Our Wednesday Prayer Together this week has us pausing for prayer on November 11th, Remembrance Day. God has given us the gift of remembering and remembering has purpose. When, on Remembrance Day, we remember those who have served for the cause of freedom and peace, we are deeply grateful. We can remember that we have seen in the past the outcome of hatred and discrimination that has led to war. We can pray that we will instead make choices motivated by God’s love that lead to peace. The events surrounding the American election continue to remind us that every day there are choices to be made about how we treat each other. We do pray that there will now be healing and a desire for people to work together, not against each other. In Psalm 77:1,2 we read, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” When we remember that God is the One who can bring healing, there is hope in our hearts. We can remember that God can heal the bitterness and frustration that rises up when people are not treated with respect and dignity. We can remember that God can challenge all of us to recognize the wounds that have been inflicted and to look for ways for those wounds to be healed. We can remember that each of us can come to God for His healing touch. God looks on us with love and knows our hurts that we may keep hidden from others. We can remember that God knows and understands and wants to heal and lift us up. Remembering and praying is only the beginning of looking for God’s answers. How will we be active agents for God to make a “time to heal” a reality? In our prayers, we do not lose sight of the healing needed as we stare down this Covid pandemic. We remember how this disease has taken lives and crushed hopes and dreams. We recognize the weight we are all carrying. We remember that health care workers are carrying an especially heavy weight. As we come to God today in prayer, we remember that God loves us always and forever and is ready to bring healing and to guide us forward. God always remembers us! May we always remember Him! Tomorrow Wednesday November 11th at 1 pm, we can take time to pray the prayer included here and to freely bring our own personal prayers to God.
God Bless and keep you as we remember, Pastor Lola
Our God, we know and remember what Remembrance Day is about. We thank you for this time each year when we remember and appreciate our veterans. We thank you for those who were willing to serve and to sacrifice. We thank you for those who still serve and sacrifice. We pray that our gratitude will inspire us to find our own ways of serving in order to express Your love in our world. In recent days, we have witnessed the hope for there to be a “time to heal” after so much disputing and division. We are praying that people in the States will now work hard to find ways to be united. We pray for our own need to seek unity and cooperation and invite Your Divine assistance in this. God, today we remember You and how you make healing possible. In our lifetimes, we have seen healing and wholeness emerge. In unexpected ways, You persist in easing pain and allowing healing to take place. We pray for this healing in relationships that have been damaged or severed. We pray for Your healing in our hearts when we feel unwilling to forgive. We pray for those we know dealing with various illnesses and ailments that need healing. Our prayer is for all of us to remember who You are and what You can offer us. Where there is the grief of loss, we pray for healing. Where there is intense anxiety about the future, we pray for healing. Where people have forgotten You, we pray for them to remember You and Your grace available for every need. Where we have forgotten You, we turn back to You and encounter Your certain welcome. Thank You God for our capacity to remember that makes it possible for us to recall how You have given a “time to heal” before when it was needed. Now we find ourselves in this time of seeking Your healing power for the Covid pandemic. We hear news of progress with an effective vaccine and are hopeful. We pray for the researchers working to make this available. We pray about the decisions for who will first have access to the vaccine. We pray knowing it will still be for some timeyet that we will have to deal with Covid. Our God, what are the things we have not yet learned during this time? What are You wanting to teach us? We pray for a greater empathy for others. We pray that our sense of what really matters will match Yours and not be stuck in selfish considerations. Thank You for the lovely warm weather we have been enjoying these last few days. Thank You for the loving gifts You provide in each day to remind us that You take pleasure in blessing us. We pray for us to recognize these blessings from You and to remember to thank You. We pray for the discovery of generous ways to share Your blessings and as we do, for others to be reminded and encouraged that because of You there can be “a time to heal.” Guide our thoughts and words and actions to remember You and to embrace Your ways in a “time to heal” every day. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN