Welcome to all of you tonight as we take a few moments out of our busy week to spend time with each other before our God in prayer as well to be reminded for a few minutes tonight of the blessing that our God has given to us with that gift called prayer. We hear our God's call to prayer with these words, If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, We know that we have what we ask of Him. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord by the operation of the Holy Spirit be multiplied to you all. Amen. Before we enter into a time of prayer together, I'd ask you to turn with me to Luke chapter 18. Luke chapter 18. As we read together the familiar parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, we know it well, verses 9 through 14. And for the purpose of our meditation tonight, too, I just want to draw your attention for a few minutes to question and answer 117 of the Catechism. So if you'd like to turn page 57 in the back of the Psalter hymnal as well. We won't confess that together with our voices tonight, but I will be reading through it with the meditation tonight. Luke 18, beginning at verse 9, as we now give our attention to the Word of God. To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable. Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself, God, I thank you that I am not like other men, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Well, beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, we come together tonight. Maybe some of the boys and girls wonder, why do we come together tonight? Maybe you ask your moms or dads that. It's a Wednesday evening. We only do this one time a year. Why this one time, or why not every Wednesday evening? But we do come together on this very evening tonight for our annual prayer day service. We come together to pray, very simply. But not because we think that there is something magical or special about the second Wednesday of March of every year when we come together. Or not because we think that if we give a little extra prayer boost, then somehow we might be able to motivate God in an extra special way to our advantage. But indeed, we do come together tonight because we are, by the grace of God, a praying people. As a people of God, in the privacy of our homes, we bow before Him each and every day. As a congregation of believers, we come together on the Lord's Day. And together we bow our heads in prayer before Him. And we come together as those who understand by the grace of God that precious gift that He has given to us in that activity called prayer. And in many ways, I think, we also come together this one time per year to remind us where our dependency truly lies. And therefore, too, we are those who desire to demonstrate our dependence in a particular way tonight. And, of course, you know that there are many prayers recorded throughout Scripture. Prayers that our God has, in His providence, recorded for us there for our edification, for our encouragement, for our instruction. Jesus taught His disciples and us that beautiful pattern for prayer which we call the Lord's Prayer, which Pastor Donovan recently brought us through, considering the Catechism in a very edifying manner. yet along with what we are to pray for as our lord taught us it is my hope that tonight very briefly we would be reminded of how we are to come before him what it is that ought to characterize the believer's heart your heart and mine each and every time we bow together in prayer i need that reminder i need that encouragement for my own prayer life What is prayer that pleases God? And the Catechism, again, that faithful summary of the teaching of God's Word, gives us that beautiful instruction in question and answer 117 with regard to what is prayer that pleases God. The question, how does God want us to pray so that He will listen to us? The older version says something to the effect, what is included in prayer that God is pleased with and He will hear? And the answer very simply and very beautifully gives us this summary of prayer that pleases God. And we can say it this way, it is faithful, it is humble, and it is trusting. Those three things are the three things that ought to characterize the believer's heart as we come before our God in prayer. First of all, prayer that pleases God is faithful. The answer says, first, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God who has revealed Himself in His Word, asking for everything He has commanded us to ask for. Now, it's not my intention tonight to consider this in every way possible. But simply, prayer that pleases God is faithful, knowing the only true God. Knowing Him by faith. knowing the only true God, not a God of man's hands, not a God of man's imagination, but the One who has made Himself known in His Word, the Bible. The One who has made Himself known through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The One who has clearly made Himself known throughout Scripture as the Creator and the Preserver of all things. He is the One upon whom all creation depends for its very existence. The One who has made Himself known as a triune God. We know the word Trinity or triune is not found in the Bible. But yet our God has revealed Himself as one God in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And this triune God has proven throughout the history of Revelation and His history of redemption that He is the One who delights in the salvation of His people. And He has accomplished that salvation through Jesus Christ and He applies that salvation by the power of the Holy Spirit to those whom He has called from before the foundation of the world. This triune God also is the one, as the Bible reveals to us, that forgives completely and forever those who turn to Him in repentance and faith for Jesus' sake. Prayer that is faithful is prayer knowing the one true God and knowing then that this one true God who has revealed Himself in His Word is the only hearer of prayer and the only provider through that means, that instrument called prayer. Jesus taught us to pray to address our God, our Father, who art in heaven. He revealed Himself in that way to us. And therefore, we may and we must ask of this Father for all the things that He has commanded us to ask of Him, which is according to His will, knowing that He is able to give because He is Almighty God. His is all the power. Nothing limits Him. But also that He is willing to give because He is our faithful and He is our loving Father. He is the one who has brought us into an intimate relationship with Himself. And He will do what's best for His children. He hears those whom He has adopted into His family. And tonight as we consider this parable along with this. Again, it's interesting, as Luke tells us, the reason Jesus told this is to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable. And the one that he would lay before us in particular, well, he lays both of them before us, one not to follow, but the other one that is to be an example for us, the tax collector. And it seems clear that the tax collector knew the only one true hearer of prayer. He knew the only one true direction for prayer as he addresses Him as God. And in this address by the tax collector, it is clear that He is addressing the One who is holy and true and righteous and pure. The One to whom He knew all must and will give an account. And we too, beloved, are to come to Him with hearts of faith, believing that He is real. We are to come before Him believing that He will hear and answer those who come to Him in faith, acknowledging the truth of who He is, but also the truth of themselves. As prayer that pleases God is not only faithful, but in the second place, it is also humble. Second, the Catechism says, we must acknowledge our need and misery, hiding nothing, and humble ourselves in His majestic presence. In other words, we are to have a true account of ourselves. A true estimation of ourselves. Again, following the tax collector's example. Verse 13 says, but the tax collector, in contrast to the Pharisee, the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Notice that the tax collector compared himself not to any other person. Unlike the Pharisee who compared himself to all kinds of sinners, including this tax collector, the tax collector compares himself to no other person. Now, we often, oftentimes when our sin or our failures are being highlighted in some way, we would rather remove the attention from ourselves and have the focus on someone else. But true humility, beloved, sees only my own sin. It sees only my own need. He compared himself to no other persons, but he compared himself only to God. And he found himself to be lacking, not worthy to lift his face toward God. God, have mercy on me, a sinner, as if to say the sinner, the one and only, The only one that was in his mind at that moment was himself. He knew that his sin was his own. He knew that his sin was against God alone. He knew that forgiveness was found only with God. And beloved, our humility is also to be that we are to come with open hearts. Not insulting God by trying to hide that which he already knows. Not thinking that we deserve to come into His presence or that in some way we're doing Him a favor by coming into His presence. We are to come to Him with open hearts, confessing ourselves, acknowledging His majesty, including His omniscience, laying before Him honestly that which He already knows, coming before Him as the only one who will hear prayer, Who is able to. And who will answer our prayer according to our need. Coming before Him is the only one in whom I can find hope. Coming before Him in the third place, trusting. Because prayer that pleases God is faithful, it is humble, and it is trusting. Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation. God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. That is what He promised us in His Word. Coming before Him trusting for Jesus' sake that God will not abandon the work of His hands. He will not abandon those whom He has saved through His Son. God will hear for Jesus' sake because His sacrifice is perfect, it's complete, it's everlasting. And not only, as the Bible says, will all that the Father has given to His Son, not only will they all come to Him, but also as Scripture says, whoever comes to Him will not be cast away and nothing will be able to separate us from His love. Again, I believe it's clear the tax collector came trusting. He came trusting that God would hear him, not because he deserved it, not because he had earned that right, not because he was worthy of it. And our Lord makes it clear that he was not disappointed. That unlike the Pharisee who went away just as empty as he came, except that he was full of himself, the tax collector went away justified. He went away forgiven. He went away right with God. He went away filled with the joy of the Lord. And beloved, that too is the confidence for us. As those who come by the grace of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, as those who come before our God faithful and humble and trusting, our confidence is that we will be heard of the only true hearer of prayer. That we will be answered according to God's wisdom and His knowledge, answered by Him alone who is able to do for us that which we need. And that we in Him will be content. That because He has given to us salvation in Jesus Christ, that no matter what the circumstances of life that you and I may face, that our Almighty God promises that those who come to Him led by the Holy Spirit with faithful, humble, and trusting prayer, He promises them the peace of God which transcends all understanding that will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And therefore, beloved, with confidence, Let us tonight, and every time we bow the knee before our God, let us come to Him in prayer. Almighty God and Heavenly Father, we praise Your name. With all that is within us, we praise Your holy name. For who You are, we praise You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. three in one, eternal and unchangeable in your being, wisdom, power, holiness, goodness, justice, and truth. We praise you for who you are, and we praise you, our God, for what you have done, for your work of creation, making all things out of nothing, By the word of your power, in the space of six days and all, so, so very good. We praise you, our Lord, for creation and for your care of all that you've made. For upholding heaven, earth, and all creatures. So that leaf and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, richness and poverty. Indeed, all things, all things come to us, your people, not by chance, but by your fatherly hand. And so, our Father, we praise you this evening for who you are and what you have done. Most of all, we praise you for how you've revealed yourself to us in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In his life, death, and resurrection, after such time, finally, in the fullness of time, he came. and what love and joy we have by faith in Him. Indeed, we can say, Amazing love, how can it be that you, O God, have died for me? And Almighty God, as we share in the death of Christ, so too we long to share in the power of His resurrection, walking in the newness of life. And yet, and yet we sin. What a grievous thing it is, dear Father, for the redeemed to continue to live with the burden and corruptions of sin. We confess our sin to you this evening. Though we believe, we continue with unbelief. We love you, our Father, and yet our hearts are led astray by so many unholy affections. We love your people, And we love those you've placed around us in life. And yet, dear Father, so often we find ourselves with far greater concern for special interests. For selfish concerns and desires. We confess, dear Father, to you our unbelief, our wayward affections, and the selfish inclinations of our hearts. And dear Father, even as we praise you, this praise is mingled with the grief and sadness of this ongoing sin. We see the truths of your word. We read of the wonders you have revealed in the scriptures. And yet, dear Father, we struggle to believe and we pray that you would see these things. And for the sake of Jesus Christ, you would forgive us. And as the gospel is proclaimed in our midst, may the reality and power of his resurrection become more and more a reality in our lives. That we would indeed, dear Father, be those who walk in the newness of Christ's life to the glory and honor of your name. We ask these things for Jesus' sake and in his name. Amen. Father in heaven, we come to you and humble ourselves before your throne of grace. There is no one else to whom we can turn. You have given us the words of eternal life. You are worthy of all praise. Our gracious and merciful God and Father, We thank you that you have established your covenant with believers and their seed. This you have sealed by holy baptism, which signifies the washing away of sin by the blood of Christ and the renewal of our lives by the Holy Spirit. We thank you, great God, for that comfort and that our baptism into the name of God the Father is your assurance that you have made an everlasting covenant of grace with us and adopted us as your children and heirs. We recognize that that inspires obligation to live lives of obedience to you, dear God. Help us to trust you, love you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Enable us to live a life of gratitude and thankful living. We pray that you will continue to work in the lives of our children and grandchildren, Indeed, in all the people of this congregation, that by your grace, each one of us may increasingly grow in Christ your Son until we have reached complete maturity in all wisdom and righteousness. Give the parents the grace and the wisdom to instruct their children in the knowledge and the reverence of you according to your commandments. May the kingdom of Christ be strengthened in this congregation to your glory. We pray for those of our congregation who are sick. Many in our congregation are dealing with the effects of cold, flu, fevers. Some have pneumonia. Others have had strep throat. Many of these illnesses that have afflicted our congregation, we pray that you'd restore each one to health and strength. And we pray for those of our congregation who have longer struggles with serious things in their lives. We pray that you give grace for each day, supply every need, and that through it all they may see your guiding hand in these things. We thank you for the skills of doctors and nurses. We come to you because you are the great physician, and it's in you that we place our trust. Bless those who are recovering from surgeries and illnesses. We pray for those who are mourning. We think of those who have been recently cast into sorrow. Lord, we are taught to live knowing that each day is a gift from you. And how quickly sometimes life is over. Pray that you would encourage us all to walk closer to you. Bless each family and everyone in this family of believers. We praise you for providing jobs, for work to sustain us and to meet our material needs. We thank you for the abundance of food and clothing and homes, which we so often take for granted. For those who are out of work, we provide encouragement as they seek meaningful employment. Lord, we are grateful for this church, a place where we are nurtured in the faith. We thank you for the faithful preaching of your most holy word. We pray your blessing on our pastors, Reverends Boss and Donovan. Bless the elders, the deacons, in their respective callings, and bless the dozens of members who provide leadership and service in so many ways to our little ones, our youth, our adults, and our seniors. We pray that the Escondido United Reformed Church may be used by you as a beacon of light and a solid rock in our community to your praise. Our world seems so hostile to the truth, the truth of your word. Help us to be lovers of the truth and to seek it out. Tonight we also want to uphold before you the schools that seek to train children, young people, as well as older people for future service in some facet of your kingdom. Schools that acknowledge you as the creator, the sustainer, the sovereign Lord of the universe, the source of all truth, the one who provides salvation only through your son, Jesus Christ. To that end, we pray your blessing on Calvin Christian Schools, Westminster Seminary, and our community. Give wisdom to those who administrate and to those who teach. And may your blessing rest on the students, each one, that each one may grow in the grace and knowledge of you, our great God, as well as the world in which you have placed them in. Many of our college students are away. Draw them close to you by your spirit, we pray. Lord God Almighty, you have made the world, created us. You uphold all things by your power. Will you also bless us, your humble servants, and sanctify us to use the gifts of family, church, and school, which we have received from your gracious hand for your glory. Help us to devote these things to their proper use. Grant that we may all desire the spiritual bread of your word. May our souls be nourished into eternal life, which you have prepared for us through the precious blood of your son, Jesus Christ. For it is in his name that we pray. Amen. Let us again turn our hearts and minds to Jesus Christ in prayer. O Lord God, you are our protecting arm, our fortress, our refuge, our shield and buckler. You fight for us and all our enemies flee. You uphold us and we cannot fall. You strengthen us, and we are not moved. You equip us, and we receive no wounds. Stand by us, and Satan will depart. O Lord, anoint our lips with a song of salvation, and we shall shout for your victory. But yet, O sovereign Lord, there are those so dear to us that are harassed by doubts and fears worries, anxieties and other afflictions of the mind and emotions at time feeling a spiritual darkness as though their heavenly pilot has disappeared and they have lost hold of the rock of ages help them Lord that they may throw themselves absolutely and wholly on you for better or worse give them peace of soul and confidence grant them joy in the morning after a night of heaviness water their soul richly with divine blessings may they welcome your humbling in private so that they might enjoy you in public O Lord give them a mountaintop high as the valley is low in their moments of distress let them not forget this oh wise god that your never failing providences order every event they sweeten every fear they reveal evil's presence lurking in what seems good and brings real good out of what seems evil help them lord to live by faith upon your blessed self comfort them Lord in their sorrowful nights grant that they may know and be satisfied with your favor help them to love and trust you as your child and in the coming day enable them to walk worthy of their heavenly calling O Spirit of God there are many in our number that are experiencing afflictions of the body they are pressed down with a load of sorrow perplexed and at times not knowing what to do next there are those suffering from illness and injury disease we pray particularly for Garrett Brower who has just been diagnosed with pneumonia and Lord we continue to uphold Steve Jaspers in our prayer who is now preparing for yet another surgery to remove yet another tumor lord we pray for ray vanderwouda as he is now in a care home and for edna as she is now home alone after so many years of being together with her husband and lord we pray for george and rena bootsma as they slowly continue on day by day and week by week living with the afflictions of mind and body that you, Lord, have given them to bear. You know, Lord, it is your power and we know that it is your power alone to heal and to comfort. Grant them comfort in their afflictions, hope in their despairing, in healing through your power. Lord, there are also those amongst us who are heavily afflicted by the loss and by death of a spouse or loved one and are feeling even the weight of the cross. Help them, Lord. We pray particularly for Garrett and Esther Katz who will be traveling to attend the funeral of Garrett's brother, Harley. We also pray for Garrett and Esther's daughter, Beth, as well as Jerry and Sandy Katz as they together mourn the loss of Garrett's brother. Lord, we pray for all those amongst us who are afflicted from the sting of death. We think of Bill Van Eyeworden, Ari Van Schindel, Henrietta de Grout, Andy and Joanne Veenstra, and Adriana Dunnick, and so many others over the years who have experienced the death of a spouse or family member or loved one. Help them to know that you, O Lord, are the Lord of love beyond compare, that you are always good when you give and when you take away, when the sun shines and when the night gathers. Lord, we bless you that you have veiled our eyes from what lies ahead. If you had appointed some of us to tribulation, Lord, you will be with them. If some have to pass through suffering and temptation, they will not be taken over. If one of us is to die tonight, they will see your face all the sooner. If a painful end is to be someone's future here, grant them the grace that their faith may not fail. Lord you are the giver of all good streams of love overflow our path you have made us out of nothing you have recalled us from a far country you have brought us from ignorance to knowledge from darkness to light from death to life your will is in all your provisions to enable us to grow in grace and to know your eternal presence. Our heaven-born faith gives promise of eternal sight. Our new birth, a pledge of never-ending life. We draw near to you knowing you will draw near to us. We ask you believing you have already given. We entrust ourselves to you for you have redeemed us. We bless and adore you, Lord God, for the comfort of belonging body and soul to you and the joy of our eternal inheritance. O Lord, may the Holy Spirit confirm our trust in your provision and promise and let us walk humbly in dependence upon you. For Jesus' sake, amen. shall we pray sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them we gather to praise your name you have richly blessed your people we thank you for letting us live in this land with its many freedoms send your spirit into our hearts that we may use our freedom to serve others and tell them about your great love to us, that we may be light in this dark world. Lord, you have dwelt well with your servants by allowing us to live in the United States of America. We pray that you would help us to be good citizens of this land. We thank you for our form of government with its checks and balances and rule of law. Thank you for our ability to vote for our leaders. We know many people do not have the freedom we enjoy. Lord, we know that many of your people live in countries whose leaders actively persecute your people when they meet to call upon your name. We pray that they may receive strength from you to endure and prosper. We ask that you give our leaders wisdom. We ask for safety for our president, Barack Obama, and his family as he starts his term in office. Bless his cabinet as they assist our new president in his work. We thank you that the nation had a change of power that took place in good order and peace. We pray for our senators and representatives as they work in Washington, D.C. Help them to understand as they work with great wealth and power that they are stewards to the voters, but more importantly, to you, O Lord, who are sovereign over all governments. Lord, when corruption is found out, let it be exposed that those responsible may be dealt with according to law. Lord, we pray for our judges and courts also. Be with them as they decide cases brought before them. Help them decide the cases fairly according to the law. Be with the men and women in the armed forces. Lord, we are a nation at war. Please be with Rush Chappelle of our congregation and Rick Prince also, who are now in the war zones. Keep them in safety and bring them back to their families. Be with their families while they are away. We pray for the families who have lost sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers in this war. Give them the comfort that they need. Be also with those who have been wounded in body in this war. We thank you for the tremendous improvement in trauma care that our soldiers receive. But also bless them and those who care for the wounded in recovery periods that are extensive. Help us always to show our veterans the respect that they deserve. Be with those who are having a hard time mentally and spiritually with what they have seen. Be with the chaplains and others who are dealing with their spiritual needs. May many servicemen and women find no other place to put their trust except in you, O God. Lord, we pray for peace. We know the horror and waste that war is. Please bring peace quickly. Be with our state government as well. Governor Schwarzenegger, our representatives in the Senate and the Assembly, and our California judges, may they ask for guidance from you. Be also with our local governments, mayors, city council representatives, Board of Supervisors, and Superior Court Judges. Be with them as they make rules and ordinances, set policy, and conduct city and county business. Thank you for the work you give to us. Be with those who are now out of work. Lord, we also pray for farmers and grove owners in our local area and our nation. Bring the rain that they and we need. Thank you for the advantages and the abundance of food that we enjoy, for our roads and rails that allow products to be transported at all times of the year. Thank you for science and industry, schools and technology. We know that many times people use these gifts for their own glory because they've been twisted by sin. Lord, help us to always remember that you give wisdom and knowledge and joy to those who fear you. But to the sinners you have given the task of gathering and collecting only to give to the one who pleases you. This is all vanity and a striving after the wind. Teach us to hold all our possessions with open hands that you may give and take as you please. Show us your mercy for Jesus' sake. Amen. Dearly loved ones of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us pray. Our Father who art in heaven, we thank you for this opportunity that we have had to gather as your people, as this congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray now for Christian ministry and mission in the world. We're reminded that when he was on earth, our Lord Jesus Christ saw the multitudes and felt compassion for them because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. And he said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. We thank you, Lord, that we can stand this many years after our Lord's walking the earth and say that at every time and in every place when your people have called out for workers for the harvest, you have been faithful. Faithful to raise them up. Faithful to send them out. Faithful to bring in a harvest. And in this church, in this place, Lord, we know that you have sent us laborers. We know that no man is equal to this task in his own strength. Because you fill him with your spirit, he is able to do your will and work among your people. We thank you for the ministers that you have raised up among us. We thank particularly of Reverend Voss and Reverend Donovan. We thank you for their ministry among us. We thank you that they are faithful in preaching the word and administering the sacraments, the means of grace that you have established to call your people to yourself, to work in them by your Holy Spirit, to show yourself to them that they might believe, and believing in you that they might have life. We thank you for their diligent work. We pray that you would continue to fill them with your spirit, that they might continue to bring the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and peace to those who are found in him. Thank you also for the associate ministers who work and teach at the seminary that are in our midst. We thank you for blessing us so abundantly, not only with faithful regular ministers, but also with those who are experts in rightly dividing your word and knowing what it teaches. We thank you for the blessing that they are to this body. The encouragement that they are to us to help us to understand your word more and more. And so tonight we continue to beseech you, Lord, with the church of all ages, that you as Lord of the harvest might raise up men to work. We think particularly of those among us, Lord, who labor now to prepare for the ministry. Those who are even now students, not just here, but in other faithful reformed seminaries, Lord, who you are calling out for this awesome task. In particular way, we think of our brother, Reverend Matthew Chiangi. As you have called him to come to be amongst us for a time, and he has had to leave his family, And now he anticipates the opportunity to return with his education, Lord, to be a blessing to the church where he is going. We pray that your hand might always be with him, that he might faithfully minister to the brothers and sisters in Africa. Even though we might not meet them ever in this life, Lord, we know that we will see them in glory. And we pray that when he goes out from us that you might maintain his ministry. We think also of those who have already gone into the mission field, Lord. Those who are even now laboring. We think of Reverend Green. We think of Pastor Juan Arjona. Of Eric Pennings and the work of Mints. We thank you, Lord, that we can see among us the work of your word going forth. That all peoples and tribes and nations are being called to the banner of our Lord Jesus Christ. that the word is going out and accomplishing what you have set for it and not returning void. We pray that you would continue to bless these works, continue to build your church. And Lord, we pray that you would speedily bring that day when Christ would return and call us all to be in glory. Especially the cry, Lord, of your church in suffering wherever it's found. we pray for our brothers and sisters Lord who sometimes are called to pay the ultimate price for the sake of your kingdom we pray that they might glorify you in their living and in their dying that they might be able to say with the apostle to live as Christ and to die as gain we pray that they might be filled with your spirit that they might be comforted by your hand until they join their Lord in glory and Lord until that day when Christ returns until that day when every knee will bow and tongue confess that he is Lord preserve your church preserve your church in this place we thank you for faithful elders and deacons who labor here not only ruling over the flock but showing works of ministry and mercy so much of their labor Lord is done behind the scenes and we don't know oftentimes how much work is going in. We thank you for them. We pray that they might have continued wisdom and energy to work for your people in this place. Indeed, we thank you for all those, Lord, who labor for your church, for all those who volunteer in the many programs. We know oftentimes, Lord, that there are many at work in the church. Some are recognized for their efforts and some toil in obscurity. I pray that you would remind them that no good deed done for your church goes unnoticed by you and that everything that we do to your glory is because of your spirit active and living among us and we thank you for all those who labor we thank not only of our local church here Lord but for our denomination you would continue to give us wisdom as federated churches that we might always hold forth the gospel of Jesus Christ in truth and present only the word as you have presented it to us. Be with our sister churches throughout the world. May they too be found faithful. May they too be calling in the lost so that your world is gathered. And where your church meets opposition by the kingdom of Satan, destroy the kingdom of Satan more and more. Tear down his works. May the church be at work until that day when the gates of hell will fall before her with Christ at its head. Lord, make your servants everywhere holy, even as you are holy. Enable us to walk in a manner worthy of you. May our love abound, and may we grow in knowledge and discernment. Fill us with the knowledge of your will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding bear fruit through us and use us to your own glory and praise. Hear us, for we are your people, and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Beloved, please stand for the closing benediction and notice, too, that following the benediction we will sing stanza 3 of number 311. We praise thee, O God. Dear people of God, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, The love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be and abide with you all, both now and forevermore. Amen.