The Pastor’s Corner

Prayer: Our most holy and glorious God in heaven, we pray this day that your kingdom would come and that your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. Through your divine providence and matchless power, we pray that you would bring all things into subjection of your will as given to us in your Word. We also pray that you would cause us and others to know, acknowledge, and highly esteem you as you have revealed yourself to your creatures. We further pray that you would bring all glory to yourself and that your people would be zealous to do so by obeying you in all the ways you have commanded. Forgive us, Father, for the many ways in which we stray from the narrow path. Please grant us a greater measure of your Spirit that we would live worthy of the calling you have placed upon us. We ask these things in the name of the only Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Amen.

Prayer: Almighty God, we praise your name today because you have made us and redeemed us. Through the work of your Son, we have been purchased as a peculiar people, your treasured possession. You have called us by name, and we belong to you. Once, we were aliens and strangers to the covenant of promise but now have been brought near as your chosen people, adopted to be holy and blameless in your sight. We thank you for this great privilege of being sons and daughters of the Most High. We confess that we do not always walk worthy of the calling you have placed upon our lives. We desire, however, to do all that you have commanded us not because it will add to our union with you but out of love for all you have done for us. Be pleased, our Father, to grant us more of your Spirit and help us to walk in the newsless of life that your redeemed people possess by virtue of your eternal Son who gave his life a ransom for many. These things we pray in praise and thanksgiving through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer: Our glorious God, we boldly approach your throne today, having been given access to it through the work of the great High Priest, your Son, and our Lord. We come to plead for our churches and our families. We know that the people of old fell miserably and turned themselves to the cares of this world and idols of every kind because they failed to teach the next generation about you and your Word. As a result, they came under your Fatherly displeasure and were disciplined for their sin. We are also commanded to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, to teach them all of your ways and commandments. We grieve our current world and the state of the church where your people are busy doing many things except those that are most needful. WE have failed, in many ways, to teach our children about you. We have been deceived into thinking that everything will work out if we merely bring them to church. Yet, the people of old had your very presence in the midst of them, and they still rebelled. How will we escape if we fail to teach the next generation about you? Forgive us, Father, for wasting precious time with those precious souls you have given to us. Please help us renew our zeal to honor your Word and obediently strive to teach our children the precious doctrines of our most holy religion. We pray these things in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

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

Scripture: Matthew 21:18-22

The passage before us today is an odd narrative of Jesus cursing the fig tree. However, the fundamental issue in the actions of the Savior predicts those events that will soon take place for the temple and the old covenant system. However, the focus for today's meditation is on the words of the Savior in 21:21-22: "And Jesus answered them, 'Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." These words of the Lord have been often abused by those who seek to advance the "prosperity gospel." They argue that if we have enough faith, we can ask anything, and it will happen. Yet, what is often missing in their argument is that our faith is not in faith but the sovereign will of God. That is, as we pray, we must ask those things that are agreeable to God's will. If it is God's will to toss a mountain into the sea, it will be answered. In cases where we are not sure of God's will, we must lean upon his sovereign providence and trust his answers, even if they are contrary to what we asked. You see, true faith wants what God wants for us. We cannot manipulate God in our prayers, and we must resist the temptation to do so.