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Philosophy/religion

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A Christian prayer thread for Autumn/Winter

990 replies

Tuo · 30/10/2014 01:17

Welcome to our new prayer thread for autumn/winter. 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 the ways in which we can work to make life easier for our autistic friends, and for her to know love and acceptance wherever she goes; also thanking God for her recent 'all-clear' at her annual cancer check-up;

... BlackEyedSusan, for all the many things which she has to juggle in her life as a single parent; in particular, for her DS to get adequate support so that he is less stressed at school; also for her DD and for her mum, and for BES to find the RL support that she needs;

... BlessedAssurance, for life with her two LOs, and for her family who are far away;

... DontstepontheMomeRaths, for her life as a single mum, for God to provide if her XH is successful in training for a new role, and for the wonderful work she does through her church supporting people going through separation and divorce;

... DutchOma, as she continues to miss Bob; thanking God for the wonderful support that she provides for so many on here; and praying for her relationship with her DD, in particular;

... Gingercurl, for her work situation; and for the relationship between her brother and sister to improve;

... howtoapproachthis for physical and emotional healing; and for a good bond between her and her DD;

... Kaykat, continuing to pray for her as she goes through the stressful and painful process of divorce; praying, in particular, that she is able to find good ways of supporting her DS, and for him to find renewed happiness in the coming weeks;

... MadHairDay, for her health; for peace of mind about the choice of secondary school for her DS; and for her DD to find friendship and acceptance;

... MrsPixieMoo, thanking God for her baby DD; and praying for a new home where the family can be really happy;

... Pipbin, for her IVF treatment - for her to find support and a positive way forward, whatever the outcome;

... PositiveAttitude, for her new studies and her work as a Deacon in her church; for her mum, who has dementia; and for her DD1 to find one or more special friends;

... PurplePidjin, for a more peaceful life;

... QuestionofFaith, for her and for her DH - for his depression to lift and for them to find ways to rebuild their lives;

... and for a poster we won't name but whose situation is known to God, praying that she is safe and supported.

We pray also for all regular and occasional visitors including: ALittleFaith, Badvoc, BlueTinkerbell, CharlotteCollins, cloutiedumpling, JugglingFromHereToThere, ktef, MaryBS, niminypiminy, PandaG, RoomForALittleOne, SEStheBrave, thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts, tunnocksteacake, weegiemum, 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.

Keep Your people, Lord,
in the arms of Your embrace.
Shelter them under Your wings.
Be their light in darkness.
Be their hope in distress.
Be their calm in anxiety.
Be strength in their weakness.
Be their comfort in pain.
Be their song in the night. Amen

[post edited by MNHQ]

OP posts:
MumsyFoxy · 11/12/2014 21:36

Thanks for being so gracious and sorry if my post came across arrogant. I am fascinated by what makes people believe that prayer works etc. Ironically, you are all offering each other moral support and encouragement, which is way,;way more than prayers could ever achieve imo.
Thanks again x

crescentmoon · 11/12/2014 21:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tuo · 11/12/2014 23:35

Prayer for Advent: Day 12- Maranatha: come Lord Jesus!

MumsyFoxy - I'm glad you came back. If you asked each of us on this thread individually how we think of prayer I am willing to bet you'd get as many different answers as there are posters here. We represent a whole range of Christian denominations and traditions. For me, one of the ways in which God works in the world is through us, His people (and I don't just mean Christians - I mean people in general), so helping and supporting others is not separate from prayer for me, but part and parcel of what prayer (and worship) is, or can be. Not sure if that makes sense...

crescentmoon - thank you for de-lurking to say hello.

Tonight I pray that Christians across the world may reach out to their sisters and brothers of other faiths and of none. I pray particularly for the Middle East - for the situation in Syria, Iraq and especially in Israel/Palestine after yesterday's events. May ways be found to overcome anger and grief and to bring peace to those places, which have special meaning for so many.

Keeping prayers going too for all who pass through here, but particularly for FaithLoveandGrace, for innerstrength, for BES, for Kay, for Oma, for Momey and her mum, and for MHD.

Here's a snippet from tonight's Northumbria compline as we mark the passing of another day:

May God be in our sleep;
may Christ be in our dreams.
May the Spirit be in our repose,
in our thoughts, in our hearts.
In our souls always
may the Sacred Three dwell. Amen

OP posts:
innerstrength100 · 12/12/2014 09:05

Struggling

Tuo · 12/12/2014 09:11

Holding your hand, innerstrength. Try to keep busy if you can - activity is good. Can't type much as on phone/working, but am thinking of you and praying.

OP posts:
KayKat · 12/12/2014 09:11

Praying for you innerstrength. Do you have anything planned to keep you busy today?

MHD sorry to hear you are feeling ill and so close to Christmas I really hope you can enjoy Christmas at home like you did last year and indeed stay well for the rest of the winter. Hugs.

Naughtyornicename · 12/12/2014 09:19

I'm definitely having a "let it just all be over' day. But you can't be like that when you have kids can you?

amberlight · 12/12/2014 11:59

Still reading and praying in the background for everyone

innerstrength100 · 12/12/2014 15:48

Thank you

BlackeyedSantaStuckUpAChimney · 12/12/2014 17:15

hoping ds's snack will help him to calm down.

Bassetfeet · 12/12/2014 19:32

I am still feeling the effects of your prayers and support . It is so uplifting .
Tuo ....your daily readings are a huge comfort .
Oma.....saw your woolie hug xx...

Read all the posts and pray for all to have peace in their lives and feel Gods presence and warm arms around them .

Wish I could answer individual posts but don't have the wisdom at the moment . But in time I will.
Thank you .

QofF · 12/12/2014 20:51

praying for you all.
Innerstrength how has today been?
Mhd so sorry you are so poorly, praying that things start improving and you spend Christmas at home.
Giving thanks to God here that some of the issues seem like they may resolve at DH's work which could mean the looming redundancy wont happen. The stress of work has been a big contributor to his breakdown so to have that lifted would be beyond wonderful for him. We wont know until end of Jan but its the first positive news in that area for a long long time.

Dutchoma · 12/12/2014 21:47

Keep with us Bassetfeetf it helps. Our love and prayers go out to you.

Tuo · 12/12/2014 23:46

Prayer for Advent: Day 13 - Maranatha: come Lord Jesus!

Asking God to be with all on this thread who are struggling tonight, through tiredness, loneliness, relationship-breakdown, ill health, or stress. May He be with innerstrength, Bassetfeet, BES, Kay, Naughtyornice, Oma, amber, QoF and FaithLoveandGrace in particular.

I also pray for lurkers on the thread, those who would like to pray but can't find words, and those known to us but not on here who need our prayers.

On this cold night, I pray for those who are homeless tonight and those who are struggling to afford heating bills.

Here is a prayer for Advent, taken from this website:

To you O Lord we bring our lives
Troubled, broken or at ease
A sacrificial offering
For you to use
Take away our selfishness
And teach us to love as you loved
Take away our sense of pride
And show us the meaning of humility
Take away our blindness
And show us the world through your eyes
Take away our greed
And teach us how to give as you gave
Show us your ways
Teach us your paths
That we might walk with you more closely
Our hand in your hand
Our feet in your footsteps
From the baby in a stable
To eternity, Amen

OP posts:
innerstrength100 · 13/12/2014 08:29

I pray for everyone on here who is struggling. Please God, give us strength, courage, healing and peace.

Tough day here yesterday. I deliberately tried to distract myself with other things out and about with other people, focusing on other things, plus a couple of little treats. I am not staying at home wallowing, not at all.

But the emotional pain is too raw, too overwhelming, wherever i go, whatever I'm doing. I want the pain to go. It hurts so so much.

Dutchoma · 13/12/2014 08:38

You are doing well, darling Innerstrength. Concentrate on your children, your friends and do ordinary, calm things. Keep turning your thoughts away from the things you don't want to think about; remember that only you have power over what you think, nobody can 'make' you think anything, the power over what you think is yours alone and about the only power you have.
I pray God's blessing over you today. Keep talking if it helps.

KayKat · 13/12/2014 08:46

It takes time, someone said to me that you need one month to grieve for every year you were together and that seemed roughly how it worked out for me. Probably not a very christian thing to say and purely from my own experience but I kind of wish you could get a bit of anger towards him I think it would help you.

For those who prayed for my loved one thank you it was good news.

Badvocinapeartree · 13/12/2014 08:49

Hello everyone.
I'm afraid I haven't read the thread, but just wanted to pop on and wish all of you a very happy advent and a peaceful and healthy new year.
I've been very busy - as usual! - and have had to have some medical tests which are now over. All ok as far as I know - am back in 3 weeks for a follow up.
Ds2s bereavement counselling really seems to have helped him and he has his last appt next week.
Ds1 is doing so well at school :) and is turning into a young man I am very proud of.
Ds2 won the local design an Xmas card comp so we have an afternoon tea for 4 to look forward to over Xmas! :)
Mum and I went to a service of hope at church last Sunday which was lovely. Some of the prayers really got to me, and I cried a bit Blush
I find it so hard to pray now :( I don't seem to have the words anymore.
Mum and I are helping at the soup and carols next week at church - an event for the isolated and alone.
Am also going to donate some wine or something for the Xmas day dinner.
Mums is....well...The same really :(
So...sending love to bes, tuo, oma and anyone else I have forgotten!
X

Naughtyornicename · 13/12/2014 10:33

This is a bad time of year for tough times as the media is telling us to shop, eat, drink and be merry hohoho.

It's hard when you can't plan for any variety if reasons - illness, bereavement, depression, no money...

When you read threads like this you realize that so many people are struggling under a veneer. I think that reminds us of our humanity and helps us to think about others.

I was on the tube the other day and everyone was sitting studiously ignoring each other. The station announcer started chattering away in a voice like someone commentating on formula 1. People started sniggering and guffawing, and oh my god, actually smiling and speaking to each other! I had a nice chat with the man next to me about all the great things you can do as a kid ( go out dressed as batman, ask policemen to show you their handcuffs, sing silly songs...). It was so nice just to speak to a person with no agenda, no worry, complaints or problems to solve.

BlackeyedSantaStuckUpAChimney · 13/12/2014 11:24

morning.

got to tackle the devastation that ds has left after a meltdown over the computer yesterday. ex has decided to come for a while today afterall.

JugglingFromHereToThere · 13/12/2014 11:36

Thanks for your post Naughty and yes there are many added pressures at this time of year aren't there?

Am struggling a bit as lots of end of Christmas term stuff to do with the children and families I work with, including a little report for each child in my group, and other stuff too. Work has been pretty stressy last couple of weeks.

And then getting ready for Christmas (which i"m never very organised about anyway) and hoping to send some small parcels to brighten famiy's Christmas a little though it's going to be a difficult one for all (following bereavement)
At least dc got the tree and decs up last weekend which puts one a little in the Christmas spirit, bless them x

Love to you all, and wishing you the peace of advent despite the busyness and challenges all around us

innerstrength100 · 13/12/2014 13:01

Thank you Oma, very good advice about trying to block the upsetting thoughts. I am going to really focus on that today.

Just got tree so will have cosy evening decorating and concentrate on children.

And Kaykat, I totally agree and WISH that I could feel angry, as I think that would help move me forward. But however hard I try I have no anger towards the man, only love.

BlackeyedSantaStuckUpAChimney · 13/12/2014 14:02

I am brewing an ear ache and sinussy ppain... hoping it does not get anyworse as there is still a lot of shopping to do.

BlackeyedSantaStuckUpAChimney · 13/12/2014 15:11

ds made an hours worth of clearing up in about 2 minutes last night at the beginning of his meltdown. still tackling it.

innerstrength100 · 13/12/2014 18:58

Just did the tree which made the children very very happy so that was good.

About half way through the decorating I suddenly felt a wave of the most overwhelming grief and sadness come over me, and had to lock myself in the bathroom and sob and sob (silently, so the children didn't hear me).

Then one of the children started banging on the door going "mummy mummy" because they had found a bauble that was broken or something; and I warbled through the locked door in croaky voice "I'll be back in a minute, just on the loo, got a bit of a tummy ache"

I don't want to feel like this any more. I want the feelings to go away.

Sad Sad Sad