We come again to our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER. What is your most pressing prayer concern at this time? We will have different answers to that question, but certainly each of us has reasons to pray and we need God to hear and to answer our prayers. We need God! Every day we are reminded that is the reality. I encourage you to read all of Psalm 84. I want us to reflect in particular this week on verses 8 and 12: “Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty; listen to me God of Jacob… LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” Again and again we recognize how much we need God. We turn to God, longing for Him to hear our prayers and to listen to us. The conclusion of this Psalm declares what we have experienced, which is blessing for those who trust in God. Why would we even try to manage our lives and the cares of this world without turning things over to God? Trusting God means continuing to pray when we have not yet seen the answers. Trusting God means believing that He does have a plan that will be revealed. Trusting God means not doubting His love for us when we feel distraught and weary and scared and discouraged. Trusting God means looking for God in unexpected places. For us, needing God and trusting God right now means praying for the spread of COVID to end for Maple Manor and for Tillsonburg and surrounding communities. Trusting God means praying that vaccines will become readily available to ensure immunity. Trusting God and needing God means that along with the troops stationed to guard the US Capitol and several US cities, we choose to surround and to guard the whole country and the people there with prayer and petitions for God to keep safe from unrest and violence. We can pray that our American neighbours will take time to listen and to try to understand each other even when they do not agree. We need to pray the same for ourselves in Canada. I hope that we are never reluctant to admit how much we need God. And when our ideas of how we should pray and for what we should pray most urgently are different, let’s bring our concerns to God and invite that He will figure out what will be for the best. Our prayers involve admitting how much we need God and asking Him to listen. In the quieter times of this lockdown, we also pray that we will be listening for God and allowing Him to bless us for choosing to trust Him through it all. As you are able, please arrange to join in our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow, January 20th at 1 pm.
LORD God Almighty, we turn our attention to You. No one else holds Your place. You are Almighty God. We trust in Your Mighty Hand in these days to protect and guide us and to keep us safe. Sometimes our ideas of being safe are about physical safety and good health. Thank You God that You can provide these gifts, but beyond that, You Almighty God can save our souls. You alone can keep us safe for eternity and we praise You that You have arranged this through Your Son Jesus. Our prayers unite now to implore You that measures will be taken for this spread of COVID to end at Maple Manor in Tillsonburg. Many of us know residents, family members, and staff from there. Knowing that this has been going on for an extended time, we know that people are getting exhausted. We pray for You to provide reserves of strength to see them through. Thank You for those who are praying and for those who have made themselves available to help Maple Manor. God, we admit that we need You and we need each other. In all Long Term Care homes dealing with COVID we pray for turning points to move towards overcoming COVID. We pray for this in all our communities as well. Our thoughts turn to families who have lost loved ones to COVID and we trust You for Your abiding comfort and peace. God please help us during this time of lockdown and help us to do what we need to do. Perhaps You will revise our understanding of what we really do need. We recognize frustration with those not following the restrictions. This creates a great deal of tension. Show us how You want us to handle this. When we start to consider the various ways that we need You LORD, it is an endless list. We praise you for your endless love and grace to respond to our every prayer. Now we pray for the events unfolding today in the inauguration of Joe Biden as President of the United States. Our prayers come before You that You will protect everyone from the threat of violence. We pray that this will signal change that will move toward a kinder and more just approach to governing. Our God, likewise in all of our relationships, we are asking that we will choose to honour You in the way that we regard and treat each other. It troubles us when we see people identifying themselves as Christians, but not reflecting the love of Christ. We need You to ensure that our lives do reflect your love and accurately represent Who You are. Today and every day we want to keep on expressing our need for You, as we trust You completely. Teach us Lord to listen for You and to obey Your leading. Thank You for the blessing that we can anticipate when we admit our need for You every moment and turn to You with an attitude of trust. In the Name of Christ our Saviour, Amen.