Prayer for Today – June 8

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 8, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

We understand you, O Compassionate Being, as one who knows our struggles and who travels with us, lest we fall upon the rocky thoroughfares of life. Yes, you are our Gentle Confidant and Friend, but we are perhaps too quick to overlook your power and dominion over all that is created. For your voice thunders over the mightiest waters and your speech is majestic – strong enough to break the great cedars of Lebanon, the Psalmist tells us. Your voice alone can shake the desert and twist the gigantic oaks. Forgive us, Lord, for our small vision, for our whittling you down to the size that fits our own needs.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

You told Moses and the Israelites thereafter: “I Am Who I Am; I Will Be Who I Will Be.” You are not one whom we might coax and manipulate, nor one whom we can ever fully understand.  But we have heard of your deeds, we have been recipients of your mercy, and we have been saved by your grace. These miracles alone are all we need to know. Our faith itself depends not on our understanding of your unfathomable essence, but by our depending upon your enduring benevolence.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

O One Who Journeys With Us, you have brought us through a week of harsh conflicts as a community and as a nation. Our hearts ache as we witness papered-over struggles of the past once again breaking open the veneer of parity. Forgive our complicity in these ongoing divisions, we pray; share your wisdom, that our faith may help forge a new road that points toward that new future you plan for us.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

There are other personal concerns that crowd our waking moments, O God, so we open our souls to you, knowing you are just a whisper away:

  • Gratitude: a father is recovering from his injuries after a fall and may be able to return to his residence soon
  • Thankful for prayers: mother is walking following hip surgery and is now home
  • A member is grateful for an inner ear diagnosis & her return to health
  • Thankful that cancer surgery went well and family is being a great help
  • Gratitude: a pregnant niece is healed of Covid-19 & will have her baby soon
  • Please pray for fiance’s safety in National Guard as he helps keep order in D.C.
  • A dear friend entering home hospice care – for grace and peace
  • For healing grace to surround one who continues to recover from surgery
  • That our nation may turn to God for solutions to our nation’s unrest
  • For our church to follow the UMC’s directive to support our Christian sisters and brothers working to eradicate racism, violence, and injustice
  • A dear friend who continues to struggle with cancer, for his family who assist
  • Healing for one suffering immense back pain
  • Proper diagnosis for a brother who suffers great urologic pain
  • Strength for one seeking to reduce her A1C level & combat depression

O Untamable One, though you are mightier than the fiercest storm, your Son taught us that you are always ready to hear from your children; so we humbly offer these prayers this day, and even our unspoken ones, in the name of Christ, who is above all, yet in all:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

Join us for a midday devotion

Head over to our YouTube channel at noon today for a short devotion to start your week!

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Prayer for Today – June 5

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 5, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

Our friend Jesus taught that life in his fold would not be easy; he warned of lurking dangers and unforeseen divisions. We will be upheld, he assured us, but pitfalls will not necessarily be erased. We have found this indeed to be true in our own experience. At times we are slaves to our routines and our own clouded imaginations, not adhering to the Holy Vision, but trusting in what has always been. Friends and even families let us down and we feel ourselves slipping on the sharp edges of discouragement. Be that strong shelter for us, O Lord. Hide us there and heal us until we are strong enough to try again.

Cornerstone of our Faith, receive our prayer.    

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

As you nurture us in that secure place, set us apart from our misdeeds and remind us that the past is the past. We asked forgiveness for our sins of yesterday and know that you absolved us. Nevertheless, not long after you blot out our deeds, we find ourselves picking up those hard remnants and loading them on our backs again. Your generous forgiveness is not yet ingrained in our hearts, so teach us how to release those rocks of regret and get on with the work of being your faithful disciples in the present.

Cornerstone of our Faith, receive our prayer.    

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

We call upon you alone, O Living Stone, for you have been our refuge from one generation to another. Hear now the prayers of our own souls this day, for we lift them up to your mercy . . .

And bend your ear to receive these offerings from our own church family:

  • Thankful that cancer surgery went well & family is a great help
  • An elderly father has been released from hospital & is recovering at home
  • Gratitude: a woman divorcing has received welcome news & financial support
  • Family celebrates the birth yesterday of a beautiful baby boy
  • A family offers thanks that a mother’s hip surgery went smoothly
  • Healing prayers for a family bidding a final farewell to a beloved son this day
  • Relief for husband who suffers recurrent PTSD, healing of his depression
  • A dear friend who continues to struggle with cancer, for his family who assist
  • Safety of peaceful demonstrators as they make their convictions known
  • Healing for one suffering immense back pain, for successful procedure today
  • Healing of a young father who continues his battle against cancer
  • Protection for those public servants endeavoring to restore peace

 Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

We are thankful for the psalmist’s words which foretold the unevenly shaped granite that was cast off by the builders. How wondrous that the Rejected Block became the capstone upon which all our faith is built! And we see how this miracle overlays our own stories as well. For while we humans are flawed and imperfect, through Christ, our humble efforts are ever encouraging others whom the world has tossed aside.

Cornerstone of our Faith, receive our prayer.    

You have set our feet upon your boulder of blessing, Gentle Lord; and as Jesus is with us now, we know our footing is secure. Thus we pray in his name:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

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Prayer for Today – June 4

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 4, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

O Constant Companion, we offer gratitude today for your church universal and for our own congregation in particular. Although we are separated physically from members of our church family, still we are bound together through your Holy Spirit in love and commitment. We confess that we remain restless during our time apart, and we tire of all the hurdles we must cross before we may meet together again in the flesh. But St. Paul taught us that love is patient and love endures all things, so let us take heart, knowing our loneliness will come to an end; and then we shall look back and realize your love was only a heartbeat away, and you never left our side for one moment.

Great Sustainer, receive our prayer.    

O Steadfast Friend, how blessed we are that you have brought goodness out of our setbacks! During the pandemic, it seems creativity was our guide. You have shown us how to retell the story of salvation through liturgy, music, devotionals, sermons, class meetings, and Circle gatherings via technology. You have shown us how to safely carry out our mission work of clothing the needy, feeding the hungry in our community, and packing more Zimbabwe food buckets than we ever imagined! The lonely receive personal contact each day; youth and children’s events continue to inspire. You have knit us more closely as a family as we have prayed regularly together, bearing each other’s burdens and celebrating each other’s blessings. How fortunate we are to have your friendship.

Great Sustainer, receive our prayer.      

You already know, Dear One, that we fall by the wayside from time to time, giving in to self-pity, doubts, and self-indulgence. Forgive us, we pray, and hear also these private confessions we now whisper . . .

Create in us new hearts, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. And hear as well these concerns on the hearts of our members:

  • Gratitude: a mother’s medical test was normal
  • One offers thanks for the group of friends who continue to check on her
  • A member’s major surgery yesterday was successful, for continued healing
  • An ill member is thankful for the prayer shawl that was made for him
  • Prayers for a mother having hip replacement surgery today
  • Please pray for a couple dealing with depression and health issues
  • That our church would confront race and diversity in our community and work toward becoming allies for all our brothers and sisters in Christ
  • A dear friend who is fighting cancer, for his family who assist him
  • God’s grace to surround a sister & family – 40-yr-old son died on May 31
  • Protection for a daughter & a brother in DC – that rioting comes to an end
  • Wisdom & guidance for daughters making decisions about their mother’s care
  • Prayers for a member facing a divorce, that God may make a new path for her
  • Safety of police / National Guard who serve to protect lives & property
  • Healing of a young father who continues his battle against cancer

Thank you for hearing us whenever we turn to you in earnest. Lift us up, O Lord, and we will continue to praise your holy name.

Great Sustainer, receive our prayer.    

O Lord of All That Is, we offer our prayers and petitions this day, as Jesus asked us to share all things with our Heavenly Father. In your mercy and in your own way, attend to our concerns, for we offer them in the name of the Beloved One, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

Devotion at noon today

Head over to our YouTube Channel at noon today for a short devotion with Rev. Starks.

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Prayer for Today – June 3

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 3, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

May we enter this day lifting up praise to you, O Lord, for you entrust us to bless and keep your good earth, to proclaim your holy name, to offer forgiveness as swiftly as the bird in flight, to show mercy when retribution is expected, and to love as sincerely as did your Son. With your help, may it be so.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.    

The apostle reminds us that we already have a sincere faith within us, but he advises us to rekindle this gift from God. For, through grace, we are not given a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. With gifts such as these, are we not supplied sufficiently to address the upheaval of our era? There are grievous inequities among our people; there are unfair practices that widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. A Voice calls us to awaken, to partner together, that all may live an abundant life and in peace and parity with their neighbors. Grant that we might rouse from our sleep and answer the call to work for oneness.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.    

Wondrous Healer, we pray you would bind up the gaping wounds of our nation so freshly inflicted. The innocent have been slain, and those seeking to help have been injured and traumatized. Violence is not your way, O Lord, so surely you weep when warring scenes unfold. Embed your wisdom within the hearts of our local, state, and national leaders, we pray, that healing resolutions may be fashioned and implemented for the good of all.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.    

Our souls also weep for those who continue to suffer: elderly friends shuttered away and out of touch, those who mourn loved ones who have died, ill family members who can have no visitors, the confused, the imprisoned. May your Spirit be at work among them, that they may know they are not forgotten. And accept also these praises and petitions close to the hearts of your people at Church Street:

  • Gratitude: good news from a biopsy report – thank you for praying
  • A member’s heart arrhythmia is under control, and he is home from hospital
  • Relative in TX sends deep gratitude to those creating our online worship
  • Thankful that a family’s move is complete and they are settling in new home
  • A mother is grateful that her son and daughter-in-law are now safe in Knoxville
  • A happy couple celebrates their 24th wedding anniversary
  • Protection for a daughter and a brother in DC & a grandson in Brooklyn
  • Wisdom and guidance for daughters making decisions about their mother’s care
  • Protection of two family members, police officials working to keep the peace
  • That we white people will truly listen to our black brothers and sisters, that we might hear God’s call to change our hearts & our systems of oppression
  • Safety of police and National Guard who serve to protect lives and property
  • Healing mercies for a woman having major surgery today
  • Courage for a member in a rehab unit: ill, lonely, & depressed
  • A dear friend awaiting medical test results, that news will be promising

Thank you, Compassionate Friend, for hearing us and for working on our behalf.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.    

We give praise to the Holy One who created us, to Christ who cherishes us, and the Spirit who dwells in our hearts now and evermore:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

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Prayer for Today – June 2

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 2, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

O Disturbing Dove, as you swept down upon those huddled ones who clung together in fear so long ago, we pray your Pentecost Spirit would burst upon us again today. Crash open those barricades that have barred us from reaching out to others. Break down those heavy doors of mistrust that have cut us off from the new things you are doing just beyond our driveways. Blow away the broad rooftops that have kept us from basking in your light of grace. We know your Spirit is ever on the move, so stir us up with your fresh wind of hope. Carry us on that life-giving breeze and plant us in the places where we may best be used to spread seeds of healing.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

O God of Past, Present, and Future, as we look out upon the beauty of today, may we remember those who cannot see. As we listen to birdsong and the soothing rustle of leaves, may we remember those who cannot hear. As we meander across fields of lush green, may we remember those who cannot walk. As we savor the goodness of past blessings, may we remember those whose memory has vanished. Comfort those who bear such keen losses; yet give us wisdom to know we will join them soon enough. Meanwhile may we understand the tender blessings you have bestowed and bow in humility when we take them for granted.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Jesus told us he had come that we might have life in all its fullness. Yes, your goodness abounds and we praise you! Still you know there are times when we do feel empty inside, so watch over these friends in our church family who offer  gratitude for your mercy, we pray. And sustain those who have only emptiness to offer:

  • Grateful that a father was able to move from ICU to a regular hospital room
  • Gratitude that one was released from hospital today and is now at home
  • Thanksgiving: kidney test results were normal
  • A friend is healing on schedule following an accident, please continue prayers
  • Protection of a son in Georgia and a son-in-law in Clinton, both police officials endeavoring to keep the peace and protect property
  • That we white people will truly listen to our black brothers & sisters, that we might hear God’s call to change our hearts & our systems of oppression
  • Safety of policemen and women who serve to protect lives and property
  • Healing mercies for a woman having major surgery tomorrow
  • Prayers for one hospitalized to correct heart arrhythmia
  • Wisdom & confidence for one preparing for a very important exam
  • Three anxiously awaiting medical test results, that news will be promising
  • Family grieving the sudden death of their pet

Deep down, we believe that neither heartache, loneliness, fear, illness, nor even death will separate us from your love. Bring that buried belief to the surface, Loving Lord, that it might be our first thought each and every morning.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Empowering God, may we accept the strength and wisdom your Spirit brings, that we may do our part in offering your hope to others in our broken world. We ask all these things in the name of Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

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Prayer for Today – June 1

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

June 1, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

What is it within us, Lord, that causes us to perpetuate the sins of the past? What is it in our make-up that pushes us to categorize and divide our human family? Is it some residue of Cain’s jealousy of and viciousness against his brother that is embedded in us? As the prophet Nathan pierced the veil covering King David’s crime, pierce our own complacency, we pray, that we who remain silent at the sight of injustice will know we are also guilty in your eyes. Forgive our blundering selfishness.

O Lord, hear us, help us, heal us.    

Another prophet once said that “Riot is the language of the unheard.” Unstop our ears and our hearts, we pray, that we might detect the cries of the oppressed; for only in listening will we behold your road to redemption. The new questions will be hard and the answers equally disturbing, for much is required of us. Will I reach out to dialogue with those whose skin color is different from my own? Will I help lay open the inequities that exist in our community? Will I take the risk to personally work alongside those who are oppressed? Through your mercy, may we answer rightly.

O Lord, hear us, help us, heal us.

As beings of your creation, you behold each of us as your very own child. We appear as wondrous trees standing alone; but underneath, we are as gnarled roots, knotted tightly within the soil of your sacred love. Only with roots entwined, held together by your living grace, will we grow straight and tall, thriving as community. And by that same grace, we pray you would receive these praises and these pleas for assistance from our Church Street family:

  • A happy couple celebrate their recent engagement
  • Head wound surgery went smoothly; pray for clear path report
  • Gratitude for the long life of a faithful member & for her Christian example
  • Thankful for prayers: a co-worker who suffered a stroke has been released from rehab and has returned home to his family
  • Family celebrate their son who suffered a tragic accident is now home from the hospital & will recover—please continue praying
  • Healing of our nation’s racial divisions and unjust practices
  • Safety of policemen & women who serve to protect our communities
  • Three anxiously awaiting medical test results, that news will be promising
  • Lift up parents grieving the death of their 24-yr-old son; solace for his siblings
  • Two members who are struggling with depression

O Lord, hear us, help us, heal us.

This day, may all our prayers be acceptable and rise to heaven, joining all those petitions from around the globe in the name of our Savior, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

Join Rev. Rick Isbell for a devotion at 12 PM today

Click here for a short devotion at noon! Or watch it on YouTube any time afterward.

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Prayer for Today – May 29

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

May 29, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

O Wind of Heaven, we wait today with your disciples in the comforting stillness of that upper room. In our own timidity, we are not prepared for that gushing wind that rips open the windows and overturns our neatly arranged accessories. We are astonished to hear ourselves speaking in unknown tongues, and yet we understand each other perfectly! If it takes such a whirring display to teach us the language of love and community, then let your strong winds blow, O Lord, let them blow!

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

O Flame of Newness, neither are we prepared for the fingers of flame that circled closely, then rested upon us. These melt away our distractions and call us to witness your unrestrained power at hand. Set fire to our hearts that have long grown cold and indifferent, we pray. When we tremble with fear, ignite us with your glowing new challenges. And may all our false aims and self-centeredness perish in the rubble of your refining grace. If it takes a mystifying blaze to purify our spirits, then release your flame of newness, O Lord, release your flame of newness.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You appear in our midst, O God, on the wings of a dove, a harbinger of your redeeming peace. You arrive at the perfect moment, knowing already the challenges we face and the toll this current pandemic has taken. You come to feed hearts hungering for your presence. Make that presence known to each suffering soul, and especially to those of our Church Street family who offer their own concerns:

  • Grateful for prayers – an elderly father is released from the hospital
  • Gratitude: for the ministry of Rev. Chuck Starks and his family
  • Thankful that a sister will be able to recover from her stroke
  • One offers thanksgiving that a vacation has been scheduled
  • Healing mercies for a member: surgery today to cleanse a head wound
  • Prayers for a member having nerve ablation today, for healing of great pain
  • Courage & strength: member very ill with diabetes now in isolation unit
  • Safe delivery of a member’s baby, peace for the waiting family
  • Two women who are recovering at home, for decreasing pain and healing
  • Prayers for one who is depressed, that he may be able to overcome it
  • Healing mercies for five persons newly diagnosed with Covid-19
  • Continued prayers for a neighbor suffering from brain cancer and his family

Lift us all on your white wings of hope, we pray, and carry us to that healing place.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You come to us, O Holy One, as the power of the roaring wind, as a spark that ignites, and as a dove whose soaring movements cannot be traced. And you come, not just at Pentecost, but every time we open our hearts to your inspiration. Grant that we might become bold enough to share with the world the marvels of our Great Sustainer, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

Prayers resume Monday, June 1

Enjoy your weekend, and we hope to see you in worship with us online this Sunday at 10 am!

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Prayer for Today – May 28

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

May 28, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

O Weaver of Hope, you have fashioned a multi-colored treasure for us throughout the years. The sky-blue love of friends and family, the golden faithfulness of those who root for us, who wait to hear from us, the emerald accolades that come our way, the coral assurance that we are loved as we are, and the plum promise of a new beginning each and every day. All these are as ribbons woven together into a vivid blanket of blessing. Cover us with that blanket, Lord, especially when the chill of depression fills the night air. And we will remember all that we have received from you and will know that it is more than sufficient.

In your grace, O Lord, hear our prayer.    

O Love Without Equal, at times during this gray interlude of isolation, our thoughts turn to those who are not as fortunate as ourselves. And it is well that our souls recognize the somber side of life in this realm. We hear of those who are hurting in their private lives. Let us not overlook those whose loved ones have died, those saddened by family pressures, those whose diseases cannot be cured, those whose burdens cannot be borne alone. We lift up to you light all those who may be despairing this day, especially these whose names we whisper in the silence . . . May each know your tender mercy and feel their hearts strangely warmed.

In your grace, O Lord, hear our prayer. 

O Hidden Source of Calm, your Son once asked the blind man a simple question: “What do you want me to do for you?” We believe the same question is asked of us in our age; therefore, we boldly make our requests known to you, especially these which are voiced by our members of our Church Street family:

  • Grateful for prayers – a house closing went smoothly
  • Gratitude: public servants who help the unemployed navigate the system
  • After 3 bleak months, a businesswoman is thankful her work is increasing
  • Thankful for prayers: a sister with cancer has received some promising news
  • Family grateful for the days spent with a father and grandfather before his died
  • Praises: a grandson’s ACL and meniscus surgery went well, prayers for recovery
  • Courage and strength for a member with diabetes now in a therapy unit
  • Peace and comfort for a loving son and his family burying his father today
  • Healing prayers: a father injured in a fall and a young man with a brain bleed
  • Five members who valiantly continue their cancer treatments
  • Beloved relative who remains in ICU, isolated from her family
  • Continued prayers for a sister recovering from a stroke
  • Family & friends mourning the loss of a wonderful mother

As you are ever ready to hear us, attend to the needs of your people, O God, and we will ever tell of your constancy.

In your grace, O Lord, hear our prayer.

You have not left us comfortless, for we have your Holy Spirit and your abiding care; so we commit ourselves anew to you, relying upon Christ as our own Example and our Redeemer:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

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Prayer for Today – May 27

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

May 27, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

Bidden or unbidden, the Lord is with us. Soundless Seeker, are you sitting on the nearby bench or rustling among the leaves overhead? Are you kneeling at the bedside when I pray, or humming with me in the flower bed? You never miss an opportunity to woo us – for where we are, there you also want to be. In this interim, as we discover more about ourselves and our own spirit longings, may we discover you as well. For in truth, they are one in the same.

O Love Never Ending, hear our prayer.    

Consoling Counselor, be with those who weep this day: those in the grip of illness, in the web of depression, those in the valley of confusion, neglect, loneliness, hunger, or death. You hear every cry, O Lord, so answer the pleas of your children. And it is true you also gave us ears to detect the sobbing of suffering souls among us. Fine-tune our hearing, we pray, that we might become the Compassionate Christ knocking on the door of the despondent ones and binding their open wounds. Yes, it requires courage to cross those thresholds, but you will supply it.

O Love Never Ending, hear our prayer.

How fortunate we are that you loved us and sought us even before we first drew breath! Fill our lungs with your spirit wind, we pray, that we might sing of your goodness and glory. And in your mercy, breathe on us this day and revive us, as we offer the praises and the concerns of your people at Church Street:

  • Newlyweds celebrate purchasing their first home in Alabama
  • Gratitude for the life of a wonderful Christian mother who died on Saturday
  • Gratitude and guidance for young couple settling in Knox after a long absence
  • One is thankful for a short vacation to restore her family’s spirits
  • Praises: following surgery, a friend will require neither chemo nor radiation
  • Prayers for a mother having medical tests this afternoon – that all goes well
  • Healing prayers for a father injured in a fall over the weekend
  • Relief of pain for a member recovering from foot surgery
  • Son (29) suffering brain bleed and serious complications after a fall; that he might receive the best of treatment; peace for his family
  • Blessings for a mother suffering a malignancy, strength for her family
  • Strength for a caregiver, that she does not overextend herself
  • Full recovery for a sister who suffered a stroke over the weekend
  • Solace for those who are isolated from loved ones and families who grieve

O Love Never Ending, hear our prayer.

You are age to age the same, O Eternal One, so into your hands, we commend our past, our present, and our future, knowing we will still dwell with you when all time is blended together in love:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

Have a prayer request?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

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Prayer for Today – May 26

,

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

May 26, 2020

Pastor Jan

 

“Hail the Day that sees him rise!” Let the trumpets sound! Our Risen Lord deserves our songs of praise! So sing we during this interval when we celebrate our Ascended Savior. O God, we offer praise for your Beloved Son who now rules with you in Paradise. We pray his song might become a drumbeat keeping time in our thoughts, a wind of change sweeping through our spirits, a loving tune that would make its home in our souls. Refine us, that we might become worthy instruments of your intent.

Hear us, Good Lord.    

Ever-Loving One, we indeed have sorrows: our movements are restricted, our older loved ones are isolated and lonely, our work has changed or disappeared altogether, and we are unable to worship with friends. It is difficult to set aside these setbacks, but we pray you would wipe away all our thoughts colored with negativity this day. The wise man has told us that if in all our ways we acknowledge you, then you will direct our path. You have directed us thus far, O Holy One, so why should we question your presence when the road becomes furrowed?

Hear us, Good Lord.

In so many ways you have blessed us, O Cherished One, so listen as we acknowledge the gifts you have laid at our feet in recent days: . . .

How marvelous is your name in all the earth! Also receive, we pray, these personal thanksgivings and concerns that are on the hearts of our church family:

  • A thankful family celebrates the birth of a new baby
  • One is grateful for prayers: safe travel during bereavement and family visits
  • Thanksgiving for help received in solving a legal matter
  • One is grateful for a personal gift beyond compare
  • Continued prayers for a son recovering from surgery
  • Healing for a dear friend with cancer and a mother with leukemia
  • Strength for a widow and her daughters who help her move to a new home
  • Full recovery for a sister who suffered a stroke over the weekend
  • Strength, guidance, and grace for one who is caregiver for an ill friend
  • Protection from illness of a son and daughter-in-law in NC
  • Safety for a daughter moving across the country today

We know you will touch us with your tender mercy and will remain at our side. For that assurance, and for the ways you heal us, we are humbled.

Hear us, Good Lord.

With the turmoil across the globe and the uncertainty of our health and economy, we worry about the date and time of your return, O Christ. But you told us that such matters are not our concern. So help us to lay aside our questions and timetables, and place our lives in your hands, knowing the ascension was full of promise. We WILL see Jesus again, and on that day, our uncertainty will turn into joy. Until then, let us faithfully watch and wait, all the while offering the words our Savior taught us:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. 

 

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