Our mouth was made to praise you and celebrate your majesty, O Lord, our voice designed to sing for joy. Our hearts swell and our resolve is hardened when we join together in songs of adoration. What a gift to sing, and not only to sing, but to sing your name, your praise, your glory!

We carry with us throughout the day exalting thoughts of your goodness and greatness, even when our tongue is still. And, oh, when we can sing out loud, with all our being! We fall down before you at the sound of our praises, and wonder how mighty it will be to hear your own voice speak on the last day. So we hope and long for the coming of your Son Jesus, that we might join the heavenly chorus. Amen.

[Pertinent texts: Isa. 24:14; Jer. 13:11]

O God, you always have the right word for us, at the right time. But we do not know what to pray for as we ought. We ask amiss, or at times we simply do not know what we should pray for. Sometimes the mind is a blank, perhaps due to our own lack of preparation for prayer, our lack of study of the Word, or perhaps from some stressful moment. So we stare at the wall or at the back of our eyelids, waiting for something to come to us.

At times like these, O Lord, we give thanks for your Holy Spirit who intercedes for us when all we can do is groan and words fail us. Then, we whisper, "Thank you, Father, for your mercy! May you be praised above all!" Amen.

Lord who rules the universe, we are grateful you have given us authorities and governments to bring peace and security as we go about our daily activities. We are aware of their imperfections, but thank you for providing for our social stability. And we remember those who have given themselves, and even their lives, to preserve freedoms and liberties not available to so many of this world's inhabitants.

Why have you granted us such freedoms and blessings, Lord, if not to share the greatest blessing of all, the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Amen.

Sovereign Lord, you wield all power and authority as Creator and Maintainer of this world. You have blessed your people with great riches and potent tools for the use of the Kingdom. May we not be slaves to our tools, but make them valuable instruments for winning souls and edifying saints. May they increase our effectiveness and efficiency, rather than serving as dead weights. Rather than our being slaves to our tools, may they be our servants, as we are yours, just as your Son was made a servant for salvation. Amen.

Our Father in Heaven, you are in every place, having arrived before us. Wherever we go, you are already there. Heaven is your dwelling place, eternity your throne. We acknowledge that we are strangers here -- wherever "here" may be on this earth -- for we are in transit toward eternity. Keep us from accumlating possessions here that would keep us tied down and prevent us from reaching our destination. For, above all, we want to get where we're going, to your celestial abode. Because our Lord Jesus has preceded us there. Amen.