Praying to a Sovereign God

Well, as Pastor David mentioned, it's a gift to be here with you today.

It's a testimony of God's grace and kindness.

! I'll never forget last year messaging Pastor that I needed to cancel because I was in the hospital for leukemia and didn't know when I was going to be getting out.

And so today it's just such a pleasure to be here with you and it's always an honor to be able to share God's Word with His people.

This morning we will be studying Daniel chapter 9, the first 19 verses.

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

And the message, the title of our message today is Praying to a Sovereign God.

As we read through this passage, two overarching questions rise to the surface.

The first is this.

If God is sovereign over the kingdoms of the earth and over the course of history, including the events of our individual lives, and He is,

then what role do our prayers play in His sovereign plan?

After we attempt to answer that question, we will spend the rest of our time with the second one.

How then shall we pray?

I hope you came hungry this morning because this passage is an all-you-can-eat buffet.

And it's impossible for us to exhaust the amazing and rich content of this passage with the time that we have together.

And so it's my goal to adequately scratch the surface for us and to send you home with enough to enjoy for the rest of the week.

We have a lot of content to cover, so let's begin.

Daniel 9, chapter 1, verse 1.

One of the primary messages in the book of Daniel is that God is sovereign over the kingdoms of the world and over the course of history.

In the beginning two verses of chapter 1 of our book, it says that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it,

and the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand.

In chapter 2 of Daniel, God prophetically gives both king Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel a panoramic view of the Gentile kingdoms of the world that would rise,

starting with Babylon and extending all the way until the end of time when Christ's everlasting kingdom smashes them all and reigns supreme forevermore.

His kingdom is the stone not cut out by human hands that becomes a great mountain which fills the whole earth.

Daniel, chapter 2, verses 34 through 35.

Daniel 2:34–35

These mighty, terrible kingdoms of man become as chaff which the wind blows away before him.

As Daniel says in chapter 2, verse 21, he changes times and seasons.

He removes kings and sets up kings.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

And in verse 37, Daniel declares that it is the God of heaven that has given you, O king Nebuchadnezzar,

the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell,

the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all.

Interestingly enough, in chapter 4,

this same man to whom God had given the beasts of the field is stricken to become like a beast of the field

because he thinks that by his own sovereignty he rules over the world.

And for the next seven years, we see great king Nebuchadnezzar exercise his free will

as he eats grass with the cattle in the field.

Still, God preserves his throne.

After all this time,

now you and I know politics.

The leader of the most powerful empire in the world goes insane,

and there's no coup to replace him?

Over the course of seven years?

This is only by the sovereign hand of God,

and it's because God's intent was to humble him, not replace him.

When the time was right,

God restored him,

and this once pagan king who gave glory to himself

is now giving glory to whom glory is due.

For his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

and he does according to his will

among the hosts of heaven

and among the inhabitants of the earth.

And none can stay his hand or say to him,

what have you done?

Daniel chapter 4, verses 34 through 35.

Daniel 4:34–35

Well, we come to chapter 9.

And in partial fulfillment of Jeremiah 25, verse 12,

Jeremiah 25:12

Belshazzar, king of Babylon,

was killed on October 16, 539 B.C.

Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian Empire.

And as it says in Daniel chapter 5, verse 30,

Daniel 5:30

Darius received the kingdom.

We are now in the first year of Darius' reign.

So it could be 539 or it could be 538 B.C.

when Daniel perceives the 70 years.

We're not quite certain who Darius the Mede really is.

No historical documents outside the Bible

give record of him specifically.

The word Darius is used in inscriptions

for at least five Persian rulers,

indicating that this is probably a title

rather than a name.

While commentators and historians

have different opinions about his identity,

there is good evidence that Darius

could be King Cyrus himself.

For one, historically,

there is no interval of rulership

between Belshazzar of Babylon

and Cyrus who conquered Babylon.

It's also interesting to note

that Cyrus was born in 600 B.C.,

which means he was about to turn 62

when he conquered Babylon.

The same age as Darius

in Daniel chapter 5, verse 30,

Daniel 5:30

when he received the kingdom.

Coincidence or not,

whether Darius is Cyrus

or Darius is some agent ruling

for Darius

over the realm of the Chaldeans,

the important thing for us to understand

is ultimately Cyrus is king

of the Medo-Persian Empire

and it is Cyrus

who in his first year

in 538 B.C.

issues the decree

for the Jews to return to Jerusalem

according to Ezra chapter 1, verse 1.

Ezra 1:1

And it is Cyrus

or in Ezra chapter 1, verse 1.

Ezra 1:1

This too is by the sovereign hand

of the Lord

because more than 150 years earlier,

God had spoken

through the prophet Isaiah.

Cyrus, he is my shepherd

and he shall fulfill all my purpose

saying of Jerusalem,

she shall be built

and the temple,

your foundation,

shall be laid.

I believe that Daniel at this time

was already aware

of Isaiah's prophecy.

In fact, according to the Jewish historian

Josephus,

it was Daniel

as Cyrus' prime minister

who shared Isaiah's prophecies

with Cyrus,

influencing him

to make the decree.

I'm sure it was quite a spectacle

for Daniel

knowing Jeremiah 25

and Jeremiah 29

and Isaiah 44

and Isaiah 45,

witnessing

the judgment

of Babylon

by a kingdom

inferior to them,

the chest of arms

of silver,

as it were,

led by a man

named none other than Cyrus.

But here we read

in our passage

what really arrests

Daniel's attention

are the words of Jeremiah

which he had sent

in a letter

to the surviving exiles

of Babylon.

It's recorded

in Jeremiah 29

and we don't have time

to read both chapters

25 and 29

but we will read

29 verses 10 through 14.

It says,

For thus says the Lord,

when 70 years

are completed

for Babylon,

I will visit you

and I will fulfill

to you my promise

and bring you back

to this place

for I know the plans

I have for you

declares the Lord.

Plans for welfare

and not for evil

to give you a future

and a hope.

Then you will call upon me

and come to me

and pray to me

and I will hear you.

You will seek me

and find me

when you seek me

with all of your heart.

I will be found by you

declares the Lord

and I will restore

your fortunes

and gather you

from all the nations

and all the places

where I have driven you

declares the Lord.

And I will bring you

back to the place

from which I sent you

into exile.

Daniel realizes

that the end

of the 70 years

is imminent.

His entire life

was a testimony

to the sovereign power

of God

which drove Israel

into exile,

transformed the heart

of a pagan king,

exalted him repeatedly,

Daniel,

to high positions

of influence

in a foreign land

who shut the mouths

of hungry lions

and revealed to him

divine mysteries

and visions

of the future.

Here he perceives

that God

is about to fulfill

his word again.

So what is Daniel's promise?

Does he resign

to some form

of fatalism

and just sit back

and wait and say,

ah, God's got this?

No.

Convinced of God's faithfulness

to fulfill his word.

By faith,

he is driven

into fervent,

intercessory prayer.

Why?

Because faith moves us

to draw near to God

and to unite ourselves

with him

in his purposes.

And we do that

through prayer.

This is the purpose

of true

and effective prayer.

God responds favorably

to our faith.

He promises

that when we call

upon him

and come

and pray to him,

he will hear us.

And he will be found

by us

when we seek him

with all of our hearts.

And he will fulfill

his promises to us

by his sovereign power.

God's promise,

referenced by Jeremiah,

to restore Israel

to their land

and to fellowship

and communion with him

are rooted

in the Abrahamic

and Mosaic covenants.

In Genesis 12,

Genesis 12:7

verse 7,

he tells Abram,

to your offspring

I will give this land.

And in Genesis 15,

God himself passes

through the pieces

in a covenantal ceremony

indicating that

the fulfillment

of his covenant

with Abram

and Abram's offspring

depended on him alone.

Then in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 28 · chapter mention

chapter 28,

Moses lays before Israel

the promise

of blessings from God

when they obey

his commandments

and remain loyal

and faithful to him.

Followed by the promise

of curses from God

when they turn against him

in rebellion

and disloyalty,

including exile

from the land.

Prophetically,

in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 28:49

chapter 28,

verse 49,

Moses warns,

the Lord will bring

a nation against you

from far away,

from the end of the earth,

swooping down

like the eagle.

It's no coincidence

that in Daniel

Daniel 7:4

chapter 7,

verse 4,

Babylon

is envisioned

as a lion

with eagle's wings.

This very image

decorated the city

of Babylon,

including the very throne room

of King Nebuchadnezzar himself.

For many years,

God was abundantly generous

in his blessings

toward Israel.

And tragically,

Israel responded

with hardness of heart,

rebellion,

and idolatry.

They suffered the curses

God promised

for their disobedience.

But just as God

had promised

to curse Israel

for their disobedience,

he also promised

restoration

when they repented

and turned to him.

At this time,

in Daniel chapter 9,

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

God had yet

to restore Israel

back to their land.

And Israel

had yet to call upon him

and come and pray to him.

In fact,

we see in verse 13

of Daniel's confession,

as it is written

in the law of Moses,

all this calamity

has come upon us,

yet we have not

entreated

the favor of the Lord

our God,

turning from our iniquities

and gaining insight

by your truth.

So Daniel turns

to God

in prayer.

And God responds

immediately.

Within that same year,

Ezra chapter 1

Ezra 1 · chapter mention

says that

the Lord stirred up

the spirit of Cyrus,

king of Persia,

to make the decree

for Israel

to return to Jerusalem

so that the temple

may be rebuilt.

Consequently,

Israel returns

to Jerusalem

and the temple

is rebuilt.

And later,

in Ezra chapter 10

Ezra 10 · chapter mention

and in Nehemiah chapter 9,

Nehemiah 9 · chapter mention

Israel as a nation

turns to God

in repentance

and prayer,

reminiscent

of Daniel's prayer

in our passage today.

We see in this example

before us

that through true

and effective prayer,

Daniel is moved

to fulfill God's word

by faith

and obedience.

and through Daniel's prayer,

God is moved

to fulfill his word

by a sovereign power.

Ultimately,

God used Daniel

as his instrument

to fulfill

his sovereign purpose.

So we see

God's sovereignty

working divinely

through responsible

human agency

to accomplish

his purposes.

In this,

we see the power

of true

and effective prayer.

Jesus said,

ask and it will be

given to you.

Seek and you will find.

Knock and it will be

opened to you.

For everyone who asks

receives

and the one who seeks

finds

and to the one who knocks

it will be opened.

Matthew chapter 6

Matthew 6:7

verses 7 and 8.

He also says

in Matthew chapter 21

Matthew 21:22

verse 22,

whatever you ask

in prayer,

you will receive

if you have faith.

James tells us

the prayer of a righteous

person has great power

as it's working.

James chapter 5

James 5:18

verse 18.

God moves powerfully

in response

to faithful prayer

not only to change

the course of history

and the external

circumstances

of our lives,

but also to change

the conditions

of our hearts.

Reordering

our affections,

revealing

his wisdom

and reconciling

us to himself.

In the end,

God's purposes

are fulfilled

within us,

through us,

and around us.

If only we knew

the greatness

of the power of God

that works

through prayers,

we would not be

so slothful

and casual

in our exercise

of it.

we would pray

without ceasing

as the Apostle Paul

urges us to do

and as Daniel

demonstrated

throughout his life

even when he is

threatened to be cast

into a dead alliance.

However,

not all prayers

are true

and effective.

James also says

you ask

and do not receive

because you want

to spend it

on your own passions.

And Jesus said

when you pray

you must not be

like the hypocrites.

Matthew chapter 6

Matthew 6:5

verse 5.

And so we turn

now to our next

question.

How then

shall we pray?

In the following

verses of our passage

Daniel models

for us

true and effective

prayer.

The kind of prayer

that pleases

and moves

the heart

of God.

We begin

with a posture

of true

and effective

prayer.

the first thing

we notice

in our passage

is Daniel's faith.

Daniel trusted

the word of God.

Furthermore,

he trusted

the scriptures

as the word

of God.

It says in Daniel

Daniel 9:2

chapter 9

verse 2

he perceived

in the books.

In other words,

he was studying

the scriptures

and it was his faith

and what he read

that resulted

in the marvelous

prayer that follows.

Daniel's prayer

is informed

by God's word

and energized

by his faith

in God

to fulfill

what he promised.

This emphasizes

the fact

that anyone

who wishes

to approach

God in prayer

must do so

on the basis

of faith.

We know this

because without faith

it is impossible

to please God

for whoever

would draw near

to God

must believe

that he exists

and that he rewards

those who seek him.

Hebrews chapter 11

Hebrews 11:6

verse 6

True and effective

prayer is always

preceded by faith

in God.

A firm reliance

on the character

of God

and on his ability

to fulfill

his promises.

And all true

and effective prayer

is shaped

and guided

by what God

has already said

in his word.

The next thing

we notice

is Daniel's

fervency.

In verse 3

it says

then I turned

my face

to the Lord God.

We know

from Daniel

Daniel 6:10

chapter 6

verse 10

that it was

Daniel's custom

to pray

three times daily

while he faced

Jerusalem.

But I believe

that there is

much more

to this expression

than just

his physical

position.

This speaks

of a sincerity

of heart

and mind

of focused

determination.

an undivided

devotion

to his cause.

It reminds us

of the man

in Luke

Luke 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11

who's knocking

on his friend's

door for a loaf

of bread

in the middle

of the night.

It's that

persistence.

It's that attitude

that he demonstrates.

It also reminds us

of the persistent

widow who

is petitioning

the unjust

judge

for justice.

it reminds us

of the commitment

and devotion

that was spoken

of about Christ

by the prophet

Isaiah.

Because the

sovereign Lord

helps me

I will not

be disgraced.

Therefore

I have set

my face

like flint

and I know

I will not

be put to shame.

Isaiah

Isaiah 50:7

chapter 50

verse 7.

And Jesus

fulfilled this

in Luke

Luke 9:51

chapter 9

verse 51

when it says

when the days

drew near

for him

to be taken

up

he set

his face

to go

to Jerusalem.

This expression

speaks of

unwavering

commitment

to the will

of God.

Not even

Nebuchadnezzar

or Cyrus

could command

the devotion

that God

received

from Daniel.

This was

repeatedly

demonstrated

throughout Daniel's

life and

now is

being repeated

again

in his

prayer.

This

fervency

was further

expressed

by seeking

him by

prayer

and pleas

for mercy

with fasting

and sackcloth

and ashes.

God

was the

chief object

of Daniel's

pursuit.

He fasted

so that he

would not be

diverted from

prayer to

food by

food.

He dressed

in sackcloth

as a sign

of abject

need

and he

covered

himself

in ashes

which was

a traditional

sign of

grief

and humility.

Is this

kind of

fervency

characteristic

of your

prayer life?

Is it

characteristic

of your

posture

before God

as you

attempt to

draw near

to him?

How easily

are we

distracted

by our

prayers,

by something

as simple

as the

ding

of a

text

message?

How often

do our

thoughts

wander

even while

we're in

the middle

of speaking

with God

in prayer?

God

help us

to have

the fervency

of Daniel

when we

come to

him in

prayer.

The last

thing we

need to

quickly note

is Daniel's

humility.

Unlike

many

major,

other major

characters

of the

Old

Testament,

no obvious

sin is

attributed

to Daniel

despite his

exile to

Babylon.

Now we

know he

wasn't

sinless,

but Daniel's

life is as

blameless as

we could ever

hope to be.

Yet through

his confession

and pleas for

mercy,

Daniel humbly

!

acknowledges his

personal guilt

and identifies

himself with

the sins of

God's people

and accepts

the harsh

discipline that

God has

brought upon

them.

This is

remarkable

because we

never see

Daniel complain

about the

fact that

he was

torn from

his home

and his

family at

an early

age.

We never

hear him

murmur about

the chaotic

circumstances of

his life or

the numerous

threats to

end his life

because of

his obedience

to the

Lord.

There is a

question that

we often want

to ask God

in prayer,

and we can

ask it in

two radically

different ways.

It's this

question,

God, why

are you

doing what

you are

doing?

The first

way that we

can ask it

is with the

attitude of

those in

1 Peter 1

10, where

it says,

concerning the

salvation, the

prophets who

prophesied about

the grace that

was to be

yours, searched

and inquired

carefully, inquiring

what person or

time the Spirit

of Christ in

them was

indicating when

he predicted

the sufferings of

Christ and the

subsequent glories.

God's wisdom

is a mystery

to us.

This first

attitude is

born of

humility and

a desire to

know God's

wisdom and

to join

ourselves to

him and

his purposes.

Second way

we can ask

this question

is with the

attitude of

those in

Isaiah 45

9, where

it says,

woe to

him who

strives with

him who

formed him,

a pot among

earthen pots.

does the

clay say

to him

who forms

it, what

are you

making, or

your work

has no

handles?

The second

attitude is

born of

pride and

a desire for

God to

join himself

to us and

our purposes.

It's a

rejection of

God's wisdom

and pursuit

to go another

way.

True and

effective prayer

can only come

from a heart

that is humble

and we should

not accept to

receive a

favorable answer

from the

Lord when we

approach him

in pride.

For God

opposes the

proud but

gives grace

to the

humble.

James 4

6.

So what

are the

properties of

true and

effective prayer?

With the

posture of

faith,

fervency,

and humility,

Daniel fills

his prayer

with worship.

And you can

also fit

thanksgiving

under this

category as

well.

He worships

him as the

great and

awesome God

who keeps

covenant and

steadfast love

in verse 4.

In verse 7,

to you

belongs

righteousness.

In verse 9,

to you belong

mercy and

forgiveness.

In verse 12,

he has

confirmed his

words,

speaking of

God's truthfulness

and faithfulness

to his word.

In verse 14,

the Lord has

kept ready the

calamity and

has brought it

upon us,

acknowledging that

he is just in

his judgment

upon sin.

True prayer

and worship

are inseparable.

How can you

draw near to

the most

holy God

without

worshiping him?

it is the

natural

outflow of

a heart

that loves

the Lord

and seeks

communion

with him.

As we

attempt to

draw near

to him,

we recognize

that he is

the great

and awesome

God.

He is

majestic

and holy

and therefore

there is

this infinite

chasm

that separates

us from

him.

Do you ever

feel that

when you

try to

pray?

That you're

coming to a

holy God

and just

it's like

how do I

cross

the chasm?

If we want

to commune

with him,

something has

to bridge

that gap.

What else

is there

except that

he is the

God who

keeps covenant

and steadfast

love,

calling us

to the

reconciliation

and intimate

fellowship

made possible

only by the

covenant

fulfilled for

us in

Christ.

Therefore,

we are

encouraged,

let us

draw near

with a

true heart

and full

assurance

of faith

with our

hearts

sprinkled

clean

from an

evil

conscience

and our

bodies

washed

with pure

water.

But who

are the

benefactors

of this

covenant

and steadfast

love?

It is

those who

love him

and keep

his

commandments.

Verse 4.

The covenant

applies only

to true

worshipers.

Unbelievers

and hypocrites

should not

expect to be

pardoned or

indulged by

God.

Worship

must be

true,

flowing from

a heart

of love,

not fake

ritualism.

We see

this from

the beginning

chapters of

the Bible

when God

was pleased

to accept

the true

worship of

Abel but

rejected the

hypocritical

offering of

Cain.

Unless we

love God,

we have no

reason for

concluding that

he will approve

of any of

our actions.

all our

duties will

become corrupt

before him.

As Jesus

said in

John chapter

John 4 · chapter mention

4,

true

worshipers

are those

who worship

the Father

in spirit

and in truth.

They are the

kind of

worshiper

that the

Father

seeks.

True

worship

pleases

God and

it also

prepares

our hearts

for confession

and repentance.

When we

behold God

and his

majesty and

perfection,

we immediately

become aware

of how far

we fall

short of

his glory.

True

prayer seeks

to close

that gap

and bring

us back

into fellowship

and union

with him.

As J.C.

Ryle once

said,

praying and

sinning will

never live

together in

the same

heart.

Prayer will

consume sin

or sin

will choke

prayer.

Isn't

that true?

David is

thorough and

specific in

recounting his

sins and

the sins

of his

people.

Eleven of

the fifteen

verses of

his prayer

are spent

in confession.

He is

unhurried.

He does

not minimize

the seriousness

or number

of them.

He makes

no excuses.

He openly

acknowledges

their culpability

and calls

their sin

for what

it actually

is.

It was

not by

accident

or by

mistake

of ignorance

that they

disobeyed,

but their

disobedience

was willful,

wicked,

and rebellious.

He declares,

the Lord is

righteous

in all the

works he

has done.

There is

no justifiable

reason that

Israel had

departed from

the Lord

and rebelled.

And though

the Lord

tried to

correct them

through the

prophets,

they compounded

their culpability

by hardening

their hearts

and refusing

to repent.

To him

belongs

righteousness,

but to us

open shame.

How often

we underestimate

the weight

and magnitude

of our wickedness

and guilt

before God

or try to

minimize it.

we can be

so slothful

in our

confession.

Instead of

taking the

time to

really name

our offenses

toward God

and grieve

over the

grotesque

nature of

them,

we try to

brush them

away with

a single

word.

But Daniel

models for

us true

penitence

in the right

way to honor

God through

confession.

True

confession

then leads

us to

restoration

and

reconciliation.

On the

basis of

God's

mercy

and

righteousness,

Daniel

pleads

for

restoration.

Of your

city

Jerusalem

in

verse

16

and

18.

Of

your

sanctuary

which

lies

desolate

in

verse

17.

And

your

people

verse

19.

This

is

exactly

what

God

said

he

had

planned

to

do

through

the

words

of

Moses,

Isaiah,

Jeremiah,

and other

prophets.

It was

Daniel's

confidence

in the

character

of the

covenant

keeping

God

that he

is able

to boldly

pray for

God

to restore

these

things.

As I

have said

before,

true

prayer

seeks to

close the

gap between

us and

God

and unite

ourselves

with him

and his

purposes.

God

stands ready

to forgive

and to

restore

us

if we

will

just

seek

him

in

true

faith

and

repentance.

What

stands

between

you

and

him

today?

What

is

stopping

you

from

experiencing

the

restoration

that he

wants

to

accomplish

in

your

heart

and

life?

Abandon

your

idols.

They

can't

save

you.

Turn

to

the

one

and

only

sovereign

God

who

saves

and

restores.

This

brings us

to our

last

and

final

point.

The

pursuit

of

true

and

effective

prayer.

What

is

the

ultimate

goal

of

true

and

effective

prayer?

It's

the same

answer

to the

question

what

is

the

chief

end

of

man

that

we

read

in

the

Westminster

confession

of

faith

to

glorify

God

and

to

enjoy

him

forever.

Daniel

expresses

that

at

the

end

of

his

prayer.

Oh

Lord,

hear.

Oh

Lord,

forgive.

Oh

Lord,

pay

attention

and

act.

Delay

not

for

your

own

sake.

Oh

my

God,

because

your

city

and

your

people

are

called

by

your

name.

Daniel

Daniel 9:19

chapter

9,

verse

19.

As

long

as

Israel

remained

in

exile

and

Jerusalem

lay

in

ruins,

they

were

a

byword

among

all

the

pagan

nations

of

the

world.

And

the

God

of

Israel

appeared

to

be

powerless

and

without

glory.

Daniel

wanted

to see

God's

promises

of

restoration

fulfilled.

He

wanted

to see

for all

of

God's

people

to

finally

return

to

him

with

their

whole

hearts.

And

he

wanted

to

see

God's

glory

fill

the

earth

as

the

stone

not

cut

with

human

hands

becomes

a great

mountain

that filled

the

God's

love.

Don't

you want

that

too?

I know

I do.

So let's

turn with

our whole

hearts

to God

in prayer.

Gracious

Heavenly

Father,

you are

so holy

and you

are so

good.

Thank you

for your

mercy

and your

kindness.

God

thank you

for

Christ

and for

the

covenant

that

allows

us

to

draw

near

to

you

with

confidence

and

boldness.

Thank you

God

for changing

our

hearts.

I pray

Lord

that you

would

help

us

and give

us the

faith

and the

fervency

and the

humility

that we

need

in our

prayer

life.

I pray

God

that you

would

give us

hearts

of true

worshipers

and that

God

you would

give us

hearts

ready

to

confess

and to

repent.

And I

pray

Lord

that God

you would

bring

restoration

and

reconciliation

Lord

where there

still

remains

a distance

between

us

and you.

Align

us

with your

purposes.

Teach

us your

will.

And

Lord

I pray

that you

would be

glorified

by our

lives.

Help

us Lord

we ask

in Jesus

name.

Amen.

Thank you.