A Prayer in Response to Psalm 30

Our Father in heaven, on this day of worship and praise, of remembrance and reflection,
we come to acknowledge that you are God.
You are above us.
Your ways are not our ways; your thoughts are not our thoughts,
just as the heavens are higher than the earth.

And yet, you do speak to us.
You give us insight.
You reveal yourself to us.
And in Jesus, you have shown us your human face—and that is enough.
To know you by knowing him.

So we come in his name.
We commit this time of reflection, praise, and worship to you—
this time of hearing your Word and submitting ourselves to your will—
all to your glory.

Lord, we do not come because we are worthy.
We know that we have sinned and fallen short of your glory.
There are sins we long to name before you,
because they weigh us down.
We seek not only your forgiveness,
but your freedom—
that we would not remain trapped in patterns we repeat again and again.

Some of these sins are in our thoughts,
some in our attitudes,
and some in our actions, O God.
And so we pray that you would lead us not into temptation,
that you would deliver us from evil—
daily and moment by moment—
and that in all things your kingdom would come
and your will would be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Lord, we carry many concerns from this past week.
As we scroll through our news and social media,
we learn of friends who are sick,
loved ones who are hospitalized,
acquaintances who are grieving the loss of someone dear.
Some we have known for many years have passed on.

Our hearts are filled with grief, concern, and worry.
And added to these are the burdens of our own families
and the needs of our own lives—
our need for strength,
for comfort,
for peace,
for guidance and help.

You are our help in ages past
and our hope for years to come.
You are our shelter from the stormy blast,
and you, O God, are our eternal home.

So meet us where we are.
Meet us in this hour.
We pray and praise to you in the words of the psalm we have just heard,
and we now join our hearts together in the prayer your Son taught us to pray:

Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.

Thank you, Lord.
May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer.
Amen.

Thank you, friends.
Continue to worship with us—in music, in Scripture, and in the exposition of the Word.

Psalm 30

I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
Lord my God, I called to you for help,
    and you healed me.
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
    you spared me from going down to the pit.

Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.

When I felt secure, I said,
    “I will never be shaken.”
Lord, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
    I was dismayed.

To you, Lord, I called;
    to the Lord I cried for mercy:
“What is gained if I am silenced,
    if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
    Lord, be my help.”

You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

New International Version (NIV)