Prayer for Christmas 1C

Holy one,

We thank you for coming into our world as a baby brining your love, and your joy into the world.
It seems like just a short time ago we were celebrating his birth
and now we are taking a peek into the New Year.
We have no idea what the New Year is to bring;
and at the same time some of us are setting goals and making resolutions.
Lord, we pray for a good year for all, we pray that we all may grow in your wisdom.
We pray that all grow in your grace with you and with each other.
Lord our world could use more people who are wise and have grace with you.

But often Lord we don’t know how to grow in wisdom and in grace with you
so we pray you would clothe us in your wisdom;
         with your love which brings perfect harmony to the disorder of our lives.
         with your compassion that brings calmness and soothes the anger in us.
         with your kindness that is a balm to our pain.
         with your humility that allows the ire of pride to settle down to join
         and collaborate with others.
        with your meekness that stops the wars and bleeding.
        with your patience that keeps us from impulsively giving into our urges.
       with the ability to bear with one another instead of turning our backs on each other.
       with your forgiveness that we can forgive others as you forgive us.
       in your peace so that we could live in peace with one another.
       in gratitude that we would praise you and thank you with grateful heart.

Lord,
We pray for comfort those who have had deaths during this season
or facing painful and sad memories and anniversaries of loved ones.
We pray for healing for those who are ill, struggling with failing health, and whose loved ones are sick.
We pray for restoration for those who have been affected by tornados, hurricanes
and other forms of natural disaster.
We pray that violence would end and that your peace, love and joy may reign.
Amen


cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Advent 4C

Shepherd God,

You promised to take care of and feed your flock.

If ever there was a time we needed a Shepherd God it is now.

We need your strength as we feel so weakened by the tragic events of last Friday, by funerals for young children, teachers and a young man.

We are all looking for answers to why and how to stop this from ever happening again. And frankly we don’t know what to do. If we are to believe the media, someone is to blame or something.

Yet as your believers and followers you have taught us not to blame but to forgive and so God help us to forgive.

Lord this tragedy also reminds us to pray for those who have metal illnesses and to not turn our back on them but to assure them proper care and medical treatment.

Lord we are reminded through our scripture today that you did not look down on a young woman long ago who was pregnant out of wedlock but favored her and blessed her.

And you did not shame nor shun and older woman who had been barren for so long, but blessed her and filled her with your joy.

And you have not stopped loving the unloved, favoring the unfavorable, looking for lost, seeing the hidden ones, lifting up the lowly, embracing the poor and fed the hungry and neither should we.

It is through your great mercy that you have done this and it is your mercy that empowers us to give not just at Christmas time but every day.

Lord there are many who need restoring in their bodies, minds and emotions.

There are many who need healing physically, mentally emotionally and spiritually.

There are many homes, marriages, families and children that need to be made whole.

There are countries that are broken and at odds with their own people, that need to be made right.

Lord if there ever was a time when we need a Shepherd God it is now.

Come Lord Jesus come.

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Advent 3C and Newton, Conn.

Lord,

Today we lit the Advent candle of joy reminding us of the joy that the Christ child brought into this world.

And yet today Lord, it is difficult to feel any joy with death of 20 children and 7 adults just days ago in Newton, Connecticut.

We are stunned, silenced, saddened and angered that this tragedy could happen.

We think of our children and want to protect them, keep them safe and draw them close to us.

And we grieve for those who hearts are broken by empty hands, empty beds, and empty spaces in their lives.

We pray for the children and teachers who survived that they may heal from their traumatic memories, fears, grief and loss.

We pray for the First Responders and Policemen that their hearts and minds be healed also.

We pray for the parents, counselors, pastors who will help the children and teachers who survived that they will be good listeners and able to help in the healing process.

We pray for our country where it seems like violence has become too commonplace.

We pray for our world where often children are the ones who suffer most when there is war, hunger, poverty.

We pray for ourselves Lord that you would heal our broken hearts and help us to be healing agents in this broken world.

We pray for the day your son does come again bringing joy for everyone.

Come Lord Jesus come……..

 

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Advent 2C

Oh God,

You invite us to take off the attire of pain and sorrow in our lives and to put on new clothes of hope and joy.

You dress us in your beauty and your glory.

You give us all this through the arrival of your son Jesus.

You give us new garments of mercy and justice.

Oh Lord, we all need these in our lives.

And we are reminded as we put on our new clothes that

There are many in this world that just need a good pair of shoes, a coat to keep them warm and outfits for their everyday wear.  

Lord, we are reminded that it is you we clothe when we clothe the needy.

 

Lord,

You have blessed us with your favor

By saving us, cleansing and refining us through your love.

You raised up your son to be the savior for the world and to show your mercy to all.

And Lord we all need your mercy and love.

And it reminds us that there are many in this world who have not been shown love and don’t know how to give love to others.

And yet that is what you son came to do was to show your love to all.

 

Lord,

You have given us a light in our world a light brighter than any Christmas tree light that is a beacon for all.

It fills our darkness, It guides and leads us

Along the rocky paths of life, through tense and troubled times to bring us to a time of peace.

And Lord we know that in many places in our world there is no peace and what little peace there seems to be is fragile.

There are homes where peace has no meaning.

There are friends of ours and sometimes ourselves who search for that peace within that only you can give.

Lord, your sent your son to be the Prince of Peace to bring a peace that the world cannot give.

Come Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace come.

Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Advent 1C

God of our future, our present and our past,

Your son told us that he would come again and so we wait.

But God we are most impatient because we live in time of instant gratification.

We are like a child who wants what we want and we want it now.

And so God we have a hard time waiting for his promised return.

And yet we wait not knowing when, uncertain of the day and time.

 

Lord we live in perilous times when it would a good time for your son’s return.

We are waiting for the government to work together to fix things

before we fall off this fiscal cliff we as a nation are facing.

We are waiting for this recession to end so people will be working again; will once again be able to afford adequate housing, food to feed themselves and their children,  and other necessities of life.

We keep waiting for this long war in Afghanistan to be over

because we have lost so many of our young people over there.

We wait for there to be a cure for cancer, aids, m.s.,

and all the other chronic and life threatening diseases.

 

Lord we celebrate your first coming into the world having hope that you will come again.

In the meantime Lord, we pray for one another and our needs.

We give thanks for one another and for the blessings you send our way.

We try to show the world your love through our service, our action and our words.

We care for one another and those who have no one to care for them.

Lord we await your return with anticipation, of your promise fulfilled.

And in the meantime we look for your presence in our lives every day;

As you keep showing us glimpses of your kingdom.  Amen

 

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Christ the King Sunday Prayer

O Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come,

We live in a world that is constantly in change and flux.

It is hard for us to go through all of life’s many changes.

We look for someone who is constant, for something that is secure.

It is comforting that you are that one sure thing.

And so we put our trust in you to guide us and to walk beside us.

For some the changes in our neighborhoods and cities are cause for distress.

Some hate the aging process for what it does to our bodies and minds.

Some struggle with work related layoffs, job losses, higher demand on the ones left working.

Some are lost with divorces, losses, breakdown in communications in their relationships.

Some such as those in the Mideast are in shock over the civil unrest, terrorism, wars.

And we have all be effected by climate change whether its drought, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires.

In all this we look to you for our rock, our place we can go to for sanctuary and peace.

And in your love and grace we find that which we look for the peace we need.

Oh Lord God, you are the one who is and who was and who is to come.

In you we put our faith in trust to hear and answer our prayers and the cry of the needy.

Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Reformation Sunday

God you are our safe place to hide.

You are our mighty fortress.

You are our ever present help in time of need.

We can and do turn to you in the midst of our troubles.

And Lord our world is full of difficulties.

Lord we may feel afraid, but it does not overcome us

Because we know we can put our trust in you.

 

Your love and grace are like streams of water in the desert.

Your joy comes splashing down upon us.

Your refresh and renew us like rain coming down on the earth.

Bring your water of life to those who are thirsty

 and living in a dry and weary land.

 

Where there are wars, bring your peace.

Where there is starvation, fill the empty bellies.

Where there is despair, bring your hope.

Where there is animosity, bring your reconciliation.

Where there is abuse, bring your tender mercies,

Where there is poverty, bring your charity.

Where there is illness, bring your healing.

Where there is grief, bring your gentleness.

Where there is injustice, bring your justice.

 

Lord you are mighty fortress, our strong deliverer.

In you we put our trust and release ourselves into your hands.

Amen.

 

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Proper 24B/Ordinary 29B/Pentecost 21

Creator God,

We praise you,
We love,
We thank you.
When we look at all you have created it catches our breath
And we find ourselves in awe of you.
We find ourselves wondering how can such a God care about each one of us?
And yet you do.
And because you care for all of your creation including each one of us, we can bring to you our needs, our cares, our hurts, our frustrations, our joys, our hopes, our dreams and our celebrations.
Caring God,
We bring before you those in our midst who are suffering, praying for your loving presence, knowing that you too know what it is like to suffer.
We pray for those who are grieving for your comfort as you know what is like to grieve.
We pray for those who are worried because they have no work, no food, no shelter, Relieve their fears as they find work, have shelter, and have food to eat.
Loving God,
You sent your son Jesus to be servant of all and to set free many people.
You also call us to be servants.
Lord, it is not easy to serve in a world that values power, being number one and winning at any cost.
You have set the model for us to live as servants through your son,
Encourage us, teach us, and inspire us to lives of service for you.
Set those free from the chains that bind them by the power of your love.
Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Proper 23B/Ordinary 28B/Pentecost 20

Merciful Lord,


You are so gracious to us

And we thank you for that.

Strengthen us as we live

Out our lives as your disciples.

Empower this your church to

Embody your love in our

witness and in our missions.

Build up your compassion in us

For those we know in need

and those we do not know in need.

Hear and answer the cry of the needy, Lord

And do not turn away from them.

Lead and guide those who govern the nations

With wisdom and justice.

Help us to heed your call to help the needy,

Those who are ill, in distress and grief.

In your mercy and love

Hear our prayers.


crossposted at revgalblogpals

World Communion 2012

Lord as we gather around this wonderful meal everywhere

And in every place; bless us all your children.

As we eat this bread and drink this cup linking arms around the world,

pour your grace into us all.

Grace us with your presence as we quietly and loudly pray to you.

May we see in each other your light, your love and you.

May it not matter our differences, our names, our languages,

our looks, and our way of doing things.

May what matter today and everyday be that we are one in you.

 

And as we pray many we call to mind our brothers and sisters

who are unable to be with us today whether in body or spirit.

May you bring comfort to those who are grieving, lonely,

 heartbroken, ill or broken of spirit.

May you strengthen those whose lives feel shattered,

don’t make sense, in crisis, and experiencing  loss.

May you say the healing word to those who need it.

May you bring the human touch of love to those who have not been touched.

May you love the unloved through us.

May you shine your light into those whose world is covered in darkness.

May you use us your children to feed the hungry, clothe the ones who need clothes,

give a cup of water to those who are thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and those in prison.

May lives be awakened to you Lord, to your love, and to your kingdom whose door is always open to all.

 

 

artwork from Presbyterian Church(USA) World Communion resources

Prayer for Sunday Proper 15B/Ordinary 20B/Pentecost 12

Oh God of wisdom,

As our children are headed back to school and college to learn anew, help us pass on to them the wisdom that has been given down to us from the generations before us.

Help our children as they learn their daily lessons to listen and learn.

Help their teachers have the patience and knowledge to teach well.

Help them as they learn life’s lessons of dealing with other people around them.

Help us as we guide them through those lessons.

We ask for your wisdom to discern your ways and path for our own lives.

We ask for your wisdom to discern how to deal with others we meet , live with, work with, shop with, drive our roads, with, wait in line with, eat with and be with daily.

We ask for your wisdom in the difficult situations we may have to deal with as we go through life.

We ask for your wisdom when voting in the upcoming elections.

We ask for your wisdom in dealing with injustices in our world.

We ask for wisdom for our leaders in our world, our countries, our states, and our communities.

We ask for wisdom for our church leaders worldwide and local .

We ask for wisdom for our Pastors as they preach your word, inspire, lead and grow us as disciples.

We ask for your wisdom as we reach out to those in need in our communities and in our world.

We ask for wisdom as we minister to those who are homebound and in nursing homes.

We ask for your wisdom as we minister to those in hospitals, in recovery and rehab.

We ask for your wisdom that not only enlightens us but transforms us and guides us in our daily walk with you.

Amen

 cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Proper 14B/Ordinary 19B/Pentecost 11

God,

You sent your son to be bread for the world.

To feed the hungry.

Feed their minds with your word.

Feed their hearts with your love.

Feed their souls with everlasting life.

Lord,

We too are hungry today for the bread of life that your son is.

There are so many hungry people  in the world, in our very own communities,

 that it is overwhelming to even think about it.

It is especially painful for us when we realize that it is mainly the children being affected.

But Lord what can one person do?

Teach us how to bring the bread of life to the physically hungry in this world.

Our minds are hungry for your word. There are so many words being said, written and spoken, that sometimes it seems our brains circuitry is overloaded with all the words. So Lord teach us how to quieten ourselves to be fed by your word.

Our hearts are hungry for your love, your grace, your joy, your peace.  Hearts are broken. Hearts are heavy . Hearts have had heartattacks. Hearts are lonely. Hearts are anxious.

Lord heal our hearts and teach us how to feed the bread of life to others in need.

Lord our souls long for everlasting life.

Our souls long to partake of the bread of life. Others in the world are hungry for your everlasting life.

Lord may we pass the bread of life onto those whose souls need feeling.

cross posted at revgalblogpals.

Prayer for Proper 13B/Ordinary 18B/Pentecost 10

Lord,

We are hungry for something greater than ourselves.

Rain down your bread for us.

We seek to care about those who are starving.

Rain down your bread for them.

The children in all parts of the world who live with much less to eat than you and I.

Rain down your bread for them.

Lord, there are those of us who hunger for the comfort you give.

Pour your comfort on  us.

There are being who don’t know what your comfort and care look like.

Pour your comfort on them.

There are those who need your comfort in the midst of their sorrow.

Pour your comfort down on them.

There are those who are seeking to know you in their lives.

Use us as your hands and feet to go tell the good news.

There are those who live in hopelessness and despair

Use us as your hands and feet to bring the good news of the hope your offer.

There are those living lonely isolated lives.

Use us to be your hands and feet to bring the good news.

Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Proper 12B/Ordinary 17B/Pentecost 9

Loving god,

We praise you.

We thank you.

We humble ourselves before you.

We take time now not only to pray but also to listen Lord,

We pray for your compassion on those who are sick and dying.

We pray you show your love to those who are lonely or feeling unloved.

We pray you show your grace to those who are stressed at work,

 those who are jobless and searching for work and Those who are retired.

We ask you show us your hope who find themselves in the midst of despair and hopelessness.

We ask that you show your peace to those who live in turmoil and unrest.

Oh Lord your whole world is hurting

And your people are hurting.

We pray for wisdom for our leaders.

We pray for families affected by the recent mass shootings.

We pray for the families of the victims of child abuse.

We pray for the families affected by alcohol or drugs.

Strengthen, guide them give them grace.

Lord, call us into Christian action to be your hands and feet to your people in this hurting world.

Empower and equip us to make real your love and grace to those in need.

cross posted at revgalblogpals 

Prayer for Sunday Proper 10B/Ordinary 15B/Pentecost 7

Lord, its all yours; this earth, this universe,
All of us. We are all yours.
And we praise your name for the beauty of it all.

We come seeking a deeper relationships with you God.

We come wanting to know you better, and
Wanting to know you better.
And so we come to worship,
come to listen and come to pray.

We ask that you hear our prayers;

Hear the cry of the needy,
fill their hearts with your love.
Hear the cry of the hungry,
Fill their bellies with food.
Hear the cry of the lonely,
Fill their lives with friendships.
Hear the cry of those who are grieving,
Fill their souls with your presence.

Lord, we would love to dance like David

Before you, but some of us are handicapped,
Some are stiffened by arthritis,
 weakened by neurological or muscular diseases,
some of us are tired from our work, and
some of us are burdened down with problems and stress.
Lord we pray for that day when we not only get to feast at your heavenly banquet,
But also for the day when we get to dance like David.

Amen

Prayer for Proper 9B/Ordinary 14B/Pentecost 6

Lord,

We lift up our eyes and our hearts.

We pray to be filled with your tender mercies,

We come to you in faith,

Asking for your steadfast love

To touch our inner most parts,

Lord we pray for your church, your denominations

especially those who have met and are meeting.

We pray for your churches that are being martyred in other countries,

especially those in Kenya.

We pray for those suffering from fires in Colorado,

the oppressive heat,  those enduring the loss of electricity and .

those who have experienced flooding.

We pray for healing for our sisters and brothers

and for our world that needs healing.

We pray for strength for those who are caring for elderly parents,

and those who are sandwiched between parents and children.

We remember our members who are homebound whether temporarily or long-term.

We remember those who are in nursing homes.

We pray for comfort and presence for those who are grieving.

Let us as your children reach out in love and care to these in need.

Lord, we thank you for all you have done and are doing in our lives, our churches and our world.

Help us to be ever mindful to hear and see you at work in our world.

Lord help us to remember that your grace is always abundantly available for us

no matter what we are going through.

Amen

Prayer for Proper 8B/Ordinary 13B/Pentecost 5

God of freedom,

As we celebrate the freedoms of our countries,

May we not forget the many who sacrificed to make that possible.

And may we not forget that there are many living in places where freedom is lacking, so

We pray for justice and liberation for them.

We are also grateful for the freedom you give us in Jesus.

We are aware that many do not know that freedom

so we pray that we are not afraid to tell others of your wonderful freedom for all.

Come, O gracious God, who led your children Israel from slavery,

keep us free from all that might hold us in bondage.

We pray for all those who are vulnerable and in need,

 that you would strengthen them and hear their cries for help.

We pray for the sick and the suffering,

And Lord there are so many in our community, our families, and friends.

We Pray for your healing to come their way.

We pray for the poor and burdened, that they may find relief and be set free from their poverty.

We pray for those suffering in this heat, those that work outdoors in this heat keep them safe.

We pray for those who are dying and for those who have had a recent death in their lives. Bring solace to their grief and pain.

We pray for ourselves as we seek to follow you and love you.

We pray for our families, Lord it can be so difficult to be a loving family these days.

We pray for our friends, and companions that we support and love each other as we walk this journey of life and faith. Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer Easter 4B

Lord,

During this Easter Season we celebrate that not only did your lay down your life for us,

but that you rose from the dead.

And it is in rising from the dead that so much was changed.

act of kindness are shown by your children to people who need human touch.

We are able to show love to others in practice and deed.

We celebrate this resurrection power that is all because of you.

Lord

A year ago tornados ripped through the lives and communities of Alabama,

Leaving in its swath a path of death and destruction.

Lord those people are still rebuilding, still healing and many are still traumatized.

Help us as the community of faith to not forget them,

to continue to reach out to help them rebuild and renew their lives.

But Lord Alabama has not been the only area hit with damaging power of nature :

there have been major disasters everywhere.

A kids soccer ball showing up on the west coast of America

reminds us that there is still lots to be done in Japan,

And it reminds us of other countries who are still recovering

and that it is taking a long time due to lack of resources.

Lord these people need our prayers, our help and our care.

Lord, these people need a Shepherd, a good shepherd.

They need one that knows them, loves  them,

 cares about them, comforts them and has compassion for them.

Lord,

Truth be known we all need you as our good Shepard.

Will you be our good Shepard?

Amen

cross posted at revgalbogpals

Painting by Daniel Ridgeway Knight

The United Methodist General Conference tweets in word cloud

The Rev. Andrew Conard (@andrewconard) has taken it upon himself to analyze the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #gc2012. Each day he is posting a “word cloud” image which graphically interprets the conversation, increasing the size of the word based on the number of times that word appears in the stream. You can follow his project here.


What do you see when you see the image?
What stands out to you?
What speaks to you?
What does it say about the General Conference?
About the United Methodist?
About Christians?


Hat tip to my peeps Jay Voorhees and  Theresa Coleman

Prayer for Easter 3B/Earth Day

Oh God,

We come celebrating your love that you have for us your children of God.

And because we are your children we know that when we pray you answer us.

We know that we can bring our needs, our troubles, our questions,

our lives, our world, our hopes and our dreams to you.

We know and believe that you listen and you care.

Creator God,

We do pray for our world that we live in

this wonderful planet you created for us to live on. 

We pray for its wellbeing because you made it and called it good.

And we pray that we do our parts as stewards to take of earth.

We are so grateful for this earth, our home.

Loving God,

We pray for those in our midst who need our prayers for their lives,

 their struggles, their healing, and their restoration.

We pray for those in our communities who are without jobs, without homes, without food, without family, without food, without means and resources and without hope.

We pray for those in our world who are living in extreme poverty, violence, abuse, slavery, and cruelty.

Faithful God,

We thank you for the resurrection of you son,

we live into the hope of the resurrection.

May your resurrection shine light in our lives.

Make your presence known to us as you did to the disciples.

Open our minds also that we may understand what you have to teach us.

And how we are to live and be.

 cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Easter 2B

Resurrection God,

You are the light and you sent your son to shine your light in the darkness of this world.

Lord you know the places and times in our lives that have darkness in us.

You know the dark places and times in this world.

Lord shine your light into the darkness that we may be able to see our way again.

Resurrection God,

We marvel at the Early Church’s unity;

How they loved one another as you loved them,

How they saw to each other’s needs;

And how they cared for each other.

Lord would that we would be like that in our churches.

Empower us with Resurrection Power to be able to be that way.

Breathe your Holy Spirit on us that we too would be of one mind and heart.

Give us the peace you gave the disciples.

Resurrection God,

We admit that we are like Thomas we have our own doubts

And we too want to see and touch you.

We too have more questions than answers

And yet we want to believe.

Pour your blessing on us who have not seen and yet have come to believe.

Let your grace fall upon us all.
Amen

Cross posted at revgalblogpals

Doubting Thomas by Jonathan Hilson

One Day Without Shoes

Its Tom Shoes' One Day without Shoes day.
Here is my picture.

How about you are going one day without shoes? and where is your picture?

Prayer for Easter Sunday B

On this glorious Easter morn,

We praise your name and thank you for your faithfulness.

We marvel once again at the wonder of the resurrection

Of Jesus like kids finding hidden Easter eggs.

We are just as surprised as the women who came to the tomb that day.

We ask that this resurrection wipe away the tears from our eyes;

Bring hope to the hopeless,

Open the eyes of the blind,

Set the prisoners free and

Bring healing and wholeness to those who need it.

Lord we ask that this resurrection bring a revolution of justice.

May the hungry be fed,

The outcast be welcomed,

The downtrodden lifted up,

And those who are in poverty may been enriched.

Lord we ask that this resurrection bring renewal of our lives,

Restore our broken relationships,

Deepen our relationship with you,

Deepen our relationship with one another,

And empower us to bring the good news of your resurrection to others.

Amen

Prayer for Palms Sunday B

God,

On this Holy day of Palm Sunday and Passion,

We have so many mixed feelings in side of us.

We remember your son’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem

With the people shouting praises and waving Palm Branches.

And we join them with our own praises and yet….

We remember too that this wonderful parade for your son, becomes

Another kind of parade before officials and the booing crowds.

And instead of the crowds singing his praises they are shouting to crucify him.

And our hearts are broken by those very shouts, and the pain and

Suffering he bore that day.

And yet we know that it is because of his choosing to enter

Jerusalem and taking the path he knew he was taking,

There is hope, grace, love and salvation for all.

And there are still many in need of hope in our world.

There are still many in need of your grace in our world.

There are still many in need of your love in our world.

And there are still many in need of salvation in our world.

Lord, enter our lives, our churches, our cities, our countries

Once again today.

Heal us, Lord.

Transform us.

Renew us.

Draw us closer to you in this journey of Holy Week,

empower us with strength and courage and

with the assurance that you are with us, world without end. Amen.

Image: Entry of Christ into Jerusalem

By: Morgner, Wilhelm, 1891-1917

From: Jean and Alexander Heard, VanderbiltDivinity Library

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for First Sunday of Lent year B

Lord,

We offer our thoughts and prayers to you.

We put our trust in you to hear and respond to our needs.

We pray for your tender mercies for those of us who are suffering.

We pray for strength for those of us who are experiencing weakness.

We pray for comfort for those of us who are grieving.

We pray that though we too go through our own wildernesses that you would be with us.

We pray that though the wild beast may encompass us you would protect us.

We pray that though we are tempted that your angels watch over us too.

Mark us with the sign of your love as you marked you own son.

Lord, we believe that your Kingdom is at hand;

And so we repent and believe with all our hearts your good news.

Lord remove from our lives those barriers that keep us from being in relationship with you, ourselves and others that we may truly live into the joy of your Kingdom.

cross posted at revgalblogpals