Psalm 14
September 11, 2022
Heavenly Father, we praise You this morning because You are our refuge, our salvation, our restorer, the God who is with us. And that is who you have been for thousands of years, since the beginning of time. We can look at the world around us and see that not much has changed since the time of David. We see fools who claim there is no God doing corrupt, abominable deeds. On this September 11 we are reminded of the terrorists who flew planes into the twin towers in New York and the many who senselessly died due to evil in men’s hearts. And we know that this incident is not as isolated as we like to think. We know there are people who daily face threats of violence. There are unjust wars all over the world. There are people sold into slavery or abused, who live in terror every day.
But You, Lord, are their refuge and their salvation, just as You are ours. We pray for your protection for the oppressed, the refugees and orphans, the abused and enslaved, those caught in generational webs of violence. We pray that they would know Your presence and that they would live to see You restore their fortunes. We ask that You mobilize us, as Your hands and feet in this world, to step into the hard places, to find ways to bring justice and provision to those who need it. And we ask You to change the hearts of the violent oppressors, that they would be brought to repentance and use their power for good and not for harm.
We confess, Father, the apathy, hurriedness, and self-focus that so easily mark our lives and thoughts and that keep us from actively being a part of Your redemptive work, or even from genuine compassion. Forgive us. Help our hearts to reflect Yours and our actions to be in line with Your purposes in the world.
We pray this morning for all who are going back to school this fall. Give the kids and students in our church focus for their studies, a vision for the purpose You have in their education, protection from the lies and temptations all around them, and opportunities to be a light to their classmates and teachers. For those who are teachers, administrators, and staff in our schools, we ask that You give them energy and excitement for their important work and opportunities to shape the lives of the kids they see daily at school.
We also lift up the people of Papua New Guinea whose homes and villages were hit by an earthquake yesterday. We pray that houses and roads can be repaired quickly, and for those whose water and gas tanks were damaged, that You provide for those practical necessities. We ask that in this difficult time for their community, the Christians there would have opportunities to meet needs and to share of their hope in You.
We pray all of this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, and all God’s people said, Amen.