The Pastor’s Corner

Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:

Scripture: Micah 3:1-4

The warning in this passage is directed toward the rulers of the house of Jacob and Israel. Carrying that theme over to the New Testament church, we can easily apply this warning to the leaders of the church: ministers, elders, and deacons. The indictment offered is that these rulers have acted wickedly and done evil (3:2). They are those that call good, evil and evil, good. They are crushing the people (Cp. Is. 3:15). They are not shepherding the people as they should (See Ezek. 34). These men are bad actors in the vineyard of the Lord. As a result, the LORD will not hear their cry, their prayers. Though they cry out to him, he turns a deaf ear because of their sin. If a man regards iniquity in his heart, the Lord will not hear him (Ps. 66:18). It is a dreadful thought! To think that the LORD will not hear the prayers of his officers in the church should cause them to do serious soul searching and repent of known sin.

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Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:

Scripture: Joel 2:28-32

The passage being considered today is one that has caused a great deal of theological discussion. Though I have my views as to the issues and timing regarding the Day of the Lord, what is essential to ponder are the words found in 2:32, "And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." Regardless of the exact nature of the calamity that the prophet is describing (and it is one of the highest calamity -- the judgment of the LORD), one thing is sure: God's people, the redeemed of the LORD, are protected by him and moved to call upon him while under great distress. That, after all, is what Christians do when faced with matters of great trial or circumstance. It may be a marriage that is collapsing. It may be a financial struggle with no relief in sight. It may be sickness, either usual and seasonal, or chronic pain that never seems to let up. It may be matters related to loved ones who do not know the Lord. It may be the impending collapse of a job, nation, or society. Whatever the issue, the people of the LORD are moved by the Spirit of the LORD to cry out to him.

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Prayer: Our God in heaven, we thank you for your many mercies and your faithfulness that is new every morning. We thank you for your grace and compassion and your patience as we labor on to do your will in this world. We mourn the condition of our culture and our world. We see the disastrous effects of sin and the impact it has made in the lives of people. We witness the destruction of marriages, communities, and health. Many are laboring through serious marital issues. Many communities are under duress. Many suffer from chronic illness and pain. All of these things are due to sin and our fallen condition. We thank you that you are laboring to reverse the effects of the fall. We thank you for the glorious promise made to your children that you will be with us and help us. We thank you for the hope of the New Heavens and the New Earth. We pray with the myriad of your people that our Lord and Savior would come quickly. We look forward to that great day. Until then, help us by your Spirit to walk worthy of the calling which we have received. Please give us what you command and help us to love you and love others. We pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

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Prayer: Almighty God and Father of your redeemed people, we who are needy and weary come to bow before your majesty today to ascribe to you honor and glory and praise. You alone are the one true God, though we live in a world that cranks out their own idols on a daily basis. Unlike the idols of our lives, you are a God that hears, sees, and acts according to your purpose and decree. You have promised your people to accomplish all things, bringing us safely to our heavenly rest. You, a God who cannot lie, have guaranteed the glorious end of all those that your Son redeemed. As the Greater Moses, he has delivered us from the bondage of Egypt, freeing us to walk in the newness of life. You have given us eyes to see and ears to hear. Yet, this new sight causes us great distress as we look at a world that rebels against you. You invite sinner, yet they rebel. You offer sinners a great bounty, yet they insist on starving. We plead with you to open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. Please be pleased, Father, to grant your great work of salvation to our family, friends, loved ones, and all those you are pleased to call to yourself. Thank you for hearing us as we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Prayer: Our Father, we are thankful to you for the blessing of the Lord's Day. It is on this day that the seed, which is your Word, is scattered and falls on the soil of man's heart. it is this seed that is a light to our path and a soothing ointment for our souls. We thank you that you have ordained the preaching of your Word to feed your people and grow your kingdom. Today we plead with you to come and speak to us, by your Spirit, and that the seed sown would fall on good ground and yield a hundred-fold fruit. We pray that as it is sown, those who scatter the seed would draw comfort and strength from the eternal Spirit, waiting patiently for it to grow yielding a great harvest. We plead with you to shake the foundations of the earth as your Word goes out and pray that you would cause your people to listen carefully and obey diligently. Please help us, Lord. Forgive us for the many times we forget what we hear. Please grant us an extra measure of grace today as we enjoy the bounty of your Word. We pray all these things in the name of the living Word, your Son and our Lord. Amen.

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Prayer: Almighty God, we thank you for your church and the impact she has on the world. We thank you that she is called "salt and light" in a decaying and dark place where the enemy of the souls of men holds them captive. Yet, we look around and see your church in some circles failing to live up to the mandates of the King and Head of the church. Instead of sticking to the main things, the ordinary means of grace, she has replaced it with cultural, societal, and political methods that undercut the very Gospel of the Lord Jesus. Instead of preaching the Word and the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God for salvation, she has turned to other inventions and schemes of men. Instead of believing that the preached Word accomplishes great things, she has supplanted it with other activities that are bound up in the foolishness of this world. In short, your church in some corners of this world has adultered your Word and harmed your sheep. We pray, our God, that you would rise up in our day and turn the minds and hearts of those who would pervert your truth and bring them to their knees in true, godly repentance. Father, we are in dire and perilous times, and we long to be faithful to you and discharge the mandate of the Savior: to preach the Word and the full counsel of God. We know there are many of your servants who are faithfully persevering in difficult circumstances. We pray for them that you would bless and keep them. We know that many are striving to persevere against the majority who cause division within your church. We ask that you make your face shine upon them and give them peace. We pray, Lord, that you would destroy the theological liberalism that is reigning and exalt your name. We pray for your sheep, who are looking to their under-shepherds for help and guidance and receiving methods and ideas that rob them of a healthy diet. We pray that your sheep would not fall captive to blind guides who mislead them. We pray these things in the name of the King, Head, and Shepherd of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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