Elder Tom Nussbaum prayed this prayer in our morning services last Sunday. May it frame your morning today.

Dear Father, we come before you acknowledging that you are the creator and sustainer of the universe;

The shepherd of the stars . . . over 100 billion in the Milky Way alone

The master accountant knowing the unique 23 DNA-paired chromosomes of each cell of the 37 trillion cells in each individual.

Oh, what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:4)

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8)

You are holy, Father. We are common, profane.

You are perfect, Father. We are broken, flawed, corrupt.

Your heart is pure. Ours are desperately wicked, diseased.

We long to be like David, a man after your own heart who fulfills your will . . .

that our hearts beat together in concert with your heart

But we have not, we have sinned.

We are out of divine rhythm.

The spiritual arrhythmia of our hearts are due to our selfish desire to control our lives, to be god of our lives.

This morning, Father, we let go of the self-controlled steering wheel to direct our own beat: we are tired, afraid, chained.

We now submit and let the Master Physician do the work on hearts.

We now enter the holy surgery room and confess our sins to you.

Thank you, Jesus, for you alone can forgive sins.

Because of the risen and living Jesus, may we hear the heartbeat of the Master: clear, strong, purposed.

Father through the mystery of the Holy Spirit we ask that you knit our individual hearts together as a body,

That our church may beat as one unified heart together,

Calling hearts in unison for our grieving, broken, anxious and alone,

Missional hearts as we lift up to you our missionaries,

Anticipating hearts as we pray for your continued work in lives of our sisters now on women's retreat,

Giving hearts in chorus that proclaim a gracious and bountiful God,

Determined hearts that will not waver to teach, admonish our children to fear and to know the Lord and your Word,

Brave, bold and burdened hearts to proclaim to our loved ones, neighbors, coworkers that Jesus alone saves.

Glory to you, Father, that your heartbeat will never end.

Glory to you, Jesus, that your heart is not willing that anyone should ever perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Glory to you, Spirit, who has given us a new heart and puts your Spirit within us, transplanting a heart of stone to a heart of flesh.

Lord, continue to fuse our hearts together as we pray the divine cadence

Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. . .