Weekly Prayer – 02/04/2025

Week of February 4, 2026

Rev. Catherine Nance

___________________________

It is easier to pray to you on warm days, O God. We know you are always with us, but on cold days it is more difficult to raise our head, lift our hands out to you, and take deep satisfying breaths as we give thanks to you. On cold nights, we are hunched inward, hands clutching our sweater, our bodies drawn up in a knot. Instead of deep breaths, we feel our spirits rattled by shivering. Even indoors, with the heat turned up, we say we cannot get warm and complain about the weather.

Forgive us for our grumpiness, O God, but we are tired of the cold. We are tired of things being cancelled. We are weary of being tied to weather apps. We are just tired.

Thank you for receiving us as we are. May this time of praying together with our church family be a time of thawing out. We do want our hearts and spirits to feel the warmth of your love, and we do want to give thanks for the warm homes and extra blankets we have. We are already sensing a shift in our posture as we unwrap ourselves and open towards you.

Thank you for the opportunity our church has had with the warming center. We pray for those who are volunteering tonight and in the morning. Also, praying for those who are seeking refuge with us tonight and then will come back for Soup Kitchen tomorrow. We admit, O God who knows our hearts, that there have been frustrations. We have had to make changes and rearrange things. It was easy to think that providing a warm place for a night might change people’s lives …. But we have realized that there are many layers and many problems and not one simple solution.

Having our eyes and hearts opened, may we be a helpful voice in offering solutions and understanding. Help us see our neighbors as individuals who have hopes and want so much more. Forgive us when we make quick judgments. We thank you for police officers, KAT bus drivers, and city officials who have offered so much help in getting people to warm places. May leaders work together for long-term solutions.

As we imagine our church family praying along with us, we think of those who have offered prayer requests, and we think of those who are near and dear to us who seek your comfort. We pray for families who are facing new challenges with medical diagnosis or disruption in their lives. When things have turned upside down, your steadfast presence can give us a sense of well-being. When test results and scans show what is going wrong in our body, may your spirit help us feel what is good and healthy in our souls and hearts. We are grateful for the healing power of love that works through all of our interactions and conversations.

We pray for wholeness in so many situations, O God. May our words and actions, through your Holy Spirit, bring reminders of your grace, mercy, and love.

We offer this prayer in the name of Christ and share the concerns of those who have shared…

We pray for ….

A college student who had foot surgery today. Prayers for healing and ease of pain.
A friend who is battling recurrent brain cancer and is having seizures.
A young woman asking for strength and perseverance as she deals with symptoms of PTSD … nightmares and other symptoms. May she feel God’s peace.
All ministries that are working with people dealing with addiction issues that they may be brought to wholeness
For those adjusting to assisted living centers, memory care, skilled care; and for the families who love them.
Our neighbors experiencing homelessness
For one who is having chemo treatments; prayers for healing and for no side effects.

We continue to pray for …

For a member who is beginning the cancer treatment process with appointments for scans, etc.
A member receiving chemo treatments.
For a 5-year old child in Birmingham diagnosed with brain tumor; prayers for his medical team and family.
A member’s cousin who is waiting on a kidney transplant.
Friends and family who have needs; prayers for peace and wellbeing.
Those members who are waiting on test results or waiting for appointments with doctors; may they feel your peace and patience as they wait.
Those who are still without power … places in Mississippi and elsewhere.

We give thanks for ….

A member whose brother received a transplant!
The life of a mentor who meant so much in regards of faith development and vocation.
Those who work outside repairing roads, power lines; EMT personnel, our military … all who have do not get a ‘snow day.’

We seek your guidance and strength as we pray together the prayer your Son Jesus Christ has 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.

Have a Prayer Request?
Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.