God, you know the secrets of all hearts.

Favor us with your presence, O God.

Display your power by a general outpouring of the spirit.

May sinners cry for mercy, while others shout for joy.

May we be faithful stewards of the manifold gifts of God

    and never be ashamed to confess what the Lord has done for us.

May we never lose the witness out of the heart

    by withholding our testimony from our friends and neighbors 

    of your power to save.

May we not just run well for a season,

    and yield to the temptation of the tempter’s whisper

    saying “not now” 

    and by and by the soul becomes barren and unfruitful.

May we “watch” and tell around what a dear Savior we have found.

 

Jarena Lee, 1783-1864, African American minister

 

______________________

 

 

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. 

It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes

    —the Jew first and also the Gentile. 

This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. 

This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. 

As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”