Prayers of the People/Intercession on Strength
You are our strength, Lord, we will love you, under the shadow of your wings, protect us. Jesus, son of David, have mercy on us, that you may open the eyes of our hearts. We shall call to you with the Canaanite widow, since our souls have been wounded.
“Even the pups eat the scraps which fall from the lord’s table (Mt 15:27).” Speak, health of the world, and our souls shall be healed. Forgive the wickedness of our sin. If we touch the fringe of your garment, we shall be saved from our sins. Amen.
Modernized and adapted for Corporate Worship by Stuart Strachan Jr., Taken from “The Prayers of Moucan”, in Celtic Spirituality (Series: Classics of Western Spiritiuality) Trans., Oliver Davies, Paulist Press, 2000.
Lord Jesus: knowing that you are good and strong, loving, wise, holy and faithful, we come to you today in prayer for all the needs and concerns in our minds and hearts. Lord, we pray for Your whole church and for this congregation,that we might live as your followers, citizens of your kingdom, walking in grace and truth, loved and affirmed by You (We pray especially for… church leaders…and all God’s People.)
O God, who rules forever in power and grace, justice and compassion:ever keeping watch over the nations: We pray for all nations of the earth, that love would guide us and genuine peace prevail. We pray for our nation, our community, and all in authority. (Our president, vice president, congress and judges …)
For wisdom to know the good and right way, and for the courage to lead us in that way for your glory and our good. Lord Jesus, as you gave sight to the blind, restored the crippled and healed lepers…,we pray that you would heal those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and we pray especially for …
You hold our souls in life, O God, and will not allow our feet to slip. We pray for those we love celebrating with joy, birthdays, anniversaries and accomplishments …Give them joy in your grace.Father God, we remember our Lord’s resurrection which we celebrate every Sunday as we remember before you those who’ve died, (especially…)
May they rest with Christ in eternal glory; and may their families and loved ones find comfort in your presence and in the promise of the resurrection.Lord Jesus, in your faithfulness to us, you shower us with grace, mercy, love, and all we need;we pray that you would shape our hearts that they would be filled with gratitude, so we will always turn to you and give thanks.
Jesus–our Lord, Savior and Friend: Come into our hearts to save us and to rule. Come into your Church to direct and strengthen us with Your Gospel and Your Spirit. Come into your World to redeem the Lost and to establish Your kingdom of justice, truth and grace. Come alongside the lonely and discouraged to lift sagging spirits.
Come to the despairing to impart hope. Come into families stretched to the breaking point, bring reconciliation and Your active love. Come into hospital rooms and nursing homes, bedrooms and rehabilitation wards to heal bodies and souls, to quiet troubled minds; and also to strengthen the caregivers.
Come into homes that feel empty and to families that grieve separations that death brings–comfort those who mourn, walk with them through the valley of the shadow. Come, Prince of Peace, to nations themselves or others–bring your peace; and protect the innocent, esp. the children.
And, Lord of nations, come–guide our nation’s leaders in paths of justice and truth; empower missionaries here and abroad who are Your ambassadors to live and declare Your truth clearly and boldly. Come now, Word of God incarnate–come by the Holy Spirit, to anoint our preacher to speak Your Word to us, anoint our ears to hear it … and our wills to do it. All this we pray in Your name. Amen.
God of grace, abundance, and joy, who pours out your love on us every day: When we had no hope–You came as a light in our dark time. When we were weak–You came in power to lift us up. When we were lost–You showed us the way.
When we were confused–You told us the truth when others lied to us. When we were alone–You came to give us life, and life abundantly. Thank you! Because of Your faithfulness in our yesterdays, we place our tomorrows in Your good hand. For those who are sick–we pray for you to heal them.
For those who grieve–we ask you to comfort them. For families divided, marriages stressed and disintegrating, even churches coming apart–we pray to you as Mediator asking that you heal broken relationships, reconcile the estranged. Enable humility and forgiveness to replace pride and anger.
For our nation–come as Lord of lords and King of kings who holds the world’s nations in Your palm: heal our land. Forgive our pride–which thinks we always know what’s best. Guide our nation’s leaders in your ways of truth and holiness, justice and grace; and give us the courage to follow in them.
For young men and women far from home this Thanksgiving week, serving in harm’s way for our nation and our world–protect them, encourage them and sustain them by your strength when their strength waivers. For those doing the work of missionaries–in Central America, Kenya, Egypt and India, in our nation’s cities, prisons, college and high school campuses, and seminaries–nurture the gospel they share, that it may take root and change lives; and keep them faithful to your calling.
For this church–lead us in your Ways; and where you lead us, sustain us and provide for us, so that we can hold out your Word of truth as light for dark days, as water for dry souls and bread for hungry hearts. And, thank you for the fellowship of new brothers and sisters who join with.This is our prayer, which we pray in the name of Jesus, your Son, our Lord. Amen.
Lord–Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Thank You that there’s no place we can hide from Your Spirit, no place we can flee from Your presence. We can’t go beyond the reach of Your love, nor out-distance the strength of Your power.
Therefore, we feel safe coming to You with all that plagues us in the daytime and keeps us awake at night. In a world constantly plagued by wars and the rumors of war, where prejudice, hatred and suspicion pit peoples-against-peoples, and nation-against-nation: we dare to pray for peace–real peace, with understanding.
Hasten the day when swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, when we will study war no more, and, instead, desire to know You and live according to Your kingdom values & ways.
As a nation that plays at church when it’s convenient or expedient, and one that makes a religion of playing games, seeking pleasure and holding power–we need a revival! Pour out Your Spirit–Your Holy Spirit.
Make us ashamed of our sin and give us a hunger for what is good and right, just and true. May righteousness and holiness, compassion and justice, mark this land from the White House, capitol and courts, right down to our houses, town halls and courtrooms.
And make Your church–through local congregations like this one–to be like leaven to influence the moral and social climate of our communities, like light to bring lost and lonely people out of darkness and set them free with the gospel, and like salt to make people thirst for the pure, living water of Jesus and the Spirit.
And may Your church always look beyond its own walls–to care, love and minister Your gospel grace locally and globally. We pray as well for our friends and loved ones who are ill or injured, who are recovering from surgery or who are confronting mental illness–we ask You to heal them fully and completely.
Restore them that You would be glorified in them and through them. We ask You to comfort those who mourn, to reconcile those who are separated one from another either relationally, emotionally or physically; and to guide those who are lost or confused.
Give hope to the hopeless, courage to the fearful, companionship to the lonely and strength to the weak. Meet us all at the point of our deepest need with Your greatest resource–Your own presence! So, all this, and more that still lies deep within our hearts, we pray in Jesus’ precious name. AMEN
Prayers of the People (General)
O Lord, we are aware of how much we need you, and how much the world needs you. We yearn for your guidance and strength. We pray for your intervention and for your kingdom to come.
Today we lift up those in our community who need your healing and comfort. For those who grieve, those receiving treatment, and those who live in fear. Bring peace to their hearts and bring them words of encouragement from those who know them best.
We pray for people in leadership roles across our country: for political leaders, educators, and faith leaders; for leaders of companies and nonprofits and community organizations. We pray for the leaders among us–for you to give them the guidance they need, and that you will remind them to take time to rest, reflect, and abide with Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep.
We pray for those who feel lost, alone, unseen and unheard. Lord, may your Holy Spirit move in their lives. Open their ears to hear and their eyes to see You at work. Break down anything that may hinder their ability to feel your presence, we pray.
We pray for brothers and sisters around the world, whose lives are torn apart by war, oppression, and corruption. And we lift up those who are obeying your call to share your gospel in difficult places. Make us aware of the needs outside of our own personal circles and bless us with the words to pray for situations that our hearts may not be able to comprehend. We find hope knowing that You see these people and you know them by name.
Lord we are so very grateful, and we rest in Your promises, knowing that Jesus died for us and he intercedes for us. Keep us strong in our faith as we walk forward to share the light and hope of Christ in all we say and in all we do.
We pray all this in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying:
The Lord’s Prayer
Prayer for Holy Resistance
Break our hearts Jesus
so we may weep as You weep
Love as You love
Break our hearts Jesus and raise our voices
so we may speak and act so all may be safe
so all may have opportunity
so all may know dignity and belonging
Lord Jesus
take away our fear, our apathy, our silence
Grant us
Your courage, Your strength, Your perseverance
So we may be Your sanctuary
Your safe place of presence
So we may live Your justice
and use Your power with wisdom and humility
So we may be Your whole and holy people
people of integrity and truth
So we may speak and act and love
again and again and again
till every dividing wall of hate, fear, and inequity
comes crashing down in Your Powerful Name
The congregation is invited to offer their own prayers for justice and equity
Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, Savior of the Nations,
teach us to pray and teach us to live Your prayer…
Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer
Prayer for Holy Resistance © 2017, updated 2023 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com.