Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg
The TWW community would love to pray for you!
Please include your prayer request in the comment section of this post.
Here is our Order of Worship
A Morning Prayer by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 C.E.) link
“O God, the God of spirits and of all flesh,
Who is beyond compare, and stands in need of nothing,
Who has given the sun to have rule over the day,
and the moon and the stars to have rule over the night,
now also look down upon us with gracious eyes, and receive our morning thanksgivings,
and have mercy upon us; for we have not ‘spread out our hands to a strange God;’
for there is not among us any new God, but You, the eternal God,
Who are without end, who has given us our being through Christ,
and given us our well-being through Him.
Graciously grant us, through Him, eternal life;
with whom glory, and honor, and worship be to You and to the Holy Spirit forever.
Amen.”
Prayer to the Holy Spirit Regarding Anxiety
“O Holy Spirit, give me stillness of soul in you.
Calm the turmoil within, with the gentleness of your peace.
Quiet the anxiety within, with a deep trust in you.
Heal the wounds of sin within, with the joy of your forgiveness.
Strengthen the faith within, with the awareness of your presence.
Confirm the hope within, with the knowledge of your strength.
Give fullness to the love within, with an outpouring of your love.
O Holy Spirit, be to me a source of light, strength and courage
so that I may hear your call ever more clearly
and follow you more generously.”
William Browning link
Scripture Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-4 (NASB Bible Gateway)
Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah
The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw. How long, O Lord, will I call for help,
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do not save.
Why do You make me see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, destruction and violence are before me;
Strife exists and contention arises.
Therefore the law is ignored
And justice is never upheld.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out perverted.
Prayer in Time of Need link
Almighty God, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
come to my help and deliver me from this difficulty that besets me
I believe Lord, that all trials of life are under Your care
and that all things work for the good of those who love You.
Take away from me fear, anxiety and distress.
Help me to face and endure my difficulty with faith, courage and wisdom.
Grant that this trial may bring me closer to You for You are my rock and refuge,
my comfort and hope, my delight and joy. I trust in Your love and compassion.
Blessed is Your name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Amen.
Benediction
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’
1
Wade, thank you for this teaching on the Book of Habakkuk. I look forward to all 7 weeks to help me better understand it’s message.
I noticed that 3 separate times during your sermon, you specifically mentioned “ladies” and wondered why. No doubt, you had something or a specific reason for that and I don’t need to know it, but did notice.
I also had some difficulty understanding “grace” in the context of your message. You said:
“His (Habakkuk’s) life is falling apart and he doesn’t know where to turn. Religious people all around him weren’t living the “grace” that had embraced him.”
Then around 29:0 you said,
If the Good News of Christ is Good News of “grace” and we are a people who believe in “grace”; we teach “grace”, we must live it. No matter how dark it seems in someone else’s life, we’re gonna be Habakkuk to them.
My question is (if you happen to read this) is….what is “grace?” I have heard that it’s unmerited favor from God, but in the context of your admonishment that we must live it, I’m confused as to it’s meaning.
Again, as always, I so appreciate EChurch so thanks Deb and Wade for this special weekly post.
Victorious,
Thank you for the comment about “ladies.” I was told once that my teaching registers with men more than women, and it is possible that speciifically mentioning ladies is a subconscious way to compensate. It’s a bad habit, unintentional, and one that I wish to change. Please call me out if you hear me do it again..
Thanks for your kind words.
Thank you so much for this post. My heart needed it.
Thank you for that message.
‘In Christ Alone’ – magnificent song and lyrics.