PRAYERS

 

Southport Uniting Church.              Let’s Pray Together       

Prayers for  December

  

Thur 22 Gracious God, today I pray for those in our church & in our neighbourhoods with health & mobility issues. Pray for those known by you with thanks for support services.

Fri 23 Gazing upon the Nativity Family, in pictures & models, may the simplicity of appreciating our everyday family life be impressed upon us to give God the praise & thanks.

Sat 24 Let us pray for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one & where this year there will be an empty place for Christmas Dinner. Lord, may your loving arms hold & comfort them. In prayer we lift all who are far away or estranged from family, alone or isolated.

Sun 25 Ring the bells of joy in your heart for God’s gift of Jesus, born a helpless babe, into an earthly family for a heavenly role of being Saviour to Mankind, for each one of us. Amen

Mon 26 Make a list of blessings received this year & pray thanks to our Father God.  Make a list of friends who have supported you along this year’s journey & thank them today. Amen

Tues 27 Recalling the Christmas candles of Hope, Peace, love & Joy, let the light from these brighten any dark thoughts about the future, as you let go of troubling thoughts of the past.

Wed 28 Let us pray for our Southport Uniting Church as this year comes to a close and new plans are made for 2023. Lord Jesus, give us faith, strength, initiative & skills to value each other & work together as a team, sharing the love of Jesus in our Southport Community.

Thur 29 Father God, hear our prayer for our church leaders, that they will find renewal in time out & new dedication in working together with Rev Julie as you enable ministry here.

Fri 30 For our world Lord, we pray for your abiding peace to cover hurt, hatred, desire for dominance & inhumane actions, seen everywhere. Lord, may the peace of your Son our Lord Jesus promote finding peaceful solutions & your love & healing be with all suffering.

 

Prayers for January

 

Week 1. A New Beginning. “Out of the darkness the light shall shine.” 2 Corinth.4:6. God of Christmas and the manger, we look to the life & example of our Lord Jesus, guiding us into this year. Come into our lives that we may enable your light to keep shining, reflecting the love of God.

Father God, enable us to offer a hand of friendship as we welcome all to share our ministry, together being your church where we’ll build each other up in fellowship, sharing worship, song & prayer. Amen

Lord, hear our prayer at the start of the year for those close to our hearts needing healing, a touch of your love or comfort, or for a knowledge of your forgiveness & saving grace.

Word your own prayer today for the peoples of the many Pacific Nations. Pray for the Christian Churches there & for an increase in faith for the younger generations. Ask God for how we can support island nations affected by Climate Change. Amen

“O Lord, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world.” Psalm 8:1. We give thanks at the start of this new year for daily ongoing creation, Lord God, as you provide our home on earth; shelter, food, sunshine, water & place us in families to love & care for each other. Amen

Lord of the Ages, past & present, may we learn from our mistakes & seek forgiveness in you. Forgiven, send us headlong into the wonders that the future holds. We pray for our families, young & older that the joys & sorrows of this year will know your guidance, presence & encouragement in all we do & say. Amen

 

Week 2. Focus on God. God of peace, dwell in me as I sit with you in silence. You are the Lord my God & you are all I need. I am often restless, camouflaged from reality, sweltering in plenty. Dwell in me & lead me onwards. Inspire me in this new year to boldly go forward and deepen my faith, Lord Jesus Christ.

We are drawn, Loving God, to “Do justice, love kindness & to walk humbly with our God.” Micah 6:8. Guide me in my personal walk with you, Shepherding God, that I more focus on the needs of others rather than my own, on understanding & compassion rather than criticism & to purposely spend time daily in prayer.

Humbly, Father God, I pray for the marginalized in society; the uneducated, powerless, unemployed, sick, disabled, lonely or in poverty. Show me how to be more generous.

Psalm 46: 1-7. Let the words of this Psalm resound as you pray for yourself & others. Let us reflect on the essence of our life, energy, longing, loneliness or doubt that does creep in. May you find a symphony of grace in the stillness & silence to know God’s deep presence & your faith rooted & grounded in God’s promises to us. Reflect on your faith over the years & how God has blessed and led you. Amen

Loving God, I allow myself to be filled with gratefulness to you. I am wonderfully made by you and I give thanks for my abilities and energies to enjoy life. I am grateful for family & friends to share my life and for a church family where fellowship & love can be shared. Whilst I enjoy my life here on earth, focus me on the spiritual, the lasting Eternal life that I can only receive through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Week 3. Relationships. Let us together pray for each other, as a church congregation, in the name of Jesus Christ. “May the Lord make us increase & abound in love for one another and for all.” 1 Thess.3:12 Pray for someone in our congregation you know is struggling with a family or health problem.

“The Lord gives strength to his people & blesses them with peace.” Psalm29:11. Lord Jesus, be the voice I hear in the storm. Be my peace in the trials of life. Enable me in my family & church life to look to your guidance & support whatever circumstances appear. Pray for relationships in your family.

Father God, we pray for the strengthening of the relationship of marriage in our own families & for friends we know. Loving God, for all who are going through relationship break-up & separation, we bring them before you. Lord support them in their loneliness, guilt, financial stress & changed living arrangements. Show us how we can offer help or friendship in their time of need. We pray for new beginnings. Amen

Loving God, hear our prayer for children in estranged relationships & broken families. We pray for those at risk of neglect & those in the care of social workers or foster homes.

God of the many & of the few, we pray for all who live alone. Especially bless those who have recently lost a loved one and are grieving. As a church may we reach out in compassion and love, especially to the house bound. We bring in prayer those who battle mental health issues or who are financially stretched or disadvantaged. Pray for those you know and make a note to phone or send a card of encouragement.

 

Week 4. Southport Uniting Ministry. Eternal God, link us with the past, strengthen us for the work of the present & enable us to leap into the future, spurred on by our love for you, received & given. Love us into action, stir us into prayer to continue transferring this love to each other & out into our community.

Father God, enable us in mission to be a shining light of hope to our families & neighbours. Around us in our CBD are many with doubts, fears & many needs. Show us how to bring the good news of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to them in words of faith & in deeds of love & compassion.

Gracious God, as our Blue Cross shines at night over Southport we pray that our church will draw those who are needing your love, joy in freedom of sins forgiven & eternal life in your Son, living & resurrected.

Let us lift our thanks to our Wondrous God for our minister Rev Julie, our Church Council & Leaders, who have dedicated their time, talents & treasures to serve here at S.U.C. WE ask a blessing on all who willingly share of themselves on rosters to welcome & be valued members of our worship & ministry teams.

Almighty God, show us how to be available for ministry here in Southport in new ways you will reveal to us! Give us the joy of serving in your name. Pray for the elderly in our congregation who have had to give away roles they filled over the years and now be served by others. Amen

We pray for those of our congregation now living in nursing homes. May your presence with them be real and comforting. Encourage us Lord to support the elderly in whatever ways we can with friendship, love & a caring role. Father God, bless the chaplains & all who care for the elderly in body and in spirit. Amen

Creative God, give us a vision for this year ahead, to fund needed projects, fulfill needs of the vulnerable who seek our help & to have the strength & manpower to be up for the challenges ahead. Amen

 

 

Sat 31 May our prayers for today focus on thanks for answered prayer, needs met in love. Lord, give us the ability to walk forward into the new year, open to your leading in the confidence of this new journey. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord & Saviour.