A Concord Pastor Comments: NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 5/12

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
   grant us peace in our own day,
        in your mercy, keep us free from sin
            and safe from all distress...

So we pray, Lord, every time we gather at your table

and we ask for a lot;

- deliverance from every evil

- peace - right now

- freedom from sin

- and a place safe from all distress...

As this day ends, Lord, I'm thinking

we might, we should pray these words

every night!

Those four petitions sum up so well

so much of what we need from you,

so much of what we long for:

the deliverance, peace, freedom and safety

that only you can offer, only you can give...

Tonight, Lord, I pray you keep us free from evil

- the evil of racism, poverty and war

- the evil of consumerism, greed and selfishness

- evil that masquerades as virtue
- the evil of assaults on the dignity of human life
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil...

And tonight I pray for peace in our own day, Lord,

the peace that only you can give:

- peace in our world and in our nation,

in our communities, our streets and our neighborhoods

- peace in our families and in our homes

- peace in our minds and hearts and in our souls,

- peace with you, Lord, and peace with ourselves

And I pray for this peace to be ours

sooner than later:

even now, Lord - even now...

Graciously grant us peace in our own day, Lord...

And tonight I pray that you keep us free from sin, Lord:
   - free from temptation and its wily ways
   - free from sin that becomes a habit
   - free from the sins of omission and silence
   - free from the sins we find hardest to acknowledge
   - free from anything and everything
that keeps us from you and our neighbor
Keep us free from sin, Lord...

And tonight, Lord, I pray that you keep us safe from all distress:
   - the distress of worry, doubt and fear
   - the distress of disease, illness and pain
   - the distress of tyranny, terrorism and war
   - the distress of anxiety, depression and grief
   - the distress of hunger, homelessness and want
   - the distress of discouragement, loneliness and despair
Keep us safe from all distress, Lord...

I know, Lord - I'm praying for, I'm asking a lot!

But this is what we need

and you are all we have;

you're the source of every blessing,

you're our best and only hope!

With humble hearts we pray for these gifts, Lord,

and for the grace that's yours to give:

- the grace to help us turn from evil

whenever, wherever, however we meet it;

- the grace to work for that justice

whose harvest is peace

- the grace to turn from sin and follow the path

of your wisdom, your word and your truth

- the grace to turn to you in times of distress

and to offer refuge to all those in need...

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
   grant us peace in our own day,
        in your mercy, keep us free from sin
            and safe from all distress...

Protect us, Lord, while we're awake
   and watch over us as we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
   and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

Good Lord, Deliver Us by Paul Zach

If a widget doesn't appear below, click here!

Good LordGood LordGood Lord, deliver usGood LordGood LordGood Lord, deliver us

From the merchants in the templeAnd the worship of our greedFrom the whisper of the tempterWe should take more than we needFrom the chains of wealth and plunderFrom our avarice and prideFrom the ever growing hungerFrom our vanity and strife

From our constant quest for powerOver all that we surveyFrom the lies that we devourFrom the fears we cannot faceCome and save us from our demonsCome and strip away our hateCome O Lord, restore our reasonCome O Christ, the time is late

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