The Lord is good to those who wait for him...

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,

to the soul who seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord.

-Lamentations 3:25-26

Do not be afraid of silence in your prayer time. It may be that you are meant to listen, not to speak. So wait before the Lord. Wait in stillness. Wait as David waited when he “sat before the Lord.” And in that stillness, assurance will come to you. You will know that you are heard; you will know that your Lord ponders the voice of your humble desires; you will hear quiet words spoken to you yourself, perhaps to your grateful surprise and refreshment.   -Amy Carmichael

" And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” -Matthew 11:4-6 Image

Thou didst call, and cry aloud, and break through my deafness. Thou didst blaze forth, and shine, and scatter my blindness. Thou wert fragrant, and I drew in my breath, and pant for Thee. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for Thy peace.  -Augustine

Trisagion: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One

 

 Trisagion

 Fernando Ortega 

 Holy God, 

Holy and mighty 

Holy Immortal One, 

Have mercy; 

Have mercy on us.

Understanding the Trisagion: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One 

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth..."

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

-Matthew 6:19-21

The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss.   -A.W. Tozer

Sing to God, sing praises to his name...

Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;

his name is the Lord;

exult before him!

-Psalm 68:4

Tune me, O Lord, into one harmony

With thee, one full responsive vibrant chord;

Unto thy praise all love and melody,

Tune me, O Lord.

-Christina Rossetti

But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray...

But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. 

-Luke 5:16

Prayer has everything to do with moulding the soul into the image of God, and has everything to do with enhancing and enlarging the measure of Divine grace. It has everything to do with enriching, broadening and maturing the soul’s experience of God. That man cannot possibly be called a Christian, who does not pray.  -E.M. Bounds Image

But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake...

But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. -1 Peter 3:14-17

He has great tranquility of heart who cares neither for the praises nor the fault-finding of men. He will easily be content and pacified, whose conscience is pure. You are not holier if you are praised, nor the more worthless if you are found fault with. What you are, that you are; neither by word can you be made greater than what you are in the sight of God.  -Thomas à Kempis

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above...

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. -James 1:17

All of God’s acts are consistent with all of His attributes. No attribute contradicts the other, but all harmonize and blend into each other in the infinite abyss of the Godhead. All that God does agrees with all that God is, and being and doing are one in Him.  -A.W. Tozer

The Messiah came as a Servant...

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  -Mark 10:42-45

The Servant Messiah carries out his ministry in the lives of his ministers. His life is reproduced in their lives, so they also are servants. But this ministry is exercised in and towards the Church, so as to enable the Church itself to carry out the ministry of the Servant. The Messiah came as a Servant; his ministers are servants; and the Church he created is a Servant-Church.   -Anthony T. Hanson

Our Father, hear our prayer...

 

 Our Father 

Don Moen

Hear our prayer

We are your children and

We've gathered here today

We've gathered here to pray

Hear our cry, Lord we need your mercy

And we need your grace today

Hear us as we pray

Our father who art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name'

Our father hear us from heaven

Forgive our sins we pray

Hear our song

As it rises to heaven

May your glory fills the air

As the waters cover the sea

See our heart

And remove anything

That is standing in the way

Of coming to you today

Our father who art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name'

Our father hear us from heaven

Forgive our sins we pray

And though we are few

We're surrounded by many

Who have crossed that river before

And this the song we'll be singing for ever

Holy is the lord

Repeat

Hear our prayer

We are your children and

We've gathered here today

We've gathered here to pray

Hear our cry, Lord we need your mercy

And we need your grace today

Hear us as we pray

Our father who art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name'

Our father hear us from heaven

Forgive our sins we pray

Those who believed were of one heart and soul...

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 

-Acts 4:32-35 Image

Love—and the unity it attests to—is the mark Christ gave Christians to wear before the world. Only with this mark may the world know that Christians are indeed Christians and that Jesus was sent by the Father.  -Francis A. Schaeffer

Enlighten us, O God, by your Spirit...

Enlighten us, O God, by your Spirit, in the understanding of your Word, and grant us the grace to receive it in true fear and humility, that we may learn to put our trust in you, to fear and honor you, by glorifying your Holy Name in all our life, and to yield you the love and obedience which faithful servants owe to their master and children to their fathers, seeing it has led you to call us to the number of your servants and children. 

-John Calvin Image