Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of April 26, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
We thank you, O God of Words and Poetry, for the gift of the Psalms. We begin our prayer tonight with the words of the psalmist:
In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. (Psalm 31:1-5)
We say those words at the graveside, O God. “Into your hands, we commit the spirit of ….” But you intended them for daily living. O God as we think about things we want to hide from, situations that bring us shame, forces from which we want to be rescued — how would our days be different if we committed our spirit to you?
As we come to the close of this day and look forward to the refuge of sleep and dreams, we want to ‘sleep like a rock!’ Perhaps sleep is our refuge. May we wake refreshed in the morning and may we remember to commit ourselves to you first thing. We commit our spirits, our desires, our intentions, our words, our thoughts, our tasks, our skills, we commit it all to you O Lord.
Perhaps we will not be so weary, tired, and afraid tomorrow.
Redeem us, O Lord, Faithful God!
We pray for ….
- A friend who went to ER; waiting for answers about ‘infection around liver.’
- A young friend whose health has improved! Now home from St. Jude’s Hospital!
- A wife recovering from hip replacement surgery; doing so well in rehab.
- A brother in the hospital after experiencing falls; prayers as he moves to rehab for strength and stability
- The fourth- and fifth-graders who are going on retreat this weekend.
- The sixth-graders who joined the church last Sunday!
- A colleague who is feeling the stress of work issues.
- A tiny one who is getting stronger each day in the NICU
- College students at the end of the semester
- The people of Sudan; may the leaders care about the people and not just themselves!
- A husband recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s
We continue to pray for …
- So many members who have loved ones going through treatments for cancer; waiting on tests.
- A young adult looking for a job using his talents.
- All of our elected officials; may they be servant leaders.
- Those in our congregation dealing with chronic illnesses; the ups and downs – the unpredictability of good days and bad days.
- The people of Ukraine and their soldiers
- Those whose grief is so very raw
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for…
- Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett and the leaders of the Holston Annual Conference
- The gift of holding a newborn
- A sixtieth wedding anniversary!
- A support group in addiction recovery.
- Rejoice. Thank you for giving me a way to be at church.
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.
