Develop a Discipleship System
Prayers for the Healing of the Nations
Today's Prayer
Holy and living God,
In you “we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28)
In you we find our shelter and strength,
In you our hearts are being filled with joy each morning,
In you we sing praises with a new song,
In you we trust that your promises are the way.
Like those disciples in Acts 1 experiencing the time in between,
Witnessing Ascension of Jesus Christ and awaiting the decent of the Holy Spirit,
A time in between staring into heaven and staying in one place.
During our time in between,
We wait with hope for you are the source of every hope,
We wait with patience for your timing is always perfect,
We wait with prayer for you are listening intently,
We wait with praise for you take all our anxieties as we cast them on you.
During this time, we pray especially for…
Those who are graduates with uncertainty hindering their future,
Those who lost their jobs and are finding ways to meet their financial needs,
Those who lost their loved ones, and their funeral services are limited or postponed,
Those who are fighting against addiction and are unable to meet with their recovery groups,
Those who feel fear as hate crimes and incidents arise.
During this time, O God,
Enter into our sorrows, worries, addictions, financial burdens, fears, and injustices,
Fill us with your grace, hope, and joy abundantly,
Turn each home into a place of peace, unity, and love for each other,
Renew our hearts and minds to seek the knowledge of your mercy and love,
Help our souls to be united in incessant prayer.
Let us receive this prayer of Apostle Paul:
“I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing [God] personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is [God] is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life [God] has for [you], oh, the utter extravagance of [God’s] work in us who trust [the Lord]—endless energy, boundless strength!”
Let it be so. Amen.
By Rev. Taesung Kang, New Hampshire District Superintendent
Acts 1:1-11; 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11; Ephesians 1:15-23 MSG Translation
Originally posted by the New England Conference.
COVID-19 Prayer: God of All, We Turn to You
God of faith and science, we turn to you in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, because we trust you. We trust you because you listen to our prayers. We trust you because you act in our lives and our history for our welfare. We trust you because we know you as a God of revelation in faith and science.
God of knowledge and wisdom, we ask that you would dwell with all the scientists who are working daily to develop an effective and safe vaccine to combat this virus. Help them to collate current knowledge and be conduits of new knowledge regarding the secrets of the COVID-19 virus. Grant them the wisdom to unlock the keys that will provide helpful COVID-19 therapies and vaccines.
God of curiosity and wonder, grant the scientists the inquisitiveness of George Washington Carver who combined his love of God and his love of science in his quest to unlock hidden agricultural secrets. As the God of the sweet potato, the peanut and the soybean, you enabled Carver to discover their secrets as he united faith and science, wisdom and knowledge, curiosity and wonder.
God of all creation, in this Eastertide we pray for all coronavirus patients, their doctors and their nurses. We ask that you be a fence around all healthcare workers, first responders, and their families. Expand our faith and buoy our hope as we shelter in place. Lord, teach us how to wait, for you are an on-time God!
Amen
Bishop Ernest S. Lyght is a retired bishop of The United Methodist Church. Crystal Caviness, the UMC.org contact, can be reached by email or by calling 615-742-5138.
This prayer was published May 13, 2020.
Originally posted on UMC.org.
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