⁵ For I know that the Lord is great;
    our Lord is above all gods.
⁶ Whatever the Lord pleases he does,
    in heaven and on earth,
    in the seas and all deeps.
⁷ He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth;
    he makes lightnings for the rain
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

⁸ He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    both human beings and animals;
⁹ he sent signs and wonders
    into your midst, O Egypt,
    against Pharaoh and all his servants.
¹⁰ He struck down many nations
    and killed mighty kings—
¹¹ Sihon, king of the Amorites,
    and Og, king of Bashan,
    and all the kingdoms of Canaan—
¹² and gave their land as a heritage,
    a heritage to his people Israel.

¹³ Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
    your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.
¹⁴ For the Lord will vindicate his people,
    and have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵ The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
    the work of human hands.
¹⁶ They have mouths, but they do not speak;
    they have eyes, but they do not see;
¹⁷ they have ears, but they do not hear,
    and there is no breath in their mouths.
¹⁸ Those who make them
    and all who trust them
    shall become like them.

¹⁹ O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
²⁰ O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You that fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
²¹ Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who resides in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
    and blameless when you pass judgment.
⁵ Indeed, I was born guilty,
    a sinner when my mother conceived me.

⁶ You desire truth in the inward being;^[a]
    therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and put a new and right^[b] spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me away from your presence,
    and do not take your holy spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and sustain in me a willing^[c] spirit.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will return to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
    O God of my salvation,
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ For you have no delight in sacrifice;
    if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
¹⁷ The sacrifice acceptable to God^[d] is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸ Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
¹⁹ then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
    and all the peoples behold his glory.
⁷ All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    those who make their boast in worthless idols;
    all gods bow down before him.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
    and the towns^[a] of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O God.
⁹ For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ The Lord loves those who hate^[b] evil;
    he guards the lives of his faithful;
    he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light dawns^[c] for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!

Prayer of the Day (from Daily Prayer, WJK Press)

Loving God, as the rising sun chases away the night, so you have scattered the power of death in the rising of Jesus Christ, and you bring us all blessings in him.
Especially we thank you for
the community of faith in our church…
those with whom we work or share common concerns…
the diversity of your children…
indications of your love at work in the world…
those who work for reconciliation…
(other personal prayers of thanksgiving)…

Mighty God, with the dawn of your love you reveal your victory over all that would destroy or harm, and you brighten the lives of all who need you.
Especially we pray for
families suffering separation…
people different from our ourselves…
those isolated by sickness or sorrow…
the victims of violence or warfare…
the church in the Pacific region…
(other personal prayers of intercession)..
Amen.

⁷ Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
⁸ He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹ He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they cry.
¹⁰ His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;^[a]
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

 A note about today’s prayer.  One of the ways these daily prayers can be helpful is they follow a set model.  Similar to our prayers of the people on Sunday mornings, usually these daily prayers include prayers for creation, our communities, the church, the suffering, and society. Prayers which were written decades ago seem as if they were written last week.  Still, we pray for our world and offer thanks for God’s blessings with faith in God’s providence and care, for each generation and in our lives each day.

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of the city;^[b] it shall not be moved;
    God will help it when the morning dawns.
⁶ The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge.^[c]Selah

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.^[d]Selah

Prayer:
O God of every nation, we are shocked and humbled this morning to discover how fragile we are.  Rather than confess we are broken or flawed or sinful we would rather spend energy denigrating and fighting each other.  Rather than owning our failings and healing the breaches between us we would rather turn a blind eye, cut off relationships, pretend all is well.  We confess at times we put more faith in institutions, politicians, talking heads, and opinions than we put in you.  Love for political philosophies overcomes love for neighbor.  Rightness replaces righteousness.  Isolation becomes easier than living community.  Debate replaces discipleship.  Forgive us we pray.  Forgive us when we forget you are the God of every nation who raises up a standard of truth, love, generosity, humility, and service.  Forgive us when we lose our way, and bring us together under the banner of Christ’s grace.  Restore us, restore our nation, restore the church, renew our commitment to your purpose.  For apart from you there is chaos and ruin.  Amen