Week 1 Wednesday Evening Prayer

O LORD GOD, enable us to worship Thee with reverence and godly fear, and with lively confidence and holy joy, according to Thy word.

Thou art very great and very good. Lord, Thou art not far from every one of us; for in thee we live, and move, and have our being. Make us to believe Thy greatness and Thy goodness, as shown by Thy providential care and bounty continually. Especially make us to know Thee better as Thou makest Thyself known to us in Thy holy word. And oh, give us always a deepfelt sense of Thy presence with us.

We now humbly approach Thy footstool, bringing to Thee our poor sacrifice of thanksgiving for the mercies of another day. They are many and great, and we value them the more because they all come from Thy fatherly kindness to us. Lord, we do not deserve the least of them, for there has been much in us this day offensive to Thee; and but for Thy patience and long-suffering towards us, Thou wouldst have cut us down, and cast us out. For Thy name's sake, pardon our iniquity. We would not let the day close, O Lord, without the sprinkling of that precious blood which cleanseth from all sin, or without again praising Thee for the fountain which Thou hast opened for sin and for uncleanness.

O God, we are about to take our night's sleep. Wearied with the day's work, we need the repose which Thou hast appointed for our good. Thou givest Thy beloved sleep; but Thou dost never slumber. As the Shepherd of Israel, Thou art always awake, and aware of all that is going on through the night, as well as in the day. Lord, keep us and our house, and all that belong to us, this night. When we wake, may our first thoughts be towards Thee, and may the clear light of Thy love in Christ Jesus be shining on our hearts.

O our gracious God, Thy tender mercies are over all Thy works. Thou art the God of all the families of the earth. Thou hast opened wide the stores of Thy wonderful mercy to sinners of mankind, and art calling them to come to Thy throne of grace and be filled from Thy fulness. We pray that Thou wilt bless others as well as ourselves. Bring our relations, our friends, our neighbors, yea, all persons in our country, and in the world, to know Thee, and to rest in Thy love. Let Thy blessing come upon our President, his family, his counsellors, and all this Republic. Continue to us the blessing of peace at home, and give us safety abroad, and as much prosperity as is for Thy glory. And we beseech Thee to pity and relieve the sick and the suffering, the bereaved and the destitute, and those who are in any other trouble.

Lord, hear us when we thus call upon Thee, and accept us according to the riches of Thy glory, through our one Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, and to Thee, in Him, shall be the praise for ever. Amen.