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Philosophy/religion

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The Christian Prayer Thread Prays Again...

985 replies

Tuo · 31/01/2015 22:31

Welcome to our new prayer thread as winter turns (not quickly enough for some of us...) to spring 2015. 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...

... ALittleFaith, especially for her dad, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, praying that his medication continues to keep him as well as possible for as long as possible;

... 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;

... Anjelica27, as she tries to find ways to support her DS who has been self-harming;

... 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 Operation Flat Tidy;

... BlueTinkerbell, for a problem-free pregnancy with DC4 and a happy outcome;

... CaulkheadUpNorth, who is struggling with MH problems which are affecting her faith, and by extension her job in a church environment; prayer for her access the support she needs, inside and outside the workplace, and for her to find her way back to God, in her own time, if need be;

... ChocolateTeacake, for work and financial worries; and for her health;

... DontstepontheMomeRaths , for her busy life as a single mum, and for the wonderful work she does through her church supporting people going through separation and divorce;

... DutchOma, thanking God for the wonderful support that she provides for so many on here; praying for her relationship with her DD; and continuing to think of her in her life without her beloved Bob;

... FaithLoveandGrace, for her mental health as she undergoes painful, but hopefully helpful, counselling; for her relationship with her DSS; and for her work on her PhD;

... howtoapproachthis, for her health, following her diagnosis with CFS and for her to find support for herself and her DD;

... innerstrength100, for strength, hope and joy in her life as she rebuilds her life following the unexpected break-up of her relationship;

... 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 continue to support her DS through this process; and praying that her ex is able to see how damaging his current behaviour is for his DS so that, in this at least, he is able to change his ways;

... MadHairDay, for her ongoing health issues and for the strength to deal with them;

... MaryBS, in the discernment and selection process for ordination to the priesthood;

... ninetynineonehundred, for her relationship with her DH from whom she is separated but with whom she is still living , praying for healing, trust, love and forgivement for them both;

... Pipbin, following the loss of a desperately-wanted pregnancy, praying for strength, for hope, and for lots of support;

... PositiveAttitude, for her studies, her work situation, and her role within her church; for her and her DH as they consider where their engagement with their faith will take them next; for her mum, who has dementia and her dad who has finally accepted he needs help, but finds it hard to accept it; for her DD1, who has been depressed; and for the whole family;

... RoomForALittleOne, for her health in her new pregnancy;

... QuestionofFaith, thanking God that her DH has found a new job, and praying that this will be the turning-point that he needs to overcome his depression and for them to find ways to rebuild their lives;

... and me, Tuo, for my DD2 who has been self-harming, but seems much happier at the moment - please pray for that to continue.

We pray also for all regular and occasional visitors including: Badvoc, BlessedAssurance, CharlotteCollins, cloutiedumpling, DeladionInch, EilisCitron, Gingercurl, JugglingFromHereToThere, ktef, LollipopViolet, MrsPixieMoo, niminypiminy, PandaG, SEStheBrave, thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts, weegiemum, Zing and for anyone I've forgotten to name-check (don't take it personally, please!). We pray for our muslim sisters over in the tea-room, at a time when many feel afraid in a world which seems suspicious of their faith, praying for peace and understanding between all faiths. 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

OP posts:
Tuo · 03/03/2015 00:05

Gah... pressed the wrong button again...

Here it is:

O Christ, Son of the living God,
may Your holy angels guard our sleep,
may they watch over us as we rest
and hover around our beds.

Let them reveal to us in our dreams
visions of Your glorious truth,
O High Prince of the universe,
O High Priest of the mysteries.

May no dreams disturb our rest
and no nightmares darken our dreams.
May no fears or worries delay
our willing, prompt repose.

May the virtue of our daily work
hallow our nightly prayers.
May our sleep be deep and soft
so our work be fresh and hard. Amen

OP posts:
QofF · 03/03/2015 06:50

punkrocker praying for you and your db today. Praying through the thread, especially for all those dcs who are struggling.

howoapproachthis · 03/03/2015 07:08

not coping well here... please pray i get through the next couple of days till i get some rest. feel so awful about the things i can't do with dd.

howoapproachthis · 03/03/2015 07:23

Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Whatever situation each of us are facing today, God is very clear we don't need to worry or be afraid. He wants us to let go and trust him - He knew about these struggles and trials before they came. He knows how far they will be able to test us because He is at the beginning, right in the middle of them, and He already is at the end of the trial. I pray God helps each of us to know that God is with us today and just to let go and trust, cos in this we have our strength. Fear and worry are totally pointless exercises that detract, not add to my life, and yet i still have these fears 'what if i can't, what if i can't' im sure you can add your own in. If God is with me and knows the outcomes of today already, and tomorrow is too far away to worry, everything will be ok. thinking of you all. mhd i hope you are feeling a bit better today.

madhairday · 03/03/2015 11:52

Thanks howto and praying for you. It's horrible being in that situation of wishing you could do more. Sometimes though God calls us simply to be. Doing 'stuff' will not make your dd be happier or love you more, I've learnt this over the years. my dc only want me there, with them on their side. They've learned that there is so much I have to miss out on - for eg, dd is running for her county on saturday in the national cross country championships and it is increasingly looking like I won't be able to go and cheer her on. She knows this was always a possibility and knows I'll do my best to be there if I can, but also knows it's not to do with how much I love her, but only how much my body can cope with on that day. It's so frustrating isn't it, especially when you see so many around you achieving so much and doing so much with their dc. But be of good courage. God is calling you where you are, in your body how it is today, and that calling is to love him, not to achieve more or be more productive or whatever else. I know, because I beat myself up with this stuff all the time!! Hope the next couple of days are ok and you can get some rest. Flowers

Praying punkrocker for your db and for you today.

Bes praying for the next couple of days, esp for the doctors appt. You do an amazing job dear one.

May you all know the presence of God like sunshine on your faces today in all you do.

PunkrockerGirl · 03/03/2015 17:47

Db's operation was cancelled Sad
He got to the hospital at 7am this morning and after waiting for 3 hours was told the op couldn't go ahead because there wasn't a high dependency bed for him afterwards. It's been rescheduled for Thursday so hoping and praying that it goes ahead.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Dutchoma · 03/03/2015 17:57

That's the second operation in as many days that has been cancelled (the other one was for a friend in church here). Praying that both operations will go ahead very soon.
Praying for all health situations and for strength for all who have none.

I was in a prayer meeting this morning led by someone who said:"People say"Trust in the Lord" and we know about that or they say "You must pray" and we know about that as well, but sometimes that is just not happening." I thinks she was very right. The funny thing was that I could not say what I wanted them to pray for for me, we then prayed for a situation in the life of the other girl (there were three of us) and just as we finished someone else joined us, apologised for 'intruding', shared something incredibly powerful with us and stomped off again. That was some prayer meeting.

Dutchoma · 03/03/2015 18:09

Found on FB (shared by one of the people that was in the prayer meeting today):

Stress makes you believe that everything needs to happen right now, faith reassures you that everything will happen in God's timing.

BlackeyedSusan · 03/03/2015 18:10

hoping that strength arrives soon oma, flagging here...

Tuo · 03/03/2015 23:06

Prayer for Lent: Day 14

I'm so sorry to hear about your DB's operation, Punkrocker. I hope and pray it goes ahead on Thursday as planned. I pray that, in this time of waiting, he is able to rest and not be too afraid. And I pray for you and all who love him as you go through that waiting with him.

So much wisdom on here today: thank you for sharing Oma, MHD and howto.

howto - praying for energy and strength fo you. How has it been going at the childminder's?

MHD - praying for you to get well soon and for your DD preparing for her big run.

Oma - you may not have been able to say what you wanted people to pray for, but God knew it anyway, and it doesn't need to be put into words. Praying tonight for all you'd pray for for yourself.

This is today's meditation on the daily prayer page of the Northumbria Community. It's by Rowan Williams, and reminds us of the many ways in which God is 'our Father'.

The Cry to God as ‘Father’
in the New Testament
is not a calm acknowledgement
of a universal truth about
God’s abstract fatherhood.
It is the Child’s cry
out of a nightmare.

It is the cry of outrage,
fear, shrinking away,
when faced with the horror
of the ‘world’

  • yet not simply or exclusively
protest, but trust as well.

‘Abba Father’
all things are possible
to Thee …

I pray that God may hear us all when we cry to Him, when we are scared, when we are hurt, when we are angry, when we feel we cannot cope, and that we may feel comforted, calmed, reassured by knowing that He has heard.

OP posts:
Kaykat · 03/03/2015 23:45

So helpful after a horrible day to read the wise words on here today about trusting God to do things in his own time and not worrying. I realise I've been doing the opposite of that today with endless worrying. DS is so difficult I don't feel I am coping as a single mum.

madhairday · 04/03/2015 08:44

Kaykat - you are doing so well dear one. Don't beat yourself up, you've had a really tough time and faithfully followed God through it all. May you be blessed today.

Oma - praying that God will touch your life today in whatever you needed prayer for last Night. He hears your heart.

Punk - so sorry. That really sucks. Prayers for Thursday and for peace for you and db while you're waiting.

Tuo - great words again this morning. Thank you and God bless you.

BlackeyedSusan · 04/03/2015 10:57

I have a bit of IBS, this is quite frankly a massive reliefand they are tears of relief and let go stress.

Dutchoma · 04/03/2015 13:26

That's the best news I've had all day. Praise the Lord.

PunkrockerGirl · 04/03/2015 18:30

Db's operation will not now take place tomorrow and has been postponed till next Tuesday. I am actually starting to despair, he so desperately needs this operation. Sad

Tuo · 04/03/2015 23:20

Prayer for Lent: Day 15

Oh Punkrocker, that's terrible... I'm so sorry to hear that. Your poor brother. I am praying that there will be no more delays, and asking God to be with him and with you and all who care about him at this time.

Kay - what MHD said. You do so so well and you've been through so much. Teenagers are hard at the best of times, and your DS has also been through a lot, but you have always been there for him, a consistent and loving presence in his life. Praying for happier times ahead, and meanwhile for you to have the strength to just keep on doing what you do: you're a great mum.

BES - thanking God for what will, hopefully, be a helpful diagnosis. Onwards and upwards, my dear...

I've been doing a bit of sorting-out of my life, after having a massive stressy fit this weekend. I've dumped one activity that the DDs and I did together (we're still doing it, but only in one place, not two, if that makes sense - don't want to be too specific right now) and it feels right and proper to have done so because it was causing all of us stress. In fact, it feels a huge relief. But I've just had an email begging us to go back, and it is making me feel guilty. I've replied with minimal explanation, just saying 'I'm sorry, but it's just not possible' and reassuring the sender that it's nothing personal, but I do feel bad - I hate letting people down (which - ahem - is how I got to be so over-committed in the first place). Anyway, praying that we've made the right decision and that people will respect that and not put undue pressure on us, as I'd find that really hard to cope with.

From tonight's Northumbria compline (I may have posted this one before, it's a favourite of mine, but it bears re-praying at regular intervals!):

Calm us, O Lord, as You stilled the storm.
Still us, O Lord, keep us from harm.
Let all the tumult within us cease.
Enfold us, Lord, in Your peace. Amen

OP posts:
PositiveAttitude · 05/03/2015 07:47

Sorry for my absence recently. I have just spent time reading and catching up here and praying through as I read.

Punk - prayers for your brother, for peace for you all in this terrible waiting period.
MHD & Howto prayers for your health and for special strength for this time. Such wise words from MHD, too. Pray for your DCs too that.
Oma prayers for you. (((hugs)))
And for everyone else on here, be assured of my prayers as I read through.

I was struck down by a chest lurgy here, made worse because I felt i needed to work stupidly hard to clear up after the burglary, then after a few days of that I was really struck down and couldn't do anything for a while. I have learnt my lesson and am taking life a little slower just to get back to normal.
DH and I had an amazing experience on Sunday when we went to a worship evening with a prophetic minister. Out of the 200 odd people there we were asked to stand up and a really encouraging, challenging and lovely prophetic word was given to us. Soooo spot on. This guy said things that I had never said to any other person on this planet. Plus I have had the same prophetic words of prophecy and discernment by 3 different people on 3 different occasions over the past 3 months. I do think God is speaking!!! Smile
DD1 continues to be happy! She is struggling with just one thing now, which is causing panic attacks. I believe that now that the rest of her life is "happy" this one issue is more highlighted as a negative. But it is lovely to chat with her now and during a conversation last evening about this one negative she said more than a few times, "but mum, I dont want you to think I am not truly happy, because I so am". I can't tell you how much my heart sings to hear this from her. All of you struggling with teenage DCs - there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is so hard to go through that time and to see the one that you love so much hurting so much, making bad decisions and being unhappy with life. There have been many times I have thought that DD1 would seriously harm herself and would always be in that negative spiral. She is now 23 years old and we have struggled since she was about 14 really, to varying degrees.

Love to you all and I will try to be a better participant of this thread and keep up more with you all.

BlackeyedSusan · 05/03/2015 14:58

off to post dd's DLA form.

Dutchoma · 05/03/2015 15:01

Well done in getting it ready for the letter box.

Dutchoma · 05/03/2015 15:02

I first typed litter box

fakenamefornow · 05/03/2015 15:05

Can I jump in and ask for a prayer for myself and my family, is that allowed?

Dutchoma · 05/03/2015 15:42

Of coursethat is allowed. Anything in particular/

Tuo · 05/03/2015 15:42

In haste now, fakename, but, yes, of course it's allowed... all are welcome here - all you have to do is show up and post. Will be back later to post more fully, but please do post away. Do you want to tell us more about your situation? If not, that's fine too. This is a safe and supportive place, as it says in the OP.

OP posts:
fakenamefornow · 05/03/2015 16:10

Thanks.

Things are really desperate for us and we've been under enormous stress for many years now, I don't want to go into details why. Things are really coming to a head and we really need to get through the next few months. Please pray everything will be okay for everyone. I should add, I'm not even a Christian, I just feel really desperate. Thank you all and I'll pray for others.

Dutchoma · 05/03/2015 16:39

From what you have said fakename I am adding a prayer that, not only will 'everything be alright', but that you will find someone in real life you can share your worries with. You sound desperate and quite alone.