Without you, nothing was made that has been made. And we praise you for the goodness of your creation. We praise you that you are not only creator, but you sustain all that is. You are not a distant God, but you are one intimately involved with your creation. While distinct from it. We thank you that you did not just create the world and leave it to chance, but that you still sustain and keep it. And we praise you because we know that you sustain and keep us. We know that all that comes to us comes to us from your fatherly hand. And we praise you that we may have confidence in the fact that all that does come to us comes from you. we praise you because you are good you are most slow to anger you are plenteous in love we praise you that despite all of our failings all of our sins you are patient with us you continue to treat us as children we praise you that you are sanctifying us you are making us holy and we thank you for the fact that by your spirit you are always working inside of us conforming us to your will you are faithful and we give you great praise and thanksgiving for the fact that you are so faithful Lord you are high above us your ways are higher than our ways your thoughts are higher than our thoughts and contemplating even for a moment your greatness leaves us aware of the fact that we fall short day after day after day and Lord we confess that we have sinned against you we've sinned against you in thought in word and in deed we understand that at times we have been unloving we've been without joy we've created strife and discord rather than peace we've been impatient we've been unkind Lord you are good but at times we are not good and we confess that to you Lord you are faithful but at times we are faithless and we confess that to you as well Lord you are gentle but we lack gentleness and we also lack self control forgive us because we do fall short we sin each day we also transgress your law and as we hear it each Sunday from this pulpit we remember and we realize that we have not kept it that every part of it we have failed to keep we confess that to you Lord and we ask for your forgiveness but Father also our confession of sins helps us to realize that you are quick to forgive and more than being quick to forgive you sent your son to live the life that we could not have led to die the death that we deserved and we praise you and honor you that by his wounds we are healed and we thank you and praise you most of all for the life and the death and the resurrection of your son and we praise you knowing that because of his life and his death and his resurrection all of our sins all those we have confessed tonight and all those we will confess throughout the rest of our lives have been forgiven thank you you are great glorious worthy of all praise and honor and glory and majesty and dominion and power forever Ever and ever and ever. We praise you for being our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's pray. O Lord God Almighty, we come to you as our Heavenly Father and ask you to graciously remember each of our families. You know each of our needs, Lord, but we pray that you will be with us as husbands and fathers that we may lead our families by word and example into a closer walk with you we pray for our wives and mothers in their important role of making a house into a home and of nurturing the children you have blessed us with may they find joy in the multitude of tasks that are laid before them each day and may they be radiant with the grace and mercy that comes from you lord we pray for our children also lord that as they grow in strength and stature they might also grow in the love of our lord jesus christ since that is the beginning of wisdom will you bless those parents that are homeschooling their children will you be with the teachers and the staff at calvin christian and all the students and families represented there be with our young people away at college and also those studying locally that as they gain wisdom that they might be better might be of better service to you our Lord and Savior we thank you Lord for your church in this place we thank you for Pastor Voss and Pastor Donovan as they minister to your flock here in Escondido will you bless their work and give them joy as they serve you by serving us. There are many others who help with Sunday school and catechism and the other societies that are those also who minister with words and deeds of kindness and mercy. Bless them, Lord. Be with the elders and deacons too, that they might be diligent in their duties. and responsibilities in the congregation. Continue to bless your church in this place that your name might be honored and glorified and that your chosen people might be gathered in. Will you forgive our sins and shortcomings? And we pray all this for Jesus our Savior's sake. Amen. Let's pray for comfort and healing of affliction. Eternal and merciful God and Father, You are the salvation of the living and eternal life for the dying. You alone have life and death in your hands. You continually care for us and nothing can befall us apart from your will. We take comfort knowing that you do order all things for the good of the believer. Lord, like the psalmist, we ask that our cry would come to you and you would not hide your face in our distress, but would turn your ear and hear our cry. For those suffering the infirmities of old age, we ask that you would relieve us from our fears, grant us calmness of spirit, comfort in loneliness, patient in our infirmities, and peace of mind and soul. For those suffering from cancer and the debilitating effects from treatment, we ask for relief from pain, physical tolerance to the treatment, appetite to give strength, patience through the process, and a cure of the disease. For those with illness where diagnosis is elusive, we pray for determination and wisdom by the medical staff to search and find the cause and that you would provide a path for treatment and recovery. For those suffering from chronic pain, we ask for wisdom for a correct diagnosis, treatments that correct and relieve and restore to a more active life. for our little ones born with special needs we ask for successful treatments where treatment is not possible we ask that we would recognize and be comforted in knowing you are the creator and you have a special purpose for their lives for those experiencing difficulty in their pregnancy we ask that you would care for that new life and that each could be brought to term and be well born for those with mental duress we pray for recognition of weakness and a desire to seek assistance and that you would provide relief from their anxieties, calmness, and a peace of mind. For those struggling with addictions in their lives, we pray that these weaknesses would be recognized and a desire for change would be sought. Strength where strength of character is required and aid where we cannot deal with these excesses within ourselves. For those dealing with their own inner demons, we ask for that peace that can come only from the great physician. for all dealing with any of these afflictions we pray for patience we pray for comfort and we pray for healing we ask that you would grant us faith to accept without reservation your will in our lives we pray for all this in the name of our Lord and Savior Amen shall we pray our Heavenly Father we praise you for your sovereign control over all the nations of this world. We thank you for many blessings you have bestowed on this nation. We confess that we often take for granted the work of your hands on behalf of this country where we are privileged to live. We pray for our leaders, those you have placed in authority over us who serve at your pleasure. Give President Obama wisdom, courage, and strength of faith to carry out duties. Be with our other officials at the national, state, and local levels. Give them honesty and a willingness to serve, whether they acknowledge you or not, so our freedoms may be preserved and that we can live securely. Grant that we may continue to have the freedom to worship and to spread the gospel freely without persecution. We pray for those who protect us daily, our law enforcement personnel and firefighters. We uphold in prayer all those who serve our country in the military. Keep them safe and protected wherever in the world they may be. Thank you, Lord, for the abundance which you have blessed us in America. We are grateful for the rain, the sunshine, and for all you do that causes our fields and farms to be productive. If it be your will, give us plentiful harvests this year, as well as much in varied industry, in a way that meets our needs both as individuals and a nation. We marvel at the many different means that you use to provide your people. May we never fail to acknowledge and thank you for your provision. Finally, we ask that you will turn the hearts of the people of this nation back to you, that we would humble ourselves, pray, and seek your face. It is in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for this church. We thank you for bringing us together. Lord, you have brought together people that are from all different places. We have different talents. We have different gifts. And yet you have brought us here, Lord, to serve. We ask, Lord, that as we are here and working together in this ministry, in this church, that you would help us, Lord, to be united in your love, to be united in a sole purpose of bringing your mission to this church and to the world. We ask, Lord, that you be with the leaders that are here. We ask that those that lead the different groups of young peoples and Project Philip and all the Bible studies, we just ask, Lord, that you would be with the leaders, that they may be diligent in their service, That they may work hard and be faithful. That, Lord, you would bless their efforts. And, Lord, if they get discouraged, that you would encourage them that we are here to serve you and no one else. We just praise you for this church. And we just ask, Lord, that you would continue to bless our ministries here. That, Lord, we may bring other people in. That we may fulfill all the needs of the people in this church. and, Lord, that you would be honored in all that we do. Lord, help us in this community that we may be a light to this community. We especially think of Mission Vida Nueva, and we just ask, Lord, that you be with that ministry as we are working as a church with that ministry, as churches in this area are getting together this year to find ways to help, that you would bless that, that you would cause servants to rise up and fill the needs that are there, but also, Lord, that we would open our eyes to this opportunity in our own area to serve you. Lord, give us the time, the desire, and the effort in those areas. Lord, we also ask for Elaine Tan that you would bless her work as she leaves again for Africa and gets ready and prepared for that. We just ask, Lord, that you would bless her time there. We know that you have already blessed her and the work she is doing. And ask, Lord, that you would continue to make it easy. Lord, that your word would go out through her and the word and deed that she does. We just praise you for Rafiki and the work that we do. We also thank you for the opportunity that Linda Eckert has had to go and to serve in Africa with Rafiki. And we ask for your blessing there. Lord, just give her strength and open her eyes and keep her safe that you would bring her back to us. Lord, we ask for your help with the Reformed churches in Tijuana. We thank you for the efforts of people in this church that you have used to get the Reformed witness started in that community. And we ask, Lord, that you would help those churches as they are growing. We ask that you would give them good elders and deacons and pastors, Lord, that they may grow in their communities. And we ask, Lord, especially in Baja, that you would help with the reform witness there. Lord, we also pray for the orphanage in Ensenada that the high school kids will be going to this summer. We thank you, Lord, for the work that has gone on there already. We know they have needs of building more buildings. But, Lord, we just praise you for the fact that you're bringing children in that are hearing the word, that are being raised in a home that raises them as Christians and brings them the word of God. We praise you for that. Lord, we also pray that you be with Reformed Mission Services, an organization that we have just started. We know there is a board meeting this Saturday. We ask for your blessing on that meeting as they organize, as they start to look for a director for that. Lord, we praise you for that and for the opportunities they have already had to serve and to bring opportunities to the churches. We ask that you be with the opportunities that are going on for this summer, that you would bless that time. Lord, we pray for Reverend Bill Green at this time. We know that they are looking for an English teacher for the school. We ask that you would provide that teacher that would work well with them. We know, Lord, that they are still praying for financial aid to help finish the high school and to help with the need of bringing literature to the Latin American area. And we just ask that you bring what he needs, that, Lord, that your word may go out with him. We ask, Lord, that you be with the church plants, especially in this area, that you would bless them, that, Lord, you would bring people in to hear your word. We ask for new opportunities that we may go in this area, Lord, and build churches and spread your word. We just really pray that in all we do, Lord, that we may seek to honor you, that you would bind us together with the mission you have given us, that we may serve you in all things. In Christ's name, amen.