Prayers of the People/Intercession on Mystery
God, our Father: Your love gives us more than we can ever hope for, and far beyond what we deserve. You clothe us in the righteousness of Christ. You give us dreams and visions of what we can become by Your grace, power and in Your will; and You work in mysterious ways to make them happen.
As Your beloved children, we dare come boldly to ask You to hear the cries of our souls and the prayers of our hearts: We pray for our world, torn by hatred, suspicion and fear. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the land of Jesus. We pray for those who name the name of Christ Jesus there – whether Jew, Arab or Palestinian. Protect them. Encourage them. Enable them to shine like lights in a dark place. We pray for our brothers and sisters in difficult places –Be their rock and refuge, their constant companion and their source of strength.
We also pray for our own land. Enable us to walk a higher path as a nation – walking in Your ways of humility and truth, justice and compassion, grace and righteousness. Guide our leaders and protect those who serve in uniform, near and far.
We pray Your comfort for those who have lost loved ones and now walk the road of grief; may they sense your presence alongside them on the way; especially we pray for … We pray for those who face surgery, for those who are ill or injured, and those who are recuperating, at home or in a hospital – heal them in body and soul.
We especially pray for …
And we pray for our church. May we be a shining example of Your kingdom. May we be a family to those who are alone, a hospital for those who are hurting, a community of sinners forgiven that extends Your gospel and grace to other sinners and to one another. All this, and what still remains tucked deeply within our hearts, we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN
Lord God Almighty: our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer: There is no place where You are absent. There is no corner of our world that’s hidden from You. There is nothing about us You do not know, no actions that surprise You, no thoughts that are mysterious to You, and no attitudes that shock You. You know all about us and You love us.
And there is nothing that concerns us about which You are apathetic. Therefore, confident in Your love and strength, we come to You with our hope and heartaches. We pray for those who are ill or injured, hospitalized and homebound, anticipating surgery or recuperating. May Your blessing of healing be upon them.
Take away anxiety that can overwhelm and replace it with peace, patience and trust in You. Encourage families. Strengthen caregivers. We pray today especially for…For those who grieve–we pray for comfort and courage. For the discouraged–we pray that You will bring a friend alongside to share the burden.
For the unemployed or underemployed–we pray for meaningful work and patience in the search, for opportunities to help others, and the strong love of a supportive family. For those who are alone–we pray for companionship.
For those in families–we pray love for one another, wisdom in difficult moments, patience in trying times and the grace to forgive each other, always. For this church–we pray for young people on retreat, for those who serve in leadership as elders, deacons …for those who teach, who serve meals, who sing …may we know You more and may You be glorified in all.
For our nation–we pray for Your Holy Spirit to bring about justice and righteousness, to give our leaders wisdom to know Your way and the courage to lead us in it, and to guide our president, vice-president, our legislators and justices. And we pray for the world
… Your world–that where there is war, You will bring peace; where there is hunger, You will provide food; and where there is poverty, that You will give resources to sustain and grow life, that where there is evil, You will bring good; and where there is no witness to the Gospel of Christ, that you will send Your missionaries and sustain those who name Your name that they might stay strong. Now we pray for our preacher. All, and more, we pray in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.
Father, Son, Holy Spirit–our God, Mysterious, Awe-Inspiring, Wonderful, One-in-Three/Three-in-One: You surprise us not with flashing lights, loud crashing noises, and constant activity. You surprise us in stillness and silence, in quiet and peace. Forgive us for equating motion, volume and activity with significance, truth and what really counts. In stillness we come now with our burdens and our worries, with our commitments and our dreams, with our hopes and fears–knowing you alone can do something with them.
You are good and you are strong, you are compassionate and you are sovereign in all things, so we trust you. We trust those whose bodies are ill or injured, and whose minds and emotions are confused or disrupted: please heal them.
Restore them to health and wholeness; and strengthen caregivers who support, help and encourage them. We also entrust to you those who mourn. For those whose losses are most acute at this time of year–the loss of a loved one, the loss of a marriage, the loss of a job, the loss of a friendship, the loss of a future dream, the loss of hope … all of it: please, Jesus … Lord, come.
Be born in hearts that feel empty, to fill them with the peace that passes all understanding, and to satisfy them with faith, hope and love. We trust our nation and world to you as it seems somewhere to convulse every day with our suspicions, hatreds and wars, or is held in bondage by our addictions, compulsions and desires.
Savior, come and save us from ourselves with your grace and truth as declared in the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. Direct national leaders. Protect soldiers and civilians in places where wars rage. End drought and famine. Halt poverty and disease. And may your will be done–on earth as it is in heaven. We also trust you with the church that bears your name.
Teach us your truth—and enable us to do it. And when we fail to live it–correct us, so the light which shines through us is pure and genuine, a clear light reflecting your goodness and truth. Make us strong when we need to be strong for your kingdom of grace and truth, holiness and love. Make us forgiving as we are forgiven. This we pray in the name that is above every name–Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN