Day 3: The mighty waters
Therefore let all the faithful pray to You while You may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them (Psalm 32:6).
Heavenly Father, Exalted God, we find the grace and the confidence to come to You on Your own invitation, thankful that we can come, for Your word makes clear that You are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with You, evil people are not welcome. The arrogant cannot stand in Your presence. You hate all who do wrong; You destroy all who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and the deceitful Lord You detest. But I, by Your great love [mercy] can come into Your house; in reverence I bow down toward Your holy temple (Psalm 5:4-7).
Lord, we can only come into Your holy sanctuary since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God. He is our mediator who is able to empathize with our weaknesses... one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet He did not sin. On His merit, on His standing, You have invited us to approach Your throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in in our time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).
O Lord, we cannot underestimate the privilege, the responsibility, and the dire urgency to pray. You have promised, “In the time of My favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you…” (Isaiah 49:8). The apostle Paul, in reminding the church of that promise, conveyed the urgency, I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
We thank You that You may still be found. We do not know when that opportunity will be gone in this life. But in this moment, even as all around we see the gathering storms and the rising of the mighty waters Your invitation still stands, Let all the faithful pray to You...
Father, help us to be among the faithful, like Noah who, by faith... when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family (Hebrews 11:7). You delivered him and his family through the storm— the rising of the mighty waters did not reach them.
As You were for Noah, You are for us— our shelter, our place of safety, our only hope when the turrets topple, the structures fall, and the mountain peaks are swept away by the flood and the mighty waters. You alone are our hiding place; You alone can protect us from trouble and surround us with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).
O Lord God, for the sake of our family, our friends, our community, our world, help us to build, as You have instructed— diligently, tirelessly, by faith, through prayer, in holy fear.
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