Lord, You Know Me
Description
Here are a variety of different worship resources inspired by Psalm 139.
Scripture
Psalm 139Prayers
Opening Prayer (based on Psalm 139)
All-knowing God,
We gather together with praise and thanksgiving
for who You are,
and for all that You have done for us.
You know us better than we know ourselves—
all our thoughts and actions—
and yet You love us.
No matter where we go or what we do,
Your love encircles us—ahead and behind—
gently leading and guiding and blessing.
We praise You for Your love
and Your faithful presence in our lives.
May Your Spirit move in our hearts and minds as we worship together:
examine our attitudes and actions,
lay bare the things we need to confess,
challenge us with Your Word,
and guide us on to paths that lead to life.
For we are Your people, called by Your name.
Amen.
~ Christine Longhurst, based on Psalm 139
Prayer of Intercession
Time of silence
O Lord our God, as we sit in quietness our thoughts are far from quiet.
We are wrestling with doubts and fears,
We are looking for answers,
We are hoping against hope
We are seeking strength
We are hungry.
For warm sunshine
For healed bodies
For rest from tears.
Your word says the hungry will be filled.
And we ask today for you to fill us.
Fill us with the breath of life,
Fill us with thankful hearts
Fill us with calmness, courage and most of all, with the knowledge of your presence.
(prayers for individuals)
There are others we know and love who are ill
and we ask O God that you would surround them
with your strong healing presence.
Grant wisdom to those who need answers to difficult questions.
Grant hope to those who despair
and friendship to those who feel lonely.
Most of all O Lord God, may we know your love,
your great love with you have for each one.
You know the hairs on our head, you count each beat of our heart.
You knit us together when we were being formed,
you know our getting up and our lying down.
You are familiar with all our ways.
There is no place we can hide from you.
You were there at our beginning
and you will be with us through to the end.
May we not lose sight of your constant care.
We look to you O God to be present in our communities and in our world.
Continue to show us how we at (name of local congregation)
can be part of your work in the world.
Teach us how we can grow into faith,
and become more and more like Jesus.
We also ask O Lord that you would bless the work of our hands.
Bless all that we offer today –
not only what we give of our money,
but the offerings of our time and our talents.
And now we gather all our prayers together,
the spoken and the unspoken
and pray the prayer that you taught us…our Father…
~ excerpted from a longer prayer by Lois Siemens Posted on the website of the Superb Mennonite Church.
http://www.superbmennonite.org/
Prayer of Confession
Search us, O God, and know our hearts.
Test us and know our anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in us that offends You,
and guide us on the road to life. (Ps. 139:23-24)
(Time of silence, or appropriate song)
O Lord, You have examined our hearts
and know everything about us.
You know when we sit down or stand up.
You know our thoughts from afar.
You see when we walk or lie down,
You know every detail of our conduct.
You even know what we are going to say before we say it.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for us,
too great for us to understand. (Ps. 139:1-3, 6)
Cleanse us from hidden faults.
Keep us from deliberate sins.
Don’t let them control us.
Then we will be free of guilt,
and innocent of serious wrong-doing. (Ps. 19:12-14)
Listen to the promise of God:
Those who love Me, I will deliver.
I will protect those who know My name.
When they call to Me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue them and honor them,
and show them my saving power. (Ps. 91:14-15)
Lord, we trust in Your unfailing love!
We rejoice, because You have rescued us!
Sing praise to God,
because He has been so good to us! (Ps. 13:5-6)
~ Christine Longhurst, based on the Psalms
Spoken Resources
Call to Worship
We’ve come to worship God,
who loved us before we were yet born,
who knows us even better than we know ourselves,
whose presence never leaves us,
and whose love for us never ceases.
This is our God.
Let’s worship together!
~ Christine Longhurst, based on Psalm 139
Benediction
As we leave this place, let’s not forget:
There is no where we can go where God is not.
Everywhere we go, God goes before us.
From the farthest ocean to the highest mountain,
from the heights of joy to the depths of despair—
wherever we find ourselves, God is already there.
So go in peace,
for we do not go alone.
~ Christine Longhurst, based on Psalm 139
Songs
Traditional Hymn: Day by Day
Worship Together #594
Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counselor and Power.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,“
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.
~ Carolina Sandell Berg; translated by Andrew L. Skoog
Contemporary Hymn: O Lord, My God, You Know All My Ways
Worship Together #590
O Lord, my God, you know all my ways,
when I sleep and I rise, when I sit or stand;
and before any word is upon my tongue
you discern it as though I had spoken it.
Where can I go to be far from you?
In the deepest of caves, in the heights of heaven?
If I rise up and fly on the wings of dawn,
still your right hand will guide me and hold me fast.
O Lord, my God, you created me,
in a wonderful way you have fashioned me.
Test my spirit and see what is in my heart;
lead me on in the way to eternal life.
~ Paul Wigmore, based on Psalm 139. Words copyright © 1992 by Hope Publishing Company. If you use this song in worship, be sure to report it on your CCLI license.
Contemporary Song: God of Our Yesterdays
When we were in the darkest night
And wondered if our eyes would ever see the light
You were there Lord
When we were in the stormy gale
And wondered if we'd ever live in peace again
You were there Lord
You were there in the struggle
You were there in the fight
You were there all the time
We praise You the God of our yesterdays
We praise You the God who is here today
We praise You our God
As tomorrow comes
So whatever lies ahead
Whatever roads our grateful hearts
Will come to tread You'll be there Lord
And we will fix our eyes on You
And know that there is grace enough
To see us through You'll be there Lord
You'll be there in the struggle
You'll be there in the fight
You'll be there all the time
We thank You for grace in our yesterdays
We thank You for peace in our hearts today
We thank You our joy
As tomorrow comes we will trust You God
You're always closer than we know
Always more involved and in control
We will trust our lives to You
The One who was and is and is to come
~ Matt Redman. Copyright © 2008 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing). CCLI Song #.5120372. If you use this song in worship, be sure to report it on your CCLI license.
Listen to it here: http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=979903
Contemporary Song: Your Hand Upon Me
O Lord You have searched me
And You know my ways
You perceive all my thoughts from afar
Your hand is upon me wherever I go
Before I form each word
You already know
If I rise on the wings of the dawn You are there
If I rest on the far side of the sea
Your love hems me in both behind and before
You have laid Your hand upon me
You have laid Your hand upon me
Where can I flee from Your presence, O Lord
If I sleep in the depths You are there
Your day will consume all the shadows of night
The dark cannot hide
From Your brilliant light
~ Eric Grover. Copyright © 2001 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)
Listen to it here: http://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/track/your-hand-upon-me
Notes
This worship resource was created/compiled by Christine Longhurst. You are welcome to use it free of charge, and where appropriate, please note the source. If you are printing any of the resources for distribution, please print the source as well. The content of the worship resource does not necessarily represent the views of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, which oversees the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies. For more worship resources by Christine Longhurst, see http://www.re-worship.blogspot.ca or http://www.faithmatters.ca.