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A new Christian prayer thread for 2014

999 replies

Tuo · 02/01/2014 00:58

Welcome to our new prayer thread for 2014. This is a safe and supportive place of prayer, where regulars, occasional visitors and lurkers, committed Christians and those just dipping a toe into the water are all equally welcome. Come and leave a prayer, tell us what’s going on in your life, bring your worries, hopes, fears and joys to God, and know that you will be prayed for.

We pray, in particular, for...

... amberlight, for her work raising awareness of autism in churches, and for her to know love and acceptance wherever she goes;

... Badvoc and her family, as they grieve for her dad; prayers too for her aunt who is seriously ill; and prayers for a good recovery from her gallstones operation;

... BananasForTed, praying for her mental health and for her difficult work situation, and also praying that she was able to go back to her church and that she found support there;

... BlackEyedSusan, for all the many things which she has to juggle in her life as a single parent; in particular, we pray for her mum's health, and for both her DC to receive the support that they need at school;

... BlessedAssurance, when she feels challenged because of her faith at her place of work; also for her pregnancy and for her eye problems;

... BoxOfDelights, for her to find somewhere good to live and a job;

... bountyicecream, thanking God for her renewed happiness after leaving a very difficult and abusive relationship, and praying that she will continue to grow in happiness and strength in the future;

... CharlotteCollinsisinherownplace, giving thanks for her new home and new job;

... Don'tsteponthemomeraths, thanking God that an MRI has shown her brain to be normal, and for the continued progress of her niece, little Grace, born prematurely;

... DutchOma and Bob, for Bob's health to be as stable as possible and for him to receive good care in the hospice; also praying for him to see some glimpses of light in what is, admittedly, a very difficult situation, so that his outlook may be less 'catastrophic'; and praying for Oma that she may find rest and peace of mind and support at this time;

... Gingercurl, giving thanks for the successful completion of her thesis and praying for her viva to go well; also for Ginger’s MIL who has been diagnosed with cancer;

... HadALittleFaithBaby, for all bugs to leave to Faith household; also for her neighbour who has cancer and for his family;

... JugglingFromHereToThere, for a job which interests and fulfils her;

... Kaykat, giving thanks that she is now settled and happy in her new home with her DS, and praying for her DS to cope well with his new situation and not allow his dad to influence him in a negative way; also praying that she will find a welcoming church community in her new place;

... MadHairDay, thanking God for a Christmas spent at home with her family, and praying for continued health in 2014; praying too for health and love and friendship for MHD’s DD;

... NeverKnowinglyUnderstood, for her relationship with her DS and for support for them to understand his anger and frustration and find ways to avoid it if possible;

... niminypiminy, for happiness in her new home;

... octopusinastringbag, thinking of her as she feels drawn to explore faith in more depth;

... PandaG, for her mum's health;

... PositiveAttitude and her family; in particular, at this time, for DD3, praying for a happy end to her pregnancy with no complications; also praying for PA's parents’ health, for her DD1's finances, for her DS's anxiety, and for PA as she awaits the outcome of a job application and misses her DH and DD4;

... revivingshower, praying for her back pain to ease and thanking God for her family who've been supporting her during this tough time;

... RoomForALittleOne, for her DD3 to stay well and to sleep well too, so that Room can get enough rest;

... RunRunRuby, thanking God that she has come to our thread and praying that her faith may be strengthened;

... SESthebrave, for all that she has to juggle in her life, with work and DC;

... SunshinemMum, praying for her and her family as they look for a new spiritual home after leaving their previous church; may they find the place that is right for them, and may it welcome them with open arms;

... thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts, for a more peaceful time now to recover from the hecticness that is Christmas, and for her academic work;

... weegiemum, giving thanks for her own better health, but praying for her stepmum and for Kat, who are both seriously unwell and for all in the family affected by their illnesses;

We pray also for all regular and occasional visitors, and those we haven't seen for a while, including: Bluetinkerbell, cloutiedumpling, EasyCompadre, FairPhyllis, fluffieduckie, FriendOfDorothy, GoodbyeRubyTuesday, harbinger and her family, JakeBullet, jan and her DD, ktef, LollipopViolet, MaryBS, notquiteagrownup, PloddingDaily, Soozi, thehorridestmumintheworld, trish5000, youretoastmildred, and zulubump, and for anyone I've forgotten to name-check (don't take it personally, please!). And we pray for those who read and pray but don’t post, for those who need our prayers but are afraid or too uncertain to post them, and for all those known to us in our own lives who need God’s love.

May God bless us all in 2014.

OP posts:
BlackeyedSusan · 02/03/2014 19:41

sorry about the repeated posts the computer is making about to crash noises. it has lived in this house too long and has taken on the family trait of having a wobbly and refusing to work when upset.

amberlight · 03/03/2014 06:00

Praying through. I don't say a lot, but I do read.

BlessedAssurance · 05/03/2014 08:25

Reading and praying through.

sunshinemmum · 05/03/2014 16:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BlackeyedSusan · 05/03/2014 19:01

i have been working on an email and have a draft ready.

Tuo · 06/03/2014 02:32

OK. Here's my Lent pledge... Barring emergencies or total internet failure (which is an emergency, come to think of it Wink ) I shall come here every day and post a prayer.

Today's is for sunshinemmum's friend. I pray for healing for her and also for patience, as I know that recovery from a stroke is often painfully slow. I pray for all the medical staff looking after her, and for her family and friends, who must be so worried about her. May she, and they, know God's love; and may they all be a support and a strength to one another in this difficult time.

OP posts:
AGnu · 06/03/2014 03:06

Can I have a prayer or 2 please? I'm really struggling today. I have depression & have been in a really good place until today when I was shouted at by someone from church for something that wasn't even my fault! It's made me feel like I don't want to go back to that church. It's been a huge part of me getting over the worst of my depression & now I just want to run away! It couldn't have come at a worse time because I've been feeling really distant & doubting everything I always felt so sure of. I feel so far from God at the moment, not even convinced He's really there & now I feel like I can't even rely on my church family to be there for me. I keep telling myself that it'll pass & I'll feel better at some point. Life's just so hectic with a toddler & a baby & I'm trying to convince myself that it's a phase & I'll come through the other side but right now I feel so under attack & I just don't know how I'm going to keep going. Sad

Dutchoma · 06/03/2014 08:23

AGnu, you are certainly in the right place to come for prayer here. Your life must be very busy with a baby and a toddler to care for and extreme tiredness does not make depression feel any better. If, on top of that, you have to cope with someone who gets the wrong end of the stick and starts shouting at you, it is only to be expected that you begin to think that God doesn't care much...if He is even there.
One thing that helped me tremendously in the dark time around Bob's death was the chaplain explaining that you could not fall out of God's love, because God's love was everywhere if He was at all. He advised me to try and sit still and let that love become real and I found that very helpful.
You will probably need to seek some help in your very busy life to find that peace and quiet and I will certainly pray for you to find an angel who comes to your aid.
As for the person at church who shouted at you: try and wrap that up like a parcel, mark it 'trespass' and deal with it as such. They hurt you, you are duly feeling the pain of it. That does not mean God does not love you, it means there is a person in need of your forgiveness. Whether you can manage that or not at the moment is a different matter, that's why I think you need to wrap it up and put it away for now.

TUO, what a good idea.

I would like to post the prayer we had last night at the Ash Wednesday service which turned out to be a bit of a breaking point for me. Until now, for nearly two months, I had held it together and last night I could do it no longer and had to get out of the service in floods. It surprised no-one but me. The communion came to us (the friend who came after me and me) after the service, maybe one of the most significant times I have ever celebrated the sacrament.

The prayer we had earlier was:

The Lord enrich you with his grace,
and nourish you with his blessing;
the Lord defend you in trouble and keep you from all evil;
the Lord accept your prayers
and absolve you from your offences,
for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

May the Lord bless us all today.

GingerCurl · 06/03/2014 10:39

Hi, I haven't been around much lately. I guess it's mainly because I'm rather fed up with God at the moment, if I can put it that way. I have so many questions, no answers, so much is happening/not happening and I don't like it. There are many aspects to this that I won't mention but a big part of it is down to this Sunday's services being the last that our vicar is holding at church as he is moving to a new post elsewhere. The thought of what is coming made me well up during the service last Sunday. I know that God is calling him. I understand he is excited and happy. But I struggle to be happy with him. What about us that are left? It seems God is leaving us, in church, in limb, and me, on different personal levels, in limbo as well.
This year's resolution for lent: to give up procrastinating.
Praying as I read through.

BlackeyedSusan · 06/03/2014 12:43

come on in agnu and have a Brew and Cake

GingerCurl · 06/03/2014 13:06

Re-reading my previous post, I can see that it could be construed as saying that I'm in some sort of relationship wit the vicar. Just to make it absolutely clear, I am NOT. Good heavens, no! But I value him, both as a priest and as a person. I guess what bothers me is that the leader of our church is leaving for a purpose, a task that God has set him, while the rest of us are left with no real sense of purpose beyond that we exist and want to continue existing as a church. It has been suggested that we might share vicar with a neighbouring church but that feels like the beginning of not being anymore, if that makes sense.
I realise I'm probably too glum and negative about it all, but I can't seem to get past this feeling of great disappointment.

BlackeyedSusan · 06/03/2014 13:24

it never even crossed my mind GC

I have the email to church sitting ready to press send. I am scared of pressing send as if they do not reply that is sort of, well, it really for the relationship with church. I have had a couple of bad experiences with churches and I am beginning to think the connection is me really and that i do not fit.

BlessedAssurance · 06/03/2014 13:28

Agnu and Ginger. It is not everyday that i read a post and feel the way your posts made me feel. I am Sad on your behalf. I just wanted to say especially to Agnu it will and shall pass. Depression is a big black hole that i would never wish anyone to be in. It eats at your core and when you are going through it, it is hard to believe things can get better. So sorry you feel God is not with you. He is right there whether you feel Him or not. I wish walking with and trusting God meant all our problems were sorted but alas no. We even face and go through many challenges as children of God but He promises to go through it all with us and gives us the grace and the strength to paddle through. Take heart..It will get better

Wrt the person who shouted at you, what Oma suggested is wise. Parcel it and deal with it for another day. It is not easy though. They need forgiveness, maybe when you can and feel able just take it up with them and explain how it hurt you..It might help, if the other person is even willing to hear you out.
Having a baby and a toddler also takes most of your energy so be kind to yourself. I bet you do not sleep much and no time to yourself. Lack of sleep makes anyone tired. I pray that God will comfort you during this difficult time.

I like the verse"He heals the brokenhearted and bandages up their wounds". Each time i feel God is somewhere watching and not really with me[not true in His case] i ask Him to bind and bandage whatever wound will be open and He always does. It is my prayer that He does the same for you. That your wounds be closed and bandaged. That includes all who are having problems trusting God right now.

Tuo that is a great idea..

BlessedAssurance · 06/03/2014 13:29

Forgot to add that verse is Psalm 147 vs 3.

Bluetinkerbell · 06/03/2014 13:41

Jumping in and just saying thank you! thank you all for your generous prayers! :)

sunshinemmum · 06/03/2014 19:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BlackeyedSusan · 06/03/2014 19:23

well I never guess what has arrived in my inbox?

Dutchoma · 06/03/2014 21:23

That was quick. What did they say? Did you get the info you wanted?

Tuo · 06/03/2014 23:44

Oh Oma - I was thinking of you last night, and I'm sorry you had a tough time. You have been so amazingly brave through all this, and you' re right that it was almost inevitable that your grief would break through at some point. I love, though, the symbolism of the fact that Christ, in the sacrament, came to you, where you were in your grief and pain. And I love the way that that echoes your own advice to AGnu - God is where you are (where we all are, I mean) and even when, to us, he feels far away he is always right there.

I pray tonight, then, for our dear Oma, that she know love and comfort and peace.

I pray, too, for AGnu, that she feel God close to her, and that she find in him, but also in the support of those around her, a way through her depression.

I pray for BES, that the response to the email was a good one and that she too finds love and support, even perhaps where she didn't expect it.

And I pray for Gingercurl, that in the difficult process of change and in the feeling of disappointment and loss a sense of purpose and hope for the future may emerge.

On the theme of God coming to us when we don't feel able to take ourselves to him (and I write as someone who resisted taking myself to God for many years!), I really like the post-communion prayer that goes: 'Father of all, we give you thanks and praise, that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home...'. May we all find our home - the place where we know love, where we can rest, and where we can be truly ourselves - in God.

OP posts:
Dutchoma · 07/03/2014 08:03

Thanks TUO

madhairday · 07/03/2014 15:01

Sorry I've not been around, been rushing round while dh is away. He is back on Sunday, thank goodness, as my physical tiredness levels have gone silly now, and dd is ill as well.

Oma oh dear one, you know that sounded like a special and very deep moment of connection, and something that needed to happen Thanks sending you much love.

Have prayed for you all as I have just read, esp agnu BES and Gingercurl - my heart went out to you all. Ginger, it is so very hard when someone so key moves on, but you could see it as a new stage in the life of the church - it can actually be very good for a church to go into this stage, learning to be who they are without the leader who led them there iyswim - not easy at first though, when that leader has done so much good. Thanks

BES hope the email was a good one?

I did momentarily wonder if I should give up MN for Lent, but then I thought what about the prayer thread ladies? I am committed to praying for you all, and it's surely more important in Lent than ever. So I'm not giving up MN, or FB or any other social media....it's an important lifeline. I like what TUO is doing - a prayer a day. I think I will also commit to something similar - I am going to try and post a bible verse a day, prayerfully thinking about what is best for us that day (may not always succeed...)

Here is todays, especially for those struggling with faith at the moment.

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."
Hebrews 11:1

Thanks
CharlotteCollins · 07/03/2014 22:16

Praying especially for Oma, BES, AGnu and Ginger.

AGnu, I had a long time recently when I felt that God didn't really exist and nothing I'd believed was really believable. I felt I was clinging onto my faith by my fingertips and for a long time just went through the motions of faith, iyswim. It coincided with having small DCs and some other stuff. Praying for a good resolution of the shouting incident.

Ginger, God has a plan for the rest of you, just as he has a plan for your vicar. It's a really tough time when you don't have a leader though. Praying for you and your church.

CharlotteCollins · 07/03/2014 22:17

And praying for energy for mhd, for the last couple of days!

Tuo · 07/03/2014 22:19

It's lovely to see you, MHD - I was thinking about you this morning, and today my prayer is for you.

I pray that your DH is soon safely back home and that his trip has gone well. I pray for energy and strength for you to get through these last few days till he's back, and for you to stay well through the last gasps of winter and into the better times of spring and summer. I pray for your DD to feel better soon too. And I pray for you and for DH in your work, that you are able to bring the knowledge and love of God to people who might otherwise not have encountered it.

The God of life with guarding hold you;
the loving Christ with guarding fold you;
the Holy Spirit, guarding, mould you;
each night of life to aid, enfold you;
each day and night of life uphold you.

OP posts:
Kaykat · 07/03/2014 22:21

From someone who likes to read and soak it all in but often can't think of much to say can I just say that it's a blessing that those of you who have lots of wonderful and insightful and encouraging things to say will be coming here every day in lent rather than giving it up, more to ponder on and I'm happy about that.