Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of March 20, 2024
Written by Rev. Catherine Nance
O God of evening, many of us are coming to you now ready for a good night’s sleep. We look back over the day and offer gratitude for the ways you have shown your love and grace to us. But you know, O God of nighttime, that there are those of us who dread the night for we have trouble sleeping. There is much on our mind. We want to ‘find our rest in you,’ but our minds will not turn off.
Soothe our spirits O God, give us a sense of trust that you are with us. You neither slumber nor sleep and you will watch over us. We pray for mothers and fathers who watch their children sleep, worried about their future. We pray for children who hope their aging parents can sleep well; storing up energy for the next day’s medical appointments and errands. Our minds wander to the day’s news and when we close our eyes we see images from around the world. How can we rest?
Breathe on us, O Breath of God. Help us to see and to receive the nighttime as a gift. Please help our minds and souls to rest. You have created in us in such a way that our bodies and spirits need rest. Help us to see this as a gift and not an escape or a hurdle to overcome.
May we truly find our rest in you.
We pray for those who are too weary to pray. We pray for those who do not know how to pray. And we pray for those who do not know the solace that comes from communing with you. We know you hear all the sighs and the groans and the silence and receive them as prayer.
Bless you, O God of evening.
Tomorrow may we rise singing, “Morning by morning new mercies I see!”
And now, in an act of covenant love with our church family, we pray for these individuals and families who have asked for prayer …
We pray for ….
- A grandson who broke tibia and fibula playing basketball at school. Thankful that surgery went well. Prayer for healing for this young man!
- A man looking for meaningful work that can sustain him financially and emotionally
- A husband recovering from ACL surgery
- A member having surgery at Duke; prayers of thanksgiving for a doctor who offered solution to pain
- The babies and children who are starving in Gaza. Pray for compassion and sense to prevail. Lord, in your mercy, please deliver these children! Hear our prayer!
- For a member waiting on MRI results
- For a wife dealing with the unexpected death of her husband. Giving thanks for loving children and family
- Sons who are grieving the death of their beloved mother
- A husband and wife as they begin learning about different types of dementia and how to plan for a healthy and safe situation
We continue to pray for ….
- The newborns in our church family; thankful for loving parents and good health!
- A member whose beloved canine companion is undergoing treatment and therapy
- A member who has moved to skilled nursing care and rehab after a stroke
- A dear friend who was so active and now unable to walk
- Loved ones who are transitioning from ‘home alone’ to ‘assisted living’
- Caregivers who feel they are alone.
- Those whose grief is deep
We give thanks for ….
- Acceptance letters from colleges and post-high school programs
- Our country and its freedoms
- The chance to visit with granddaughter
- The improved health of a dear mother and mother-in-law
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.
