Pastoral Prayer - August 20
Hello everyone,
I feel called to continue to share the pastoral prayer I have been writing for Spring Valley UMC, where I served as associate pastor. This particular prayer is notable for two reasons. First, we pray for one of our congregants who lost her mother. Second, I included the missing children notifications we receive on our phones. I tend to write my prayers on Saturday night, waiting for any last-minute event I need to add to my prayer. That Sunday morning, the amber alert notification sounded twice. It was an excellent day to pray for those children and those families experiencing this.
I hope this prayer can comfort your hearts in whatever situation you face. Feel free to send me your prayer requests or leave a comment on this post with your prayers. Know that I'm praying for you. I may not know you, but God knows you.
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Blessings,
"God, we come to you this morning grateful for one more day that we get to be with each other, with our families and friends. We are thankful for the many ways you have responded to our prayers. We celebrate the healing of those who have been sick, a family whose children are returning home, the ways the United Methodist Church is responding to the devastation in Hawaii, a successful back to school, a fantastic church response to donate needed items for Network Ministry, the ways we are trying to meet our neighbors where they are.
But also, God, as we lift our celebrations to you, we raise our concerns this morning. Hear us, oh God, hear our prayers. The climate is too dangerous for vulnerable people that can’t stand the high temperatures, protect them. God bless those working intensely to stop the wildfire in Washington. We pray for water for rain to reduce the risk of more wildfires in our country.
God, we also pray for the children that are missing. We pray not to hear our phones ringing anymore for an Amber alert. We pray for the parents of those missing children, give them strength, and hope in you. We pray for families around the world that are struggling with hunger. Please, God, continue to guide the nonprofit organizations that provide the help they need.
We pray for those who are grieving. We especially pray this morning for Sharon Clark as she griefs the passing of her mother, Fran. We know God that this is a difficult time; it is painful, and it sometimes feels that our hearts are broken because we have loved them so much, and they are no longer physically with us. But God, bring comfort to our hearts, to Sharon at this time. Hold her hand and let your presence be known.
Speak to us, God, your church. Continue to move God and lead us into becoming what you want us to become. Lead us to meet our neighbors to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Lastly, God listens to each of our hearts here in this place. We thank you for your presence among us, for listening, and for responding in the many ways you manifest. We lift all our prayers, knowing God that you love us, and we conclude by praying as the body of Christ, the prayer that he taught us to pray…"
You can donate to help Hawaii here!
Learn more about "how to prevent wildfires"
Learn more about "what to do if my child is missing?"
