O living and loving God, great is your faithfulness. We are grateful for this day and your invitation into it.  We are grateful for your grace to live this day to its fullest.  Knowing of your great love, we come to you confessing our knowledge that we live in a world made sick and sad by the effects of sin. Our minds and our senses have been bombarded with news of violence and corruption, with distracting thoughts, and with the duties and demands of our lives. Help us in these moments to get quiet and still before you. Help us to hear what You have to say to us.

You are the light of the world. Shine into our hearts and into our lives, overcoming all darkness you find there. Give us the desire to hear you speak and the willingness to let you you’re your changes in us. Touch our spiritual eyes that we may see you as you are, high and holy, majestic in your glory, yet also near to those who are humble and contrite in spirit.

O God, you spoke of yourself to Moses as being “The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin.”  Speak those words anew to our hearts today, and help us honestly to acknowledge and humbly confess our sins to you.  For you resist the proud but give grace to the humble. You have said that your thoughts are higher than our thoughts, your ways higher than our ways.

O God, we confess that we too often have neglected your Word, and we have failed to seek to learn your ways and listen to your thoughts. You have said that apart from you we can do nothing. Forgive our sinful, foolish thinking when we think we can live independently from you. We admit that we are utterly dependent upon You.

O gracious God, help us now to focus on you throughout this day.  Help us to put away every competing thought, and with sincerity of heart to worship you in and through our living. We offer ourselves to you in the name of Jesus. Amen