Lord, so much of the Scriptures were written to a people who were suffering and dying for the faith. We live in ease in Zion. It is often difficult for us to identify with Christians of an earlier age. Lord, we thank Thee that we have not suffered like others, yet Lord, in our tranquil and comfortable lives, may we never forget Thy blessings. The greatest threat to our faith is not enemies who are chasing after us, or unbelievers who detest us, but our greatest enemy may simply be a life of leisure and wealth. We have not been put in jail. We have not been threatened with the loss of life. However, we must watch and pray that apathy and indifference does not choke us. We must pray that contentment does not become boredom. We must be warned that the dreams we chase don’t become the gods of this world who turn on us and chase us. This Church needs so much. We can’t survive with lethargic and passive faith in our people. Unless You revive us again, someday we will close our doors. The glory will depart. Lord, revive us again.

Some grow slowly in the faith. Some grow in crisis. Some grow through sickness. Some grow as they hear the word of God week by week. Lord, help our people to grow. Stir up the hearts of all our people, both young and old. Do not let us grow cold to the things of God. Help the faithful to keep on doing what they have been doing. Persistence in the things of God is a virtue. Longsuffering in the things of God is honorable and good. Lord, help us to wait on those behind us and help us to catch up with those ahead of us. Don’t let us fall out of line. Keep us marching until the day we are called home. Give us purpose in this life and give us hope in the life to come. Make us more than conquerors here on this earth, and reserve for us Your blessings in the new heavens and the new earth.

Lord, we are often in despair because the men of this world have set a course against the ways of God. We have sought happiness through mountains of debt, hoping the money gods deliver us. God created the world out of nothing by the word of his mouth. Modern man creates money out of nothing by the power of his mouth. So, the world praises the money gods. We find our hope in them. Rather than trust Your law and Your ways, we have sold our heritage for a few years in wealth and riches. But it is an illusion. It is a mirage. Worse, it is delusion and deception. Your words are still true that whatsoever man sows, that shall he also reap. Lord we have sowed unto the wind and we will reap the whirlwind. Have mercy on us. Do not let Your people go down with the ship.

Lord, immorality is rampant. Lawlessness and wickedness is the trap that catches the world in its grip. Lust is everywhere. Uncontrolled lust is everywhere. Impurity is before us everywhere and it is praised in song and show. We play with the limits and we enlarge those limits them year by year. Fornication has become love. Sodomy has become a right protected by the constitution. We have long forgotten about abortion. Welfare has become theft. Wall Street has become a casino and Main Street has become a brothel of the love of self.

Lord, we need thy grace to keep us from falling into the traps that the Devil uses to destroy a people. We need Thy Church. We need to be reminded by the word of God who the Living God is. We need forgiveness because we have played with that which is dirty. We too smell like the sewer. Wash us O Lord, or we are without hope. Bath us in the blood of Christ, so that not only will we be forgiven of all of our sins, but we will stand before Thee in the robe of righteousness, paid for by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord, when men finally lose hope in their false gods, when men see their idols turn against them, give us the boldness and love to speak to them about Christ. Give us a zeal for the lost.