Lord, if all we knew is that You are holy and without sin, we would fear to call upon Your name. We would fear to be in Thy presence. We would run at the hearing of Thy name. We would bow to the ground in shame and guilt. We would indeed be frightened of Thee.

Yet, Lord, we read in Thy word that You are gracious, longsuffering, and kind. You are full of compassion and grace. You forgive sinners. Lord, is this not true? Surely, we have heard correctly! Surely, we have not heard a lie!

Lord, we read in the Bible that You so loved us that You gave Your only Son to die that our sins might be forgiven. We read that Jesus satisfied the demands of Your holiness. We read that even though each of us should be dead and sent to Hell, yet because of the work of Christ, we have been adopted as Your children. We confess that we do not deserve to be in the family of God, but Lord we certainly are not going to refuse the invitation.

We read that as children, we will inherit the great wealth of our Father. We will see a day when we shall live without sin, fear, and weakness. We shall see a day with we shall never cry again. We shall never shed tears again. Lord, we are unworthy, but since we have been adopted, we are not going to refuse our inheritance.

Lord, indeed You are kind. You send the rain on both the just and the unjust. You send the sun to shine on both the just and the unjust. You provide food for our bodies and medicine for our sickness. Lord, we have a responsibility to take time out of our busy days and give Thee thanks. For this reason, we gather in the house of God today, to express our thanks for all that You have done for us and all that You will do for us.

Lord, restrain the lust of the young man. Temptation is everywhere. Without commitment to a strong Church, without the love of a covenant family, without the encouragement of good friends, and without the accountability of the elders in the Church, Lord, our young men will fall into sin. Temptation is just too great. Lord, give them zeal to pursue endeavors that will allow them to accomplish much in this world and to develop skills that will even bring them before kings.

Lord, temper the pride and the desire our young girls for attention. They want to be loved so much that they often resort to ungodly ways to obtain the notice of others. May their hearts be adorned with grace as they dress their bodies with the fine clothes of our age. Give them strong fathers so that they do not need to find adoration in young men who really do not love them. Lord, help them to save their chastity for their husbands in the days to come.

Lord, grant wisdom to those with young children as they seek to raise them in the Lord. Parents who are not fully committed to the Lord will find themselves with children who will rebel. The delights of childhood will become the nightmare of adolescence. The cuteness of a baby can become the curse of a young man or woman. Lord, save our parents from heartache and guilt. Save us all from the foolishness of youth. Surely there are wise men and women among us who can save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.