Good evening, everybody. We'll take a moment to get situated as people are coming in. If you would take a moment to pray, prepare your hearts for this evening's praise and prayer. In just a few seconds, I'll pray for us to begin our evening. Please take a moment to prepare your hearts.

Let me take a moment to pray for us, our God. It is to our absolute blessing and great joy to be able to come together and worship and praise you. Lord, we recognize that our worship given unto you is something, Lord, you have commanded. And so we give and lift up to you.

But also, Lord, our worship to you is something that God continues to feed our soul because it is done in faith. And I pray, Lord, that our faith would continue to grow in both knowledge and truth, and Lord God in the spirit. I pray, Father, that this evening, as we lift up to you our services, Lord, may you be honored.

God, as we lift up to you our meditation and thoughts, Lord, help us to truly consider you. And God, in all things, Lord, we pray that you would be truly pleased. Lord, we pray, God, that in our time of communing with you, God, lifting up our requests, supplications, Lord, God, in all these things, Lord, we would experience your mercy, knowing, God, that although you are mighty and high, Lord, you hear our prayers.

Father, we want to thank you this evening. It's in Christ's name. Amen. This evening, we're going to be having an intermix of worship songs and prayers. And I'll be guiding us through some topics. But as you have thoughts in your mind and as you're convicted, pray with various topics that is on your heart.

We're going to begin with songs that focus on the greatness of God. So would you please rise with me as we sing the first two songs. Who makes the power within a darkness? Who's love and might is so much stronger? The King of glory, the King of our hearts.

Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder? Who leaves no breathless in awe and wonder? The King of glory, the King of our hearts. This is amazing grace. This is unfailing love that you would take my soul, that you would bear my cross. You laid down your life that I would be set free.

You're up to the sussing for all that you've done for me. Who brings our chaos back into order? Who makes the order, a son and daughter? The King of glory, the King of glory. Who rules the nation with truth and just grace? Shine like the sun and all of its fairness.

The King of glory, the King of our hearts. This is amazing grace. This is unfailing love that you would take my soul, that you would bear my cross. You laid down your life that I would be set free. You're up to the sussing for all that you've done for me.

It's important. It's important. It's important. He's the King to conquer the grave the Lord is the Lamb who was slain He's the King to conquer the grave the Lord is the Lamb who was slain Worthy is the King to conquer the grave worthy is the Lamb who was laid Worthy, worthy, worthy oh this is amazing grace This is a failing life That You would take my place That You would bear my cross You laid down Your life That I would be set free Oh, Jesus I sing for all that You've done for me Oh, Jesus I sing for all that You've done for me We're going to continue singing these songs and we want to begin with just thinking about the greatness of our God, lifting Him up for His power, His strength and more.

You are God alone You are God alone Before time began You were on your bed You are God alone Right now Because I stand out You are on the floor You are God alone (Guitar solo) You are not a God created by You You are not a God created anymore of You You are not a God in me Anything we can do by Your love You are God alone Before time began You were on the floor You are God alone Right now Before time came down You are on the floor You are God alone (Guitar solo) You're the only God who's power is nothing but a touch You're the only God who's been living You're the only God who's been living You are God that's just the way it is You are God alone But before time began You were on your throne You were God alone Right now Before time came down You are on your throne You are God alone You're unchangeable You're unchangeable You're unshakable Unstoppable That's what you are You're unchangeable You're unshakable And unstoppable That's what you are You are God alone But before time began You were on your throne You are God alone Right now In the good times and bad You are on your throne You are God alone Amen.

You may all be seated. At this time I want to encourage you with just a word that many of the scriptures when it's expressing prayer and supplication it begins with first acknowledging God. Amen. We recognize God for who He is and we sing and we pray in response to that character.

I want to read to you a Bible passage from Psalm chapter 66 and it reads like this. Shout joyfully to God all the earth. Sing the glory of His name. Make His praise glorious. Say to God how awesome are your works because of the greatness of your power. Your enemies will give faint obedience to you but all the earth will worship you and will sing praises to you.

They will sing praises to your name. So as we begin if you would take time now thinking about God's greatness. Say a lot of prayers that begins not with please give me but begins with you are this. Thank you and praise you. I bless you because you're mighty. You've been powerful.

You've been faithful and more. So let's take time to meditate and think about God's greatness, His glory and majesty and we're going to give you some time to do that now. Let's pray. Please join me as I lift up a prayer for that. Heavenly Father, we know Lord, that God, you say in your scripture, you are searching for those who would worship you in spirit and in truth.

That is what you are looking for. That's what you're pleased by. And so I pray, Father God, many of us, we try to do private quiet time and devotion. Help us to worship in that environment. Help us, Father God, never to bow our heads before you and then come out of it thinking, "I got nothing out of that." But rather, help us to give to you our hearts, render to you all of our affection and more.

And I pray that, God, you would grant to us consistency. You know, many of us try to do, Lord, times with our families to give service to you. And, Lord, sometimes we get busy, sometimes it becomes inconsistent. But if there's disappointment about anything, help us, Father God, to be disappointed at that.

Rather than our homes not being cleaned or whatever it may be. And likewise for our church, I pray, Father God, if they're worried about not doing anything well, it would be about worship. God, that our hearts would be joined together to lift you up. And that the content of our mind would be such wonder of who you are.

That our heart would be filled with such awe, Lord God, at the greatness of the God that we worship. And so I pray, Lord, just the entire tenor, the entire environment of our worship services on Sunday. I pray, Father God, that we would not be forgetful or dry. But rather, Lord, I pray that we'd be filled with passion for you.

We thank you, Lord. It's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. The sun cannot compare to the glory of your love. There is no shadow in your presence. No mortal man would dare to stand before your throne. Before the Holy One of Heaven. It's only by your blood and it's only through your mercy, Lord, I come.

I bring an offering of worship to my King. No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing. Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due. And oh Lord, I bring an offering to you. The sun cannot compare to the glory of your love. There is no shadow in your presence.

No mortal man would dare to stand before your throne. Before the Holy One of Heaven. It's only by your blood and it's only through your mercy, Lord, I come. I bring an offering of worship to my King. No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing. Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due.

Oh Lord, I bring an offering to you. Oh Lord, I bring an offering to you. Oh Lord, I bring an offering to you. Oh Lord, I bring an offering to you. Oh Lord, I bring an offering to you. Oh Lord, I bring an offering to you. Oh Lord, I bring an offering to you.

Oh Lord, I bring an offering to you. Oh Lord, I bring an offering to you. Stand up in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene. And wonder how he could love me. A sinner condemned unclean. How marvelous, how wonderful that my song shall ever be. How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me.

He took my sins, He took my sins and my sorrows. He made them His very own. He bore the burden to Calvary and suffered and died alone. How marvelous, how wonderful that my song shall ever be. How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me. When with the ransomed in glory His face I at last shall see.

It will be my joy through the ages to sing up in love for me. How marvelous, how wonderful that my song shall ever be. How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me. How marvelous, how wonderful that my song shall ever be. How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me.

Amen. At this time, if we can continue to as we pray, there are times when we need to really think about the nature of our relationship with God. I know as we have been praying we are probably already thinking about how we have been worshiping and responding. But I do think that in our day we have a hard time being genuinely expressive and saying the things that make us feel awkward.

Right. What I mean by that is there are certain things like, I miss you. There are things we just don't say sometimes. But some of us have struggled where we spent a week or two weeks or three weeks sometimes feeling far from God. And at that time in that moment you are able to say, I miss you so much.

Because feeling far from you is the pits. Right. So I want to ask that you pray in this way. Psalm 18... In terms of the way you pray, you can pray in silence. If you would like to, you can stand up and raise your hands. Because many saints before us that's how they prayed every time.

Standing in silence before the Lord and standing in reverence. What's more if you want to vocalize your prayer, I know there is people all around you but you can. Why? Because this is a time to express your affection to God. And we need you in our prayer time now.

(Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Praying in silence) (Music) I will offer up my life in spirit and truth Pouring out the oil of love as my worship to you In surrender I must give my every part Lord, receive the sacrifice of a broken heart Jesus, what can I give?

What can I bring? To so faithful a friend, to so loving a King Savior, what can be said? What can be sung? As the praise of your name for the things you have done Oh, my words could not tell, not even impart Of the debt of love that is owed by this thankful heart (Music) You deserve my every breath for you've paid the great cost Giving up your life to death, even death on a cross You took all my shame away, there defeating my sins Open up the gates of hell and have mercy on me Jesus, what can I give?

What can I bring? To so faithful a friend, to so loving a King Savior, what can be said? What can be sung? As the praise of your name for the things you have done Oh, my words could not tell, not even impart Of the debt of love that is owed by this thankful heart Sing Jesus, what can I give?

Jesus, what can I give? What can I bring? To so faithful a friend, to so loving a King Savior, what can be said? What can be sung? As the praise of your name for the things you have done Oh, my words could not tell, not even impart Of the debt of love that is owed by this thankful heart (Guitar playing) Let's continue to sing about our surrender to God in everything and every aspect of our lives.

(Guitar playing) I'm giving you my heart and all that is within I lay it all down for the sake of you, my King I'm giving you my dreams, laying down my rights I'm giving up my pride for the promise of your love And I surrender all to you, all to you And I surrender all to you, all to you I'm giving you this song, waiting at the cross And all the world holds dear, I count it all as love For the sake of knowing you, the glory of your name To know the lasting joy in sharing in your pain And I surrender all to you, all to you And I surrender all to you, all to you One last time And I surrender all to you, all to you And I surrender all to you, all to you (Guitar playing) Heavenly Father, we do want to pray, God, that even the surrender of the things that we're attached to, we need spiritual strength.

And so we pray, Father God, that your spirit would use the sharpness of your word to convict us, to make sure, Father God, the ministry of your truth is producing in us the sanctification that we need. So Lord, we lift that up to you in Christ's name. Amen. As a final thought for us to continue to pray for, is throughout the Sunday sermons, Pastor Peter has been preaching heavily about being of faith.

And it has radically, radically just made me think about ways in which I'm not thinking of the eternal. Ways in which I'm not thinking of the sound, thinking of the things that are heavenly, but rather that my thoughts still are circulating around the things that could be shaken. And what I'm specifically talking about then, we have to pray and be about our agenda, should be the salvation of the lost.

It should be that we are dedicated to this cause. We're going to adorn the gospel. We're going to make the light shine on the path to salvation and to the eternal state. And so let's pray and lift up that God would use our church, all the faith that we exercise, not just simply to have a nice community, which is a byproduct and fruit, but that we would be about preaching the message.

And let's pray that the specific people God has ordained to be in our lives, even the people that you feel like are just kind of there, churched around the place, that you lift them up by name. Even the people that you think are hardened. Even the people that you think you've already tried, lift them up.

And especially I know times like this when we come together corporately should be the time we're lifting up our loved ones, our parents, brothers and sisters, people who don't know Christ yet. So let's take time now to beseech the Lord, ask his spirit to work. Let's pray. (Piano playing) (Piano playing) (Piano playing) Would you all please take a moment to stand with us.

This will be the last song for the evening.