Prayers of the People/Intercession on Anxiety
Jesus–Savior, Friend, and Lord: When we’re lost, confused and anxious–You are our Way. When we misunderstand–and are misunderstood, when we are lied to and lied about, and when we lie or believe the lies–You are the Truth. And when we feel drained of vitality, or afraid of death and dying–You are our Resurrection and the Life.
You guide us, speak to us the Truth in love and You give us hope … always. For that we praise You, now and forever. And because of that, we come to You with all we are and aren’t, knowing You’ll help us, and those we care about. We pray for friends and loved ones who are ill or injured, recovering and recuperating: Mend their affected bodies.
Quiet their anxious minds. And assure their fearful hearts; for You are our Great Physician. For those who grieve losses, recent or long past: Give them the gift of thanksgiving in good memories and positive influences. Cover any lingering hurts with Your love. And surround them with Your gift of peace, given in Your resurrection.
For those in depression’s darkness–be the Light of their world. For those lacking life’s essentials–be the Giver of Bread; and move the hearts and hands of your people to express your care with love in action. For those whose relationships are strained, damaged or broken–be their Mediator and Reconciler, bring them back to their heavenly Father and to one another.
We pray also for Your church–meeting today to worship joyfully under spreading trees in Africa, reverently in European cathedrals, hopefully in storefronts on the streets of cities in the Americas and even secretly enthusiastic in places where it’s a crime against the state to name Your name. Wherever we are–keep Your church faithful to the Truth you declare, loyal in the Way you give us to live, and joyful as we live for You. May we grow in our love for You and for one another, so that the world might know that You are our Lord, we are Your people …and that the same can be true for them, too.
For your world–we pray the Gospel would be known from pole to pole, horizon to horizon; and that between nations: peace would overcome war, hope replace despair, love conquer hate, and understanding supplant suspicion. Now, for us here this morning–we pray for ears to hear Your voice to the glory of Your name, Jesus; for You are our Lord and Savior. Amen.
God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: You are always and forever for us: We can’t run away from Your presence; nor out-sin Your amazing grace and forgiveness. We can’t exhaust Your unconditional love nor can we ever deplete Your limitless strength. From forever to forever You love us so there’s nothing to fear in bringing to You all our hurts, anxieties, and sorrows; as well as all our happiness, triumphs, and joy.
We pray for families to be strengthened and marriages to be deepened; for strained relationships to be reconciled and for strangers to become friends. We pray for those who are ill or injured, for those recovering from or anticipating surgery, and those undergoing treatment. Please restore health, cure sickness, and heal wounds.
We pray for those who grieve—whether the loss is fresh or lingering. Comfort them with Your presence. Uphold them with Your peace. Enfold them in Your love; and sustain them with Your strength.
Jesus—Word made flesh who knows what it’s like to be us: in Your grace and power, move in such places and with such people to make a difference in our anxious, broken, fearful world.
We pray that Your truth would guide us, Your love move us, your peace encourage us, and Your strength protect us and those we love.
You know what keeps us awake at night–You know the conflicts we must negotiate every day–in our homes, our schools, our jobs, our neighborhoods; the anxieties we carry about our health and the well-being of those we love, and you know the difficult days of families and friends we care about who are in need of comfort and strength.
You know the confusion prompted by knowing too much information or knowing too little to make a good decision or any decision at all. We worry about our kids … we worry about our parents. How will we pay our bills? Can we keep pace with life? We worry about what we think we can control …as well as what we know we can’t control. Then something comes that we didn’t anticipate … What now, Lord? Lord—You know what it’s like …and your heart breaks over what breaks our hearts.
So … knowing You know it all and knowing You care more than we can possibly imagine, we give it all over to You in the quiet of these silent, prayerful moments.(Silence) We give all this over to You, confident in Your love and grateful for Your Word of grace, even the Living Word, Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN