Try Praying

We have a scripture reading tonight from Luke chapter 11, verses 1 to 13.

Luke 11:1–13

I'll read the text for us, and then David will come and preach from it.

So this is God's holy word in Luke 11, verses 1 to 13.

Luke 11:1–13

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished,

one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.

And he said to them, when you pray, say, Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins.

For we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us, and lead us not into temptation.

And he said to them, which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him,

friend, lend me three loaves.

For a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.

And he will answer from within.

Do not bother me.

The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed.

I cannot get up and give you anything.

I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything, because he is his friend,

yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you.

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.

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent?

Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

Instead of a fish, excuse me, if you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

This is God's holy word.

David.

Well, we're going to turn with me to Luke chapter 11,

Luke 11 · chapter mention

to those verses that Corey read for us just a moment ago.

So, this is our sixth, I think, sermon on discipleship from these middle chapters of Luke's gospel.

And as you'll have gathered, we're touching the subject of prayer this evening.

Now, many years ago, during one of his visits to Scotland,

the American evangelist, the latter half of the 19th century,

is a man called Dwight L. Moody.

He had a number of visits to Scotland, came to Edinburgh, I think, in the 1870s.

Quite an impact, his ministry and mission.

And anyway, at one of his visits, he was asked to speak at a primary school here.

And so, he turned up, and the kids were all there,

and he asked the youngsters a rhetorical question.

He asked them the question, what is prayer?

And much to Moody's astonishment,

almost all the children's hands went up in the air.

Hundreds of them.

And he called on a boy near the front,

and the boy said,

prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God,

in the name of Christ, by the help of His Spirit,

with the confession of sins,

and thankful acknowledgement of His mercies.

That's the answer to question 98 in the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

And Moody, who was taken aback, responded,

be thankful, son, that you were born in Scotland.

Well, I don't think I'm overstating things

when I say that we now live in a Scotland

where prayer is perhaps less well understood.

And yet, nonetheless, the concept of prayer

prayer has still quite a measure of cultural currency.

You may have seen slogan emblazoned on buses and billboards

across the city that say, you know, try praying.

An evangelistic initiative designed to try and get people thinking about God,

exploring what it means to be a Christian.

Well, that slogan, try praying, simply begs a number of questions, doesn't it?

Try praying, but to whom?

Try praying, but what?

Try praying, but how?

And I think our text this evening provides us with an answer to those kinds of questions.

Because here we discover the disciples

learning about prayer from Jesus Himself.

We read in verse 1 of our passage,

Jesus was praying in a certain place.

And when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him,

Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.

Perhaps these men had been trying to pray,

but had left them unsure, uncertain about what they were doing.

It may be that as they were confronted with the prayer life of Jesus,

it prompted curiosity and desire.

Then Jesus, they saw someone who spent time with God.

He was a man of prayer.

And it was common among the rabbis of that time

to have a special prayer for their own followers and disciples.

Probably, I think, that John the Baptist followed this custom.

And so here, Jesus, the disciples rather turn to Jesus

and ask Him how they should pray.

Lord, teach us to pray.

Now, there's a lot in these verses.

And I've already edited down this sermon drastically.

You'll be glad to hear.

So, we have to move through things fairly quickly.

But in these verses before us tonight,

we have Jesus giving His disciples the Lord's Prayer.

And following that, giving them further teaching

on this important subject for His disciples.

And I want to mention, I usually have three things.

I've got five things tonight about prayer and Christian discipleship.

So, the first is this.

The disciple is to pray intimately.

And He said to them,

When you pray, say, Father.

Father.

That is the starting point.

Not Almighty God, not eternal sovereign,

though He is both,

but Father.

That's the word that fell from the praying lips of Jesus

during His earthly life.

And it's the word He now places on His disciples.

All through the Gospels,

Jesus calls God His Father.

The word used, an Aramaic term, Abba.

An everyday word, a homely word, a family word,

secular word.

Word of tenderness, intimacy, dear Father.

No Jew would have dared to address God in this manner.

For to say Father was to claim sonship.

It's a breathtaking presumption.

Except that here, it is Christ's own gift to His disciples.

And what the Gospels make clear to us

is that Jesus enjoyed a special relationship

of divine intimacy and fellowship with God.

And the reason for that, of course,

is that Jesus was God's Son in a unique sense.

God was uniquely and specially His Father.

Jesus' manner of addressing God, His Father,

just part, really, of a larger picture

in which He claimed in many different ways

to be uniquely one with God.

His relationship belonged to the life of God

from all eternity.

I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me,

He tells His disciples in John 14.

And yet here, the astonishing thing in the Lord's Prayer

is that Jesus authorizes His own disciples

to repeat the word Abba after Him.

He teaches His followers to address God

in the same way.

Through Jesus and only through Jesus,

His followers now enjoy something

of that close and special relationship

with God as their Father.

Now, of course, it may well be that

for some of you here,

or people you know,

and their experience of fatherhood

has been less than positive.

Some of you may have had absent fathers,

fathers who were brutish or abusive.

For many people,

the idea of fatherhood

is laden with negative connotations.

And of course, to varying degrees,

human fatherhood is always flawed

and far from perfect.

I can say that as a father.

But that is not the case with God.

He is the perfect Father

who loves and cares and protects

and delights in His children

at all times.

It's one of the key ways

in which the New Testament writers

describe what it means to be a Christian.

It is to receive His love

and become a child of God.

Those who repent,

place their faith in Jesus.

Those who vow allegiance

to Jesus Christ as Lord

are said to be born of God

and to have been adopted

into His family.

They enter into a new relationship

with God as their Heavenly Father.

A new access, as it were,

a new type of relationship

to God is opened up

through Jesus Christ,

the Eternal Son.

Ben Packer in his book,

Knowing God, writes this,

If you want to know

how well a person

understands Christianity,

find out how much he makes

of the thought of being God's child,

having God as his Father.

If it is not the thought

that controls his worship

and prayers

and whole outlook on life,

it means that he has not

understood Christianity

very well at all.

Father is the Christian name

for God.

I wonder to what extent

you think of God

as your Father.

Outside of Jesus,

we have no right

to call God our Father,

but in Jesus Christ,

united to Him,

we have every right.

It's one of the great privileges

of discipleship.

Remember John writing

in his first letter,

he says,

How great is the love

the Father has lavished upon us

that we should be called

children of God.

We think of that famous story

of Jesus

and how the Father welcomes

His wasteful,

prodigal son

instead of meeting

His Son with anger

and hostility.

Remember,

we read these great words

later on in Luke's Gospel.

Luke 15, 20,

While he was still

a long way off,

his father saw him

and felt compassion

and ran and embraced

and kissed him.

Instead of the prodigal

being disgraced

and shamed by his father,

it's the father

who shamelessly runs out

to meet him

and lavishes love upon him.

And this is what God

has done for us

in the Gospel

through Jesus Christ.

He has run out to meet us

and He's thrown His arms

around us

and He has welcomed us

into His family.

In Christ,

He has endured

the shame and disgrace,

our shame and disgrace,

that we might be welcomed

as sons and daughters

of the living God.

Those of us

in the far country

might be welcomed home

and enjoy intimacy

with God,

that we might call Him

our Abba Father.

And if that does not

move us to worship

and to pray,

my friends,

then what will?

We sometimes sing,

don't we,

how deep the Father's

love for us,

how vast beyond all measure,

that He should give

His only Son

to make a wretch

His treasure.

So to take this word

Father

on our lips

is a great

and wonderful privilege.

A small wonder

that in the

ancient church

the Lord's Prayer

was prefaced

by these words

of introduction,

grant that we

may dare

to call Thee

as Father

and to say

Our Father.

It's in Jesus Christ

alone

that we can dare

to call Him

Father

and to pray

with the intimacy

and closeness

that that relationship

allows.

Pray

intimately.

The disciple

is to pray intimately.

Secondly,

the disciple

is to pray

reverently.

There's two petitions

that follow.

Hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

Intimacy

does not exclude

reverence.

And these

two petitions

focus attention,

you'll notice,

on God's name

and His kingdom.

The first of these

expresses a desire

that God's name

be hallowed.

And to hallow

means to treat

or consider something

as sacred or holy.

Calvin writes,

we would wish God

to have the honor

He deserves.

Men should never

think of Him

without the highest

reverence.

His name is to be

considered holy

and sacred.

It's not to be

disdained.

To treat God's name

in a careless,

thoughtless manner

is to despise Him

and to despise

all that He stands for.

The psalmist

tells us that

God is exalted

above all things,

His name

and His word.

And the name of God

is shorthand

for all His attributes

and works.

The Heidelberg Catechism

says of this petition,

hallowed be Your name,

it says,

grant that we might

rightly know You

and sanctify,

glorify,

and praise You

in all Your works,

in which shine forth

Your almighty power,

wisdom,

goodness,

righteousness,

mercy,

and truth.

Grant us also

that we may

so direct

our whole life,

our thoughts,

words,

and actions,

that Your name

is not blasphemed

because of us,

but honored

and praised.

The petition

is asking that

God would be seen

and acknowledged

for who He truly is,

that we would see Him

in His greatness

and glory,

and others would see Him

also,

to be one of the great

concerns of our hearts

and lives.

Hallowed be Your name.

Father,

hallow Your name

in my life.

Hallow Your name

in our church.

Hallow Your name

in my family,

in my heart,

in our land,

in the dark places

of this world.

This is the great focus,

isn't it?

One of the great focus

of Christian discipleship,

this hallowing,

this honoring

of God's name.

There's a story

told some years ago now,

a group of American tourists

that were in London

that were being shown

around the Houses

of Parliament,

and as they were being

taken along

one of the corridors there,

Lord Hailsham,

at that time

he was the Lord Chancellor,

and he appeared

on his way

to some official reception.

He was attired

in all his regalia,

finery.

He cut a pretty

impressive figure

as he strode

along the corridor.

However,

as he strode

along the corridor,

and as he drew near

to these tourists,

he saw standing

behind them

the man who was

the leader

of the opposition

at that time.

It was a guy

called Neil Kinnock.

And so,

wanting to speak

to him,

he raised his hand

and he called out,

Neil!

Whereupon,

all the American tourists

dropped to one knee.

Now,

you know that's a true story,

don't you?

You know that's true.

That kind of behavior

seems anachronistic,

unusual to us,

even humorous.

That kind of deference

and display of submission

before another

seems out of place

in our day and age.

And yet,

you know,

while that may be true

in relation to other people,

it is certainly not

inappropriate

in relation

to the living God.

Showing him

honor quite literally

involves us

bowing the knee

before him

as king

and publicly

acknowledging

his greatness

and glory.

To reverence

the Lord

as king

means having

an eye

on the king

and an eye

on his coming

kingdom.

That's something

we must not lose

sight of.

Your kingdom

come.

God's kingdom

is coming

one day

in all its

fullness.

And that's what

we look for

and pray for

when we take

the second petition

here upon our lips.

Our eyes are being

fixed

ahead

onto the far horizon.

Our great hope

as God's people

does not lie

in this world

ultimately

or with the rulers

and powers

of this world.

Our aim

is not to build

this world's kingdom

but rather

to share

in the glorious

reign

and triumph

of Jesus Christ.

The one

who has already

established

an everlasting

kingdom

through his life

and death

and resurrection

and ascension.

He reigns today.

He rules

over all things

now.

And all of human

history is moving

towards

an end

when that will

be fully revealed.

The kingdom

of our Lord

Jesus Christ

and that new

heavens and earth

in which righteousness

dwells.

Our hope

lies in the ruling

and reigning

Christ

who is coming

again.

Yes,

our eyes are on

the king

who is great

and whose name

is to be hallowed

but our eyes

are also

on his kingdom

that is

surely coming.

It's part of

what it means

to be a Christian.

We've bowed

the knee

and we have

given up

the reins

of our lives

to our great

king Jesus Christ.

And so

when we take

his name

upon our lips

we dare

not forget

that.

And so

as disciples

we must pray

intimately

and reverently.

Third thing

the disciple

is to pray

dependently.

A number

of petitions

follow.

The next one

give us

each day

our daily bread.

It expresses

doesn't it

dependence

on God.

When we pray

these words

we are saying

that we are relying

and leaning

upon God.

We are looking

to God

to meet

our needs.

We are not

living our lives

our way

we are living

our lives

God's way

and under

his authority.

In the words

of this prayer

we are acknowledging

that we are not

masters of our

own destiny

and that our lives

are in God's

hands.

Perhaps it's

true

in our

affluent

western culture

and affluent

western churches

that we have

lost sight

of something

of that reality.

Our culture

is often

one of

self-sufficiency

and independence.

Maybe that's

why prayer

is low

on the

list of

priorities

in many churches

because in prayer

we turn away

from ourselves

to God.

In prayer

we express

our weakness

and inadequacy.

In prayer

we acknowledge

that we don't

have all the

answers

and that

we are

not

in control.

Dr.

Ol

Hallisby

who is a

Norwegian

theologian

he once

wrote a

famous little

book on

prayer.

It was

very popular

when I

was a

young

Christian

and it

was published

by IVP.

And in that

little book

on prayer

he says

this.

He says

there are

two aspects

to prayer.

One is

faith

the other

is helplessness.

prayer is

for the

helpless.

This is what

he writes

I never

grow weary

of emphasizing

our helplessness

for it's

the decisive

factor

not only

in our

prayer life

but also

in our

whole relation

to God.

Our helplessness

should make

us attached

to God

and make

us more

strongly

dependent

upon Him

than words

can describe.

The Bible

teaches us

that God

Himself

is the

ultimate

source

of every

good

whether it's

food

or clothing

or work

or leisure

or strength

or friendship

or family

or whatever.

And God

doesn't owe

us these

things.

They're

gifts of

His grace.

He wouldn't

be unjust

in withholding

them from

us.

For we

are ungrateful

creatures

often taking

His gifts

for granted.

And so

give us

each day

our daily

bread

are words

that are

kind of

antidote

to that

kind of

attitude

because they

acknowledge

our absolute

dependence on

God

for each

day

and for

each meal

that we

enjoy.

Now

these words

are not

to be read

as a promise

that God

will always

supply His

people with

bread

and that no

Christian will

ever starve.

They're a

reminder to us

rather that

our lives

are ultimately

in His

hands.

We're

dependent on

Him and

His Word.

The issue

here is

trust and

dependence

because

disciples of

Jesus

constantly

acknowledge

their own

need of

God and

His grace

and they

do that

day in

and day

out.

His care

extends of

course beyond

our daily

bread to

our need of

pardon and

forgiveness.

Verse 4,

forgive us

our sins.

We

ourselves

forgive

everyone

who is

indebted

to us

and lead

us not

into

temptation.

Our

great need

before a

holy God

is that

divine

forgiveness

would so

embrace

our lives

that a

spirit of

forgiveness

would rule

in our

hearts.

For

without it

we run

the risk

of becoming

bitter and

hard-hearted.

Not just

God's

provision,

His

pardon,

but also

His

protection.

Lead us

not into

temptation.

Guard us,

guide us,

O God,

keep us

from the

one who

is the

enemy of

our

souls.

You see,

these petitions

cover the

very fabric

of Christian

life.

Our

God is

Jehovah-Jireh,

the one

who provides.

And very

often it's

our ordinary

mundane

needs that

become the

arena for

God to

display us

great wisdom

and power

and provision.

Our

emergencies,

our

difficulties,

our needs

should drive

us towards

God in

prayer,

that we

might acknowledge

His provision

and pardon

and protection.

Because it's

knowing God,

who He is,

and what He's

like that will

drive us and

move us to

pray these

words.

It's His

sheer,

abundant

goodness that

should draw us

to call on

His name,

knowing that He

is our

Heavenly Father,

knowing that He

loves us with

an everlasting

love,

knowing that He

has promised to

provide for us.

these things

should make us

come before

Him and

pray

dependently,

intimately,

reverently,

dependently,

fourth thing,

shamelessly.

There follows,

you'll notice,

a story,

a parable,

sort of the

whole subject

of kind of

asking for

help.

A friend

who disturbs

his neighbor

at midnight

in order to

borrow some

bread for

an unexpected

guest.

In that

culture,

day,

time,

age,

people didn't

use knives

and forks

and spoons

to eat the

used bread,

essential part

of any meal.

In Middle

Eastern culture,

the providing

of hospitality

to visitors,

very important,

matter of

honor,

an inability

to provide

for a guest

reflected badly

on a family,

perhaps even

on a village,

the kind of

obligation,

a duty to

provide food

and hospitality

to a guest.

And this is

what lies behind

the story

that Jesus

tells.

This man

doesn't want

to bring

disgrace on

his family,

so even at

midnight,

he goes to

his friend,

he asks for

bread.

He's prepared

in his

desperation

to be rude,

demanding

of his friend,

and Jesus

explains the

point of the

story in

verse 8,

I tell you,

though he will

not get up

and give him

anything because

he's his

friend,

yet because

of his

impudence,

he will rise

and give him

what he needs.

The ESV

translates that

word as

impudence,

other translations

sometimes use

the word

persistence.

I think the

word is better

understood as

shameless,

a sense of

audacity and

boldness to

go beyond

what is

socially

acceptable.

This man's

actions in the

story are

embarrassing,

getting his

friend and

family out of

their beds at

midnight to

ask for

bread.

And it's

this shameless

attitude that

wins the day.

In the west of

Scotland, where I

come from, we

have a saying that

someone has a

brass neck.

It means they're

not worried about

what anyone else

thinks.

Shameless people are

willing to do

anything.

They don't care

what other people

say.

Some of you

might remember

there was a

film many years

ago called

Out of Africa.

Robert Redford,

Meryl Streep.

And Meryl Streep

played Baroness

Karen Blixen.

And I won't

go through the

whole thing, but

she's been trying

to save the

Kikuyu tribe

from being put

off their land

by the

authorities.

And everything

she does

fails.

She doesn't

get a response

to any of her

letters and

petitions.

And then she

attends a

reception for

the new

governor of

Kenya.

And she goes

in this long

line of people

waiting to be

introduced to

the new

governor.

And out of

desperation,

she disregards

the proper

protocol.

In front of

all the

assembled

dignitaries

guests, she

throws herself

on her knees

in front of

the governor

and begs

for the

Kikuyu tribe.

She begs

the governor

to give his

word that he

will look into

the matter.

It's an

embarrassing

situation.

And then

suddenly the

governor's wife

stands up

and says,

you have

my word.

Her

shamelessness

won the

day.

And the

point of the

story is not

to tell us

here that God

is like the

reluctant friend

at midnight.

He's quite the

reverse.

When we come

with our prayer

requests, he

doesn't say,

I've had

enough.

Stop

bothering me.

He doesn't put

us on hold.

You don't

listen to all

that terrible

music.

It doesn't

screen our

calls.

It doesn't

close the

door.

So don't

let any

sense of

modesty

or hesitation

keep you

back coming

to your

heavenly

father.

At every

midnight in

life, we

always have a

friend, a

father to

turn to.

This story is

really about

laying hold

of God's

willingness,

not overcoming

his reluctance.

Pray

intimately,

reverently,

dependently,

shamelessly,

be bold.

And then

finally here,

pray expectantly.

And I

tell you,

ask and it

will be given

to you.

Seek and you

will find.

Knock and it

will be opened

to you.

Everyone who

asks receives.

The one who

seeks finds.

And to the

one who knocks,

it will be

opened.

There's some

staggering

promises,

aren't they?

Ask and it

will be given.

Seek and you

will find.

Knock, it

will be opened.

Not vague

hopes.

Declarations

from the

words of

one who

could not

ever lie.

What then

does the

father give

to his

children?

Not always

what we ask

for in our

short-sightedness,

but always

what is

for our

good.

He calls

us to

come to

him and

to ask

him.

Here's

Charles

Spurgeon.

He says,

it is well

said that

asking is

the rule

of the

kingdom.

It's a

rule that

will never

be altered

in anybody's

case.

If the

royal and

divine

son of

God

himself

cannot

be

exempted

from it,

you and

I cannot

expect to

have the

rule relaxed

in our

favor.

God will

bless

Elijah and

send rain

in Israel,

but Elijah

must pray

for it.

If the

chosen

nation is

to prosper,

Samuel must

plead for

it.

If the

Jews are

to be

delivered,

Daniel must

intercede.

God will

bless Paul

and the

nations shall

be converted

through him,

but Paul

must pray,

and pray he

did without

ceasing.

His epistles

show that he

expected nothing

except by

asking for

it.

are you

asking?

Our

denomination,

the Free

Church of

Scotland,

has recently

launched a

call to

prayer entitled

Engage

2026.

It invites

all of us

really to

identify ten

people and

to pray for

them urgently,

faithfully,

persistently,

trusting God's

power and

timing,

watching for

the opportunities

that we might

have to share

the good news

of Jesus.

Very simple

vision.

Ten thousand

Christians across

our congregations,

each committing

to pray regularly

for ten

individuals,

family,

friends,

colleagues,

neighbors,

perhaps even

people we

struggle with.

And that will

see a hundred

thousand people

brought before

God in

prayer.

what an

impact that

may have

for the

cause of the

gospel in

Scotland and

further afield.

And we'll

hear more about

it in the

following weeks.

Will you

take up that

challenge?

What

father among

you,

says Jesus,

if his son

asks for

fish,

instead of a

fish,

give him a

serpent.

If he asks

for egg,

give him a

scorpion.

If you

then who

are evil

know how

to give

good gifts

to your

children,

how much

more will

the heavenly

father give

the Holy

Spirit to

those who

ask him?

Our

father knows

what we

need.

He knows

what our

loved ones

need.

He knows

what our

nation

needs.

And what

better gift

could there

be than

the Holy

Spirit

himself?

The down

payment of

our gospel

inheritance.

The guarantee

of final

glory.

Yes,

we often

ask for

health and

provision and

relief,

and these

things are

not wrong,

of course.

But the

father's heart

is set on

giving himself

in the

person of

his Spirit.

And to

pray as

Jesus taught

is to

enter into

the very

life of

God,

dressing the

Father through

the Son by

the Spirit.

Many of us

struggle.

Yes, I

understand that.

We pray

little because

we believe

little.

We ask

little because

we expect

little.

Tim Keller

relates a

story.

I don't

know if

it's a

true story,

but I

have no

idea where

it came

from.

I could

never find

the source

of it,

but it's

a great

story,

so I'll

tell it.

And it's

a story

about

Alexander

the Great,

who was

once approached

by one of

his generals,

and the

general needed

money for

his daughter's

wedding,

I think.

And so

in front

of all

the other

commanders and

generals and

advisors,

he asked

Alexander for

what was

an astronomical

amount of

money.

And one of

those occasions

when, you

know,

everybody's

watching just

gasped,

their jaws

dropped,

you know,

held their

breath.

That amount.

they awaited

Alexander's

response.

But contrary

to all

expectations,

Alexander

didn't go

ballistic.

Instead,

he told the

general that

he was very

happy to

give him

the money,

sent him

off to his

treasurer or

paymaster to

collect what

he needed.

And this

really confused

all of

Alexander's

advisors,

the other

generals,

they just

don't get

what's

happening

here.

They say

to him,

why did

you give

him the

money?

It was

such a

huge sum.

And

Alexander

tells him,

he says,

this man

has done

me a great

honor.

And asking

for such

a big sum,

he shows

that he

thinks I

am both

fabulously

wealthy

and incredibly

generous.

John

Newton

wrote these

words,

thou art

coming to

a king,

large

petitions

with thee

bring,

for his

grace and

power are

such,

none

can ever

ask

too much.

great God

we worship.

He is

fabulously

wealthy

and he

is

incredibly

generous.

And the

extent of

his abundant

wealth and

generosity

are laid

out before

us in the

gospel.

They are

spread before

us on a

table of

bread and

wine.

Our

Father in

heaven who

spared not

his own

son but

gave him

up for

us all.

what stops

you coming

to him

and calling

on his

name?

What keeps

you from

him and

from the

place of

prayer?

Peter says,

cast all

your anxieties

upon him

because he

cares for

you.

He cares

for you.

This is what

the Lord's

supper,

isn't it?

This is what

it reminds

us of.

God who

cares.

Come to

him this

evening and

be renewed,

refreshed by

the Father's

grace, the

Father's love,

the Father's

care, the

Father's

forgiveness.

Plead his

gracious name.

Try praying

intimately,

reverently,

dependently,

shamelessly,

and expectantly.

Let's pray.

Lord, grant

us your

grace and

mercy

that in

all our

weakness and

frailty and

failure we

may look not

inward but

outward to

you, the

living and

eternal God.

Lord, expand

our hearts,

fill them

with faith

and trust

and confidence

in you.

Renew

us,

refresh us,

and grant

us the help

of your

Holy Spirit,

for we ask

it in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

Amen.