Why should we live in fear when Christ sits upon His throne and decrees that all things shall work for our good? Why should we live in fear when even the trials and temptations of life are given to us by the hand of the Lord to lead us into maturity? Why should we fret about the future when God feeds the birds of the air? Are we not more valuable than the animals of creation? If God feeds the birds, surely he shall supply our every need.

Lord teach us to wait on the Lord. We are always in such a hurry. We tend to be anxious. We want the blessings of the future without the endurance of the present. Help us to remember that we must learn to wait. Be still and know that I am God. Are we wiser than God? Were we there at the beginning to instruct God? Has God ever needed our advice? Surely Lord, we need to learn to wait on the Lord. If we wait, the word tells us that we shall gain strength. We will mount up with wings like eagles. We will run and not get tired. We will walk and not become weary. O Lord, only if we learn to wait. A faithful man will abound in many blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished. Deliver us Lord from dreams and fantasy that do not belong to us. Lord, in the midst of our trials, help us to remember the endurance of Job and the outcome of the Lord’s dealings with him. O Lord we have proof that You are full of compassion and mercy. What more testimony do we need?

O Lord help us to remember that life is very short. We soon grow old and we may have little delight in our days. The sun becomes dark and the clouds always return after the rain. Help us to remember the Lord in the days of our youth. Lord, after we have read so many books, after we have pondered the words of wise men, after we have searched out the meaning of many proverbs, in the end there is one sure lesson for us - we must fear God and keep his commandments. We must demonstrate our faith by the way we live.

Lord when we err, help us to err on the side of charity and grace. Lord, we are quick to condemn. We are quick to be suspicious. We are sometimes too glad to see others fall and ourselves raised to a higher place. Help us to guard our ears against gossip. Help us to believe only the good we hear about other people. Keep us from killing our brethren by finding joy in their weakness and sins. Discretion surely makes a man slow to anger, and it is to his glory to overlook a transgression.

O Lord make us wise in the simple things of life. Help our young men to be sensible. Help them to develop skills that stand out before the world. Surely a man skilled in his work will stand before kings. He will not stand before obscure men. Help us to judge ourselves rightly. Help us to stretch ourselves to do our best, and yet keep us from being fools in pursuing that which does not belong to us. Give us faithful friends that are willing to wound us when we dream dreams we shouldn’t dream and have our heads in the clouds

Our Lord, we are your people. We have been called to bear your name. We are the Church, the body of the living Christ. The Church with all it faults and blemishes is still your Church – your bride being prepared for that great day of the wedding feast. Help us to love your Church. Help us to fight for your Church. Help us to give time to your Church. Help us to remember that Kings rise and fall. Men live and die. Life and death rules over all of us. Help us to remember that all that is great today shall someday be in the grave and be nothing but a memory. Help to us remember that the heroes of the day, the powers of the day, the idols of the day – shall soon be nothing but dust. Yet when men and nations are passed away, thy Church shall still be standing like a mountain reaching far into the sky. You have built your Church and nothing shall withstand the work of the Lord. Lord, we are glad for our fathers and mothers who brought us to Church. We were glad when someone said to us, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” We are glad we are here. For here we find the words of life. For here we find Christ Jesus himself.

Lord, we are hungry to hear your word this morning. Do not disappoint us. Grant to your people their wishes. Make them leap for joy. Make them sing with joy in their heart. Make them leave with the peace that passes understanding looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of their faith.