We are respectful. We have read of Your ways and we have seen Your dealings with people. We know that You are a God who cannot overlook sin. We have read of men swallowed up by the earth because of their sin. We have read of men drowned in the sea who pursued Your people to destroy them. We have read of Ananias and Sapphira who lied to the Holy Spirit and dropped dead. We believe there is a Hell and that men will have to endure eternal destruction there without hope. Lord, we respect You. We come before You with fear and trepidation.

Yet, Lord we also read of the Gospel. We read of the man Jesus Christ, who was truly man and truly God, Your eternal Son, who died on the cross to forgive us of our sins. We come here this morning to reaffirm our hope in Him. He is the only hope we have. We have no other hope. Lord, calm our hearts and enable us to approach Your throne with boldness through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yea, Lord, we are still in the flesh and we still battle with sin, with doubts, with confusion, with our mortality. We are but men made of dust and to the dust we shall return. We need to be honest with You even though You know the thoughts of our hearts even before we think them. We find in ourselves the seeds of doubt, the root of bitterness, the anger of hurt, the frustration of being unable to control our circumstances, the pain of sickness, the hurt of sin, and the confusion that comes because we cannot understand why You do the things You do. Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked seem to live without troubles? Why do some suffer so much while others live a life of ease? How can the thief steal and go free? Why do some men live by the rules and still lose? Why does life seem so unfair at times?

Lord, we have been honest. Forgive us if we have been disrespectful. Forgive us if we have spoken when we should have remained quiet. Forgive us if we have not given reverence to Your Name. Lord, all we know to do is to live by faith. We hope against hope. We see good in the midst of trouble. We believe that a man will reap what he sows someday. We know the world is not fair, but we believe that you are fair and just. Not because we always can identify it in this world, but because we read about You in the Holy Scriptures. It is to the Word that we go, and we believe it to be Your truth. That we do not doubt.

Lord, do not rebuke us, but cast the net of compassion over us and cover us with Thy mercy. Hide us in the cleft of the rock. Give us shade on the hot summer day. Lord, not only do we need protection from others, but we need protection from ourselves. Actually, others pose no threat like the threat we pose to ourselves. We are weak. We are tempted. We can imagine things in our minds that give us shame.

Lord, maybe some among us here today are just tired. They have lived so long through so much trial and temptation, that they are ready just to give up. Maybe there are those here today who are close to falling into temptation. They are on the edge. Maybe there are some here today that are just weary of living and struggling. Lord, lift up their spirits. Remind them that there is reserved in Heaven for them an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and that will never fade away. Let them rejoice in this.

Lord, we pray for those who suffer for the faith all over the world. We include those who suffer in America as well. Bless the preachers and missionaries who take your word to the uttermost part of the world. Lord, bless those we support. Be with Dr. Park as he teaches in Korea. Grant mercy to Charles Davidson as he plants a Church in Peru. Supply grace to Bill Carr as he teaches in South Africa. Give boldness and protection to the Johnson family in Sweden as they go it alone in a pagan culture. Uphold Sidney and Louise Anderson in the Czech Republic. Bless the efforts of David Balzer as he witnesses at East Tennessee State University. Lord we remember Voice of the Martyrs as they reach into lands hostile to the Christian faith. Bless the work of Jeff Donnan with Reformation Christian Ministries. Send students to Greenville Seminary. Send more students to Graham Bible College. Lord, we send money, but help us never forget to pray for these works of ministry.