What have you lost lately? For me it was a tiny backing off of one of my earrings. The smaller an item, the harder it can be to find. It takes persistence to find what has been lost. Sometimes after an initial search, we are tempted to give up. It will depend on how important an item is to us, how long we will devote to trying to locate it. In Scripture, Jesus tells the story of a woman who had 10 silver coins and one was lost. Jesus says, Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ (Luke 15:8,9) That one lost coin was valuable to her and she did devote time and effort to finding it. Likewise our prayers become part of our devoted effort to bring to God what is important to us, what we consider valuable. Certainly each person we know is valuable and worth our commitment to pray for those who are lost to be found. It seems that there are many lost souls these days. Some people have lost sight of God and His love and care for them. There are those who are caught up in the disputes swirling around in our communities. Our prayers for ourselves and others can center in a desire for God to help the lost to be found. And when the lost are found, there is celebration. However long it takes, may we not give up in our prayers for truth and freedom that only Jesus can supply. We will have reason to rejoice and to praise God when the lost are found. We can remember our own personal experiences of once being lost and then being found. Our loving God does not give up searching for us because we are infinitely valuable to Him. It will be our privilege to join for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow, May 5th at 1 pm.
Our God of Mercy, we begin by thanking You for Your persistent love for each of us. Thank You that You did not give up on any of us when we were wandering and had not yet found our way to You. It can be easy for us to become critical of others who seem to have lost their way. We are puzzled by the choices that we see people making. Rather than respond with criticism and judgement, we are praying for persistent care and compassion that reflects the love of Jesus our Saviour. We pray that as we are praying for people that You will replace frustration with loving hopefulness for them to be found by You. Remind us that we too have been lost and needed to be found. We are praying now for relationships in our communities. We pray for where there are differences of opinion and division has resulted. Our prayers come to You our God with concern for family members and friends who are at odds with each other. There are some who are not speaking to each other. Please bring healing and restore these relationships. Our God, we are asking You to shine the light of Your Presence as the search is made for what has been lost. Where there is a need to “sweep house,” please begin with my heart and reveal whatever attitudes I am harbouring that need to be cleansed. Thank You God that You do search carefully for each of us until we find our way to You. Your commitment to each person, regardless of public opinion is an example for us. Forgive us for ‘keeping our distance” from people when it comes to seeking to love and to understand. We look forward to a time of celebrating together when the lost are found and when harmony is restored. We think of the angels of heaven rejoicing whenever someone is brought home to You. We want to have that kind of outlook. We want to stand ready to celebrate Your liberating power evident in Your work of grace in those who humble themselves before You. When our strength grows weary and we are inclined to give up caring and searching for Your holy plans and purposes, refresh us by Your Holy Spirit we pray. We are asking God that each new day will bring renewed commitment on our part to engage in praying and searching so that those who are lost may be found when they encounter You. Our prayers extend to where the spread of the virus is increasing and people are overwhelmed with fear. We thank You for the international response to the drastic need in India. We pray that where people are far away geographically that we would not permit that they be far away from our hearts. We continue to pray for our country of Canada and for each province and territory. We pray protection for health care workers and thank You for those who have come to help here in Ontario. Where there is exhaustion, please supply fresh energy. Where there is despair, we pray for hope to be found in You. Instead of longing for tomorrow, please give us courage for what You are asking of us today. May we have the kind of love that You have when You look on us and our struggles. When we are able to be together again, we are praying that we will have reason to celebrate what You have done by Your wisdom and grace in drawing us closer to You. Praise You God for Your redeeming outcomes in the lives of anyone who will be found by You. Thank You God for the mighty power of your love. In the Name of Jesus who searches tirelessly for those who will turn to Him. AMEN