Scriptures And Prayers
Worship
Partners In Healing
The Ministry Of Anointing
As brothers and sisters, we come together to pray for our Christian brother/sister during a time of dread and suffering. We pray first for the healing of your Holy Spirit, that the powers of body, mind, and spirit be restored. We pray that the light of Christ will shine in his/her life more brightly because of his/her commitment to obedience to your commands, as seen by the desire to partake of your goodness through this service. We pray for patience as we wait for your action in his/her life. We pray as well the prayer of Jesus -- not our will, but yours -- as in obedience to his words we pray with the words which your Son and our Savior taught us, saying in one voice:
The Lord's Prayer --ÊMatthew 6:9-13 (KJV)
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Psalm 23 (KJV)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Heavenly Father, we pray that you will watch over our brother/sister during this time of trial. We pray boldly for healing, for restoration to wholeness. We ask for calmness and peace. We pray first of all that you will heal directly in the body through the action of the Holy Spirit. We believe also you work through the hands of the healers. We pray that you will guide the hands of the doctors, nurses, technicians, and others involved in this surgery. Watch over friends and family both near and far. These things we pray in your Son's name. Amen.
Prayer For Divorced People
Lord it is not your will that the least of your servants should stumble. It is not your will that those who make a solemn choice should part. Nevertheless we know that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Now we ask that where there is brokenness, there might be healing. Where there is despair, there might be hope. Help us to be the instruments of your peace. Help us to be the church for people who are hurting. Help those who are hurting to remember that you are there with them. We know that life is filled with little deaths and little resurrections. It is so hard to see ahead to the time when healing may have taken place. Bless now your servant who desires to be healed. Bless now this person, who is one of your children, whose life is full of turmoil and doubt and despair. Bring light into the dark places of his/her life and hope in the middle of this troubled life.
Preserve, too, all those involved in this brokenness, all those whose lives are touched by disarray and difficulty. Teach them that your love is constant, fill them with the sense of your presence, bind their wounds and carry them through the tough days that lie ahead. These things we pray in your Son's name. Amen.
Prayer In Time Of Crisis
Dear Lord, rarely have we felt so confused, so harmed by life, so much in need of your love. Be by us now during a time when there seems to be no solution, no answer, only questions. Let your word be our light as we walk through dark places. Let your Spirit be our guide as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Let your Son be our example as we tread uncharted regions of the soul. Let your creation be our assurance, even as everything falls apart around us, that summer and winter, springtime and harvest, will not cease.
These things we pray in your Son's name. Amen.
Prayer For Nightfall
God of light, God of truth, abide with us as evening falls. The stars shine bright, and you gave them their light. The trees are silvered, and it is you who dress them with the light of the moon. The world is transformed, and yet it is still your earth, your sky, your sea. We are grateful that there is no place we can go that you are not already there. Be with us now as your people as we gather together in your name. Amen.
Prayer During Difficult Times
Lord, we know you are present, but we don't share the sense of your presence. Help us to feel that you are walking close beside us during this difficult time. As you led your people through the desert with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day, help us to see clearly the markers you have placed in our lives, so we may follow you through the dry places of discipleship, and on to the promised land of your kingdom. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Prayer During Financial Distress
Loving God, we have seen the example of your Son in the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. We know there is enough and more for us to share, that all may be satisfied. You called for your disciples to aid Jesus in that miracle and you call for us again to call plenty into being again. Help us to become your presence in this world, fulfilling the physical as well as spiritual needs of those in our community as well as around the world. These things we pray in your Son's name. Amen.
Prayer To Settle Disagreements
Jesus, as we struggle through disagreements help us to recall that we are all your people, that you have called us into one family, that you are not interested in our squabbles. Help the promise that at your name every knee will bow, as we come together in unity based on your lordship and not our power. Your disciples asked to sit at your right hand, and we ask that that we might prove as worthy if we will seek to be your servants first and foremost. Bless us with the peace that passes understanding. In your name we pray. Amen.
Prayer Of Praise
God, there is no other but you, no desire as great as the desire to serve you and see you, no longing so deep as the longing in our hearts to be with you and abide by you, no joy so profound except the joy that comes from true apprehension of your works, and no satisfaction greater than when we praise your name. When I recall the works of your hands, in the lives of our ancestors in the faith and in the days of our generation, I proclaim that you are a living God who visits your people in every age, a caring God whose love is felt intimately from the rising to the setting sun, and a saving God, who in the darkest night of our lives abides with us though fast falls the eventide. I will praise you daily, and should I forget to praise, then I beg you to recall to my mind my pledge to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Prayer During Time Of National Distress
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, who are we, a people of unclean lips living in a world of nucleons, to glimpse your glory even from afar in the faces of the human family. Nevertheless we cry aloud, as if fueled by your will, "Here we are! Send us!" Send us into the midst of a tortured land to proclaim the day of your salvation. Send us into a broken people to proclaim that in Christ there is no east or west, in Christ no south or north. Send us through a confused nation to demonstrate through your steadfast love that there is neither black nor white, Asian or Hispanic, native or immigrant, but one people called to the city of God, the pure bride of Christ, descending from the clouds to live in the midst of God's people. You are Lord, and we are your followers. Fill us with your power not for our gain but for the fulfillment of your will. This we pray in your strength. Amen.
Prayer During Wartime
Lord, as nations again feel called to war, as men and women seek to settle their differences through the might of arms, give us the courage to witness now as in the past, that you are the Prince of Peace, that you favor no side, that you love all individuals. You do not know nations or aims or causes. You know us by our name and not by our citizenship. You are not on anyone's side. It is your desire that all come to the cross and stand by your side. If you will give us the strength, we will be your witness while passions are strong and reason is weak, calling all again to favor peace and abandon war. Amen.
Prayer Of Thanksgiving
God, this is your world, not ours. We thank you for quiet gardens, the first tomato of the season, the abundant zucchinis in paper sacks. We thank you for fertile fields, abundant corn, waving grain. Accept our offering to you, which we bring before you, with the resolve that what is yours is only temporarily ours. Let us be worthy in our sharing of this gift you have given to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the renewal of your promise that until the end of time, summer and winter, springtime and harvest, will not cease. Amen.
Prayer For Glory
Lord, we pray now for the return of your Son and our Savior. We know that Jesus will come at a time of your choosing and not ours, and we will continue to wait patiently as your servants Simeon and Anna. Nevertheless, we reveal to you our heart's desire, that even as we pray your Son will return, that all will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, that what we have known in part will be known by all, in full. We see through a glass, darkly. We desire to see you face to face. If it is your will that we wait a little longer, we accept this, but it is our desire to say as God's people, "Now let your servant depart in peace, for our eyes have seen the glory." We pray in expectation of that glorious day. Maran Atha. Come, Lord Jesus. Even so. Amen.
Prayer For Perfection
Lord, what have we forgotten to do? What have we neglected? Who have we ignored? Open our eyes that we may see, open our hearts that we may love, open our ears that we may hear. Let your will become ours. Perfect us in your love. Amen.
Prayer For Fulfillment
Lord of life, these autumn winds cause leaves to fall, and wake us to the coming of the cold. This is the time of watching signs, departing birds, receding dreams. We know what we wished to do and what we have not accomplished. We call to mind completed tasks. We catalog regrets and carefully shelve for future days those intentions we have fulfilled. All times are yours and all needs you fulfill in their season. Thank you God for the animals in their burrows, preparing for deep winters' sleep, and for the life of your people, waiting to be fulfilled in Christ. Lord of lords, God, Light of light, true God of true God. You are what you are. We are your people. This we pray in your Son's name. Amen.
A Call For Forgiveness
Forgiving God, we pray this day for those condemned to die. Whether or not they have committed crimes which shock or grieve us, we acknowledge you as Lord of life and death, and affirm that vengeance is yours, not ours. We call to mind as well the pain and sorrow of family and friends who have lost dear ones as a result of violence, and ask you to comfort survivors even as you have sheltered those who died in pain. What we cannot undo we give to you. What we can change you give to us. Hear our prayer, in our confusion. Fulfill our desire to be your will in a world of ambiguities. Deliver us from darkness and dark desires. Let the least of your children come to you in this hour. For we are convinced that nothing is beyond your forgiving love, and that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created things will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
The Lord's Prayer --ÊMatthew 6:9-13 (KJV)
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Psalm 23 (KJV)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Heavenly Father, we pray that you will watch over our brother/sister during this time of trial. We pray boldly for healing, for restoration to wholeness. We ask for calmness and peace. We pray first of all that you will heal directly in the body through the action of the Holy Spirit. We believe also you work through the hands of the healers. We pray that you will guide the hands of the doctors, nurses, technicians, and others involved in this surgery. Watch over friends and family both near and far. These things we pray in your Son's name. Amen.
Prayer For Divorced People
Lord it is not your will that the least of your servants should stumble. It is not your will that those who make a solemn choice should part. Nevertheless we know that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Now we ask that where there is brokenness, there might be healing. Where there is despair, there might be hope. Help us to be the instruments of your peace. Help us to be the church for people who are hurting. Help those who are hurting to remember that you are there with them. We know that life is filled with little deaths and little resurrections. It is so hard to see ahead to the time when healing may have taken place. Bless now your servant who desires to be healed. Bless now this person, who is one of your children, whose life is full of turmoil and doubt and despair. Bring light into the dark places of his/her life and hope in the middle of this troubled life.
Preserve, too, all those involved in this brokenness, all those whose lives are touched by disarray and difficulty. Teach them that your love is constant, fill them with the sense of your presence, bind their wounds and carry them through the tough days that lie ahead. These things we pray in your Son's name. Amen.
Prayer In Time Of Crisis
Dear Lord, rarely have we felt so confused, so harmed by life, so much in need of your love. Be by us now during a time when there seems to be no solution, no answer, only questions. Let your word be our light as we walk through dark places. Let your Spirit be our guide as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Let your Son be our example as we tread uncharted regions of the soul. Let your creation be our assurance, even as everything falls apart around us, that summer and winter, springtime and harvest, will not cease.
These things we pray in your Son's name. Amen.
Prayer For Nightfall
God of light, God of truth, abide with us as evening falls. The stars shine bright, and you gave them their light. The trees are silvered, and it is you who dress them with the light of the moon. The world is transformed, and yet it is still your earth, your sky, your sea. We are grateful that there is no place we can go that you are not already there. Be with us now as your people as we gather together in your name. Amen.
Prayer During Difficult Times
Lord, we know you are present, but we don't share the sense of your presence. Help us to feel that you are walking close beside us during this difficult time. As you led your people through the desert with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day, help us to see clearly the markers you have placed in our lives, so we may follow you through the dry places of discipleship, and on to the promised land of your kingdom. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Prayer During Financial Distress
Loving God, we have seen the example of your Son in the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. We know there is enough and more for us to share, that all may be satisfied. You called for your disciples to aid Jesus in that miracle and you call for us again to call plenty into being again. Help us to become your presence in this world, fulfilling the physical as well as spiritual needs of those in our community as well as around the world. These things we pray in your Son's name. Amen.
Prayer To Settle Disagreements
Jesus, as we struggle through disagreements help us to recall that we are all your people, that you have called us into one family, that you are not interested in our squabbles. Help the promise that at your name every knee will bow, as we come together in unity based on your lordship and not our power. Your disciples asked to sit at your right hand, and we ask that that we might prove as worthy if we will seek to be your servants first and foremost. Bless us with the peace that passes understanding. In your name we pray. Amen.
Prayer Of Praise
God, there is no other but you, no desire as great as the desire to serve you and see you, no longing so deep as the longing in our hearts to be with you and abide by you, no joy so profound except the joy that comes from true apprehension of your works, and no satisfaction greater than when we praise your name. When I recall the works of your hands, in the lives of our ancestors in the faith and in the days of our generation, I proclaim that you are a living God who visits your people in every age, a caring God whose love is felt intimately from the rising to the setting sun, and a saving God, who in the darkest night of our lives abides with us though fast falls the eventide. I will praise you daily, and should I forget to praise, then I beg you to recall to my mind my pledge to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Prayer During Time Of National Distress
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, who are we, a people of unclean lips living in a world of nucleons, to glimpse your glory even from afar in the faces of the human family. Nevertheless we cry aloud, as if fueled by your will, "Here we are! Send us!" Send us into the midst of a tortured land to proclaim the day of your salvation. Send us into a broken people to proclaim that in Christ there is no east or west, in Christ no south or north. Send us through a confused nation to demonstrate through your steadfast love that there is neither black nor white, Asian or Hispanic, native or immigrant, but one people called to the city of God, the pure bride of Christ, descending from the clouds to live in the midst of God's people. You are Lord, and we are your followers. Fill us with your power not for our gain but for the fulfillment of your will. This we pray in your strength. Amen.
Prayer During Wartime
Lord, as nations again feel called to war, as men and women seek to settle their differences through the might of arms, give us the courage to witness now as in the past, that you are the Prince of Peace, that you favor no side, that you love all individuals. You do not know nations or aims or causes. You know us by our name and not by our citizenship. You are not on anyone's side. It is your desire that all come to the cross and stand by your side. If you will give us the strength, we will be your witness while passions are strong and reason is weak, calling all again to favor peace and abandon war. Amen.
Prayer Of Thanksgiving
God, this is your world, not ours. We thank you for quiet gardens, the first tomato of the season, the abundant zucchinis in paper sacks. We thank you for fertile fields, abundant corn, waving grain. Accept our offering to you, which we bring before you, with the resolve that what is yours is only temporarily ours. Let us be worthy in our sharing of this gift you have given to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the renewal of your promise that until the end of time, summer and winter, springtime and harvest, will not cease. Amen.
Prayer For Glory
Lord, we pray now for the return of your Son and our Savior. We know that Jesus will come at a time of your choosing and not ours, and we will continue to wait patiently as your servants Simeon and Anna. Nevertheless, we reveal to you our heart's desire, that even as we pray your Son will return, that all will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, that what we have known in part will be known by all, in full. We see through a glass, darkly. We desire to see you face to face. If it is your will that we wait a little longer, we accept this, but it is our desire to say as God's people, "Now let your servant depart in peace, for our eyes have seen the glory." We pray in expectation of that glorious day. Maran Atha. Come, Lord Jesus. Even so. Amen.
Prayer For Perfection
Lord, what have we forgotten to do? What have we neglected? Who have we ignored? Open our eyes that we may see, open our hearts that we may love, open our ears that we may hear. Let your will become ours. Perfect us in your love. Amen.
Prayer For Fulfillment
Lord of life, these autumn winds cause leaves to fall, and wake us to the coming of the cold. This is the time of watching signs, departing birds, receding dreams. We know what we wished to do and what we have not accomplished. We call to mind completed tasks. We catalog regrets and carefully shelve for future days those intentions we have fulfilled. All times are yours and all needs you fulfill in their season. Thank you God for the animals in their burrows, preparing for deep winters' sleep, and for the life of your people, waiting to be fulfilled in Christ. Lord of lords, God, Light of light, true God of true God. You are what you are. We are your people. This we pray in your Son's name. Amen.
A Call For Forgiveness
Forgiving God, we pray this day for those condemned to die. Whether or not they have committed crimes which shock or grieve us, we acknowledge you as Lord of life and death, and affirm that vengeance is yours, not ours. We call to mind as well the pain and sorrow of family and friends who have lost dear ones as a result of violence, and ask you to comfort survivors even as you have sheltered those who died in pain. What we cannot undo we give to you. What we can change you give to us. Hear our prayer, in our confusion. Fulfill our desire to be your will in a world of ambiguities. Deliver us from darkness and dark desires. Let the least of your children come to you in this hour. For we are convinced that nothing is beyond your forgiving love, and that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created things will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
