Each week, I am praying and wondering what the theme and focus of our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER is meant to be. This time, I have found myself drawn to a Scripture that I always find reassuring. It is from Romans 8:28-30, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Conversations that I have been having these last few days indicate a heightened level of anxiety and concern, as we have seen an increase in the rate of new cases of the Covid virus. Whatever it is that causes us concern and whatever may come in the present or future, we can know with certainty that there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from God’s love found in Christ Jesus our Lord. God is completely aware of what is happening in our world and none of it stands between us and God. None of the troubles of this world can cut us off from the immensity of God’s love for us expressed through Jesus. We can consider the deep, deep love of Jesus as we plan to pray together tomorrow, Wednesday, September 23rd at 1 pm.
Our God, thank You that we have entered into this new season of fall. Our hearts are stirred with the colours of the trees and the knowledge that You accompany us into yet another aspect of Your grand design. We give You thanks and praise for the intricate beauty of the world around us. We do claim with confidence the love that we encounter in Your Son, Jesus. Yes, there is exquisite delight for us in what You have created. In these moments we thank You that the power of Your love is greater than anything that threatens to overcome it. This includes the pandemic that is causing such a level of distress for everyone. Thank You that because You love us, we can trust You to watch over us and those for whom we pray. We never want to move away from holding confidence in Your love for us. We continue to pray that those who wonder if they can trust the certainty of Your love, will discover that they can. Our God, in Your love for us, You know that we do become tired and weighed down with the struggles of life here. We pray to be revived and encouraged when we remember that we cannot be separated from Your love for us by anything at all. Please guide us in choosing to receive and then to give your love with generosity every day. Knowing that Your love for us is deep and expansive, we look for courage for the road ahead. You have not promised that the way will be easy, but that Your love for us will be constant and unfailing. When we think toward the future, we really are not sure what to expect. Whether children will continue with in class learning is uncertain. We do not know how long it will be before a vaccine is available. We do not know about the recovery of the economy. But we do know that You love us deeply and care about what happens to us. Please God, may the love of Jesus wash over us, “rolling as a mighty ocean in its’ fulness over us.” We choose to pray now for potential plans toward meeting for worship inside our church. Please guide us with wisdom for the timing and all the details that will help to ensure safety. We also bring to You our ongoing personal prayers and look to You for the answers that You will bring. We enter this new fall season praying that Your deep love for us will inspire us to grow deeper in our love for You and for each other. In the name of Jesus and His deep and everlasting love for us. AMEN.