Prayer for Today - July 2014

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord, I ask for the gifts
of knowledge and wisdom
and understanding.
What I pray for
I intend to work at,
so that I may develop
an open mind,
a thirst for knowledge,
and a wisdom that makes good use
of my knowledge and experience.
I know that any gifts are useless
if I do not also have
love and concern for others,
and so I ask that you inspire me
to live in such a way
that I am caring and compassionate
and promote understanding
between people.
May others respect me, Lord,
as much as I respect them. Amen

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Loving Lord,
you tell us in the Bible
that whatever wrong we have done
you tread down our faults
to the bottom of the sea. Mic 719
We know there is no need
to keep thinking
about what we have done
in the past, Is 4318
because you pardon
the wrongs we have done,
and you delight
in showing mercy. Mic 718
You bind up all our wounds Ps 1473
and you renew us
by your love. Zeph 317
Lord, you love
all that you have made, Wis 1124
and it is your very nature
to love and forgive.
Lead us to be generous
in accepting and forgiving others
in the same way
as you accept and forgive us.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus,
bring your love to our lives
in a new way today
so that any fear that we might have
is driven away,
knowing that
“perfect love casts out fear”.
Then your light
will shine more brightly in us,
and others will be able to see
the good things that are done
in your name.
Help us to grow more aware
of the love and respect and dignity
that you give us
in calling us your “friends”.
We ask that your Spirit acts in us
so that we discover
and take pride
in who we really are.
Make us credible witnesses
of your love
so that others
may more readily share
in your love and your light,
you who are the light of the world.
Amen

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

In times of difficulty, Lord,
may we support others
with the same care and concern
as we would like to experience
ourselves.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord, our God and King,
your greatness is seen
throughout the earth.

When I gaze at the heavens
which your fingers have formed,
and look at the moon and the stars
which you have set there,
I realise how small we are
in the majesty of your creation.

Yet you treasure us
above all that you have made,
and you give us control
over all the works of your hand
- animals both wild and tame,
birds in the air,
and the creatures of the sea.

Lord, our God and King,
your greatness is seen
throughout the earth. Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

God our Father,
the landing on the moon
was one of the most significant events
in human history.
We give thanks
for the skills and expertise
and the courage and co-operation
which led
to that successful venture.
In giving thanks
we recall, too,
that the astronauts
showed their appreciation
and reminded us
of important values.
We pray for the power of your Spirit
in our lives
that we may live in thankfulness
and be people of vision and courage
who have compassion for one another.
Amen.

Because You're Special



I said a prayer for you today
to make your spirits soar,
I prayed for happiness for you,
but then I asked for more.
I asked that God would give you
the courage that you need
to be yourself, to do your best,
to dream and to succeed.
I prayed that God would bless you
with confidence in who you are,
because in God's eyes, as in mine,
you'll always be a star.

- Author Unknown

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

God our Father,
we thank you
that in the vastness of your creation
there is something special
about the beauty of this earth.
Into our world
which you love so much
you sent Jesus, your Son
- your Word
who became a human being -
and he made his home among us.
Open our eyes
that we may have
a sense of wonder and awe
that leads us to treasure
all that you have made.
Show us how to value
all who are a part of our lives this day.
Amen.

“God’s Word became a human being, and he lived among us.”
Jn 1:14

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

We pray, Lord,
for all who will need
strength and courage today:
- for those who are seriously ill;
- for those
who are in desperate situations
and see no hope of anything different;
- for those who find it difficult
to face others or themselves;
- for those in pain from illness
or mistreatment or torture;
- for those who know
that others depend on them.
For all these people
we ask for the power of your Spirit
in their lives.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

The prayer listed today was the lyrics of the gospel song, Amazing Grace. My sisters and I sang it many times, and I know that as we sang it, it was a prayer.

I am dating myself, but no one sang it better than George Beverly Shea.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:
God our Father,
the star of Bethlehem
was a sign of faith
for the Wise Men,
and their faith led them
to discover the newly-born Jesus
in Bethlehem.
May we grow in faith
and discover Jesus
in our daily lives.
Lord, hear us
Lord, graciously hear us.

Thousands of people worked together
to enable the astronauts
to land on the moon.
May we grow in our appreciation
for all who are part of our lives.
Lord, hear us
Lord, graciously hear us.

The Wise Men
had a sense of vision and purpose
- and so did the astronauts.
Give us the power of your Holy Spirit
that we may share your vision
of individuals and of our world.
Lord, hear us
Lord, graciously hear us.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord, may I receive this day
as much respect and encouragement
and building up
as I give to others today.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord,
I want to be responsible
for my own life,
and I want to make positive choices
each day.
Inspire me to get my priorities right
and be generous
in my care and concern for others.
In busy days and casual days
remind me, too,
of my basic human need
for personal time and quiet and space,
and lead me to respect
the personal needs
that others also have.
Amen.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

There are times, Lord,
when we say we are hungry
but we really have no idea
what real hunger is,
and the desperation
that goes with it.
We even tend to waste food.
We ask you, Lord, to inspire us
to discover the real priorities in life
so that we may live simply
so that others may simply live.
Amen.



So often those feelings of hunger are not for the body, but the mind and spirit.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus,
the Bible reminds us
of the dignity and equality
of all people,
and you call us to love our neighbours
as we love ourselves.
At the beginning of your ministry
you read out loud
in the synagogue of Nazareth
from the prophet, Isaiah,
saying:
“I have been sent to give liberty
to the captives.”
Today we will meet people
who are held captive in different ways
by being treated unfairly,
or abused, taken for granted,
overworked, looked down upon.
Be with us, Lord,
that we may help
to bring freedom today
by giving respect and support
and encouragement. Amen.



Love this picture, it on on one of my sites, before they got deleted and the servers closed down. It didn't have this caption on it.

[MajestyJo]

Let us pray:

Lord God, I thank you
for your gifts to me
of skills, talents, and abilities.
May I use them
to the best of my ability
and grow as the person
you want me to be.
Amen.





DAILY CARD OF FAITH