Christian prayer thread for winter

[Madhairday]

Hello all! I just posted a long post on the old thread and realised it's full up, so just going to copy this here to sunshine - will try and do a roundup of other prayers too later. Everyone welcome here!

Just want to reiterate what Oma and Cocoa have said so well, sunshine. It's no wonder church feels like a hostile place and you freeze up. I feel so sad for you that that man did this to you. But Christ isn't the church , the church is supposed to be his body, reaching out hands of love and help and compassion, and sometimes they mess that up. Hugely. Sometimes evil crawls in. But that doesn't mean God's abandoned you. I love that Oma referred to the prodigal son, I was looking at Rembrandt's study of that parable the other day and so struck afresh by the father's absolute joy in his son being home, his grace in embracing him whatever he'd done. Sadly you've had a poor excuse for a father so it must be so difficult to frame God in the language of father for you but God is the father who loves you beyond your imaginings, who reaches out arms of compassion and forgiveness, who gathers you in and just loves you. Loves you so much, so, so much, without end. You can never do anything that will make God abandon you. Jesus said that he is with us always, even to the end of the age.

I know church is threatening, lovely, but there are a lot of people who would love to help, here on the internet and in real life. It's just a case of reaching out, but I know that must seem impossible right now. I've learned that God is a God of restoration, a God who longs to mend the broken places and devastations in people's lives. I've seen people set free from so much and believe with everything I am that God longs to set you free, too.

I'd love you to find some medical support. I'm so sorry your GP is so rubbish. More and more the case, sadly. I pray you can get in to see someone. Would you also consider some counselling? Like cocoa says, that doesn't mean they would take your DC away, just that they would want to support and help you. you sound a lovely mum and have done so well to get to this point. I'm glad you are reaching out here. Please take care and know God's love pouring over you by the Holy Spirit.

Tuo, those are lovely, thank you for sharing them. Especially the prayer for our children.

@helpmegetbetter yes I will, gladly. For courage for you to keep on going even when you are feeling this way, for love to surround you and support you, for skill and care in any professionals you come into contact with, and for you to find comfort and help whether spiritual or practical.

And for you too MHD, may tomorrow be much better.

If anyone has a moment for a quick one for me, I have an exam tomorrow, a toddler who is almost certainly going to wake me up repeatedly overnight, and could do with as much patience, resilience and exam-based inspiration as i can get

Good luck for tomorrow wiggy will pray for a sleepy toddler and lots of inspiration.

Day 17: Prayers for all of us

I'm a bit up to my eyes in work tonight (trying to turn something around on a very short deadline), but am here to pray for all of us on this thread.

Lord, please bless all who post on this thread (whether regularly or infrequently) and all who read and don't post.
We pray for MHD's health, asking you to give her strength and resilence to cope with repeated infections and periods of illness. As her body seems to be weighing her down, allow her mind to rise up out of her physical condition, to focus on you and to derive comfort from knowing you near her.
We pray for helpmegetbetter, welcoming her to the thread. May she be comforted by the knowledge that so many of, reading this thread, are praying for her and holding her hand in her difficult times. May she be uplifted and comforted, and may she find the strength to seek treatment and support. In the meantime, may she know that she is always welcome here.
We pray for BES, for calm in her busy life, and particularly today for her DD's physio appointment.
We pray for wiggypig, for clarity of thought, a good night's sleep, and peace of mind going into her exam.
We pray for our dear Oma, who is always there for others with a kind word and much wisdom. Be near her and bless her.
We thank you that this place exists, where we can come together and offer prayers to you and support to one another. Bless us all tonight and guide us tomorrow and every day. Amen.

Small person slept until after 6.30!

I'd like to add - gratitude for Tuo, for her talents for words and expression, and her ability to use them to draw people nearer to God.

Praise the Lord, Wiggy. Now for the exam!

Thank you, Wiggy. How did the exam go?

Things are a bit tense where I work at the moment, so here is...

Day 18: A prayer for our workplaces

Lord, bless our workplaces, our work colleagues, and the work that we do (whether in the home or outside of it, paid or unpaid). May our work always also be a way of serving you and our broader communities. Be with managers who have to make difficult decisions, sometimes with scarce resources, and with those who are affected by those decisions, and bless managers with the gifts of clarity of thought and of communication, compassion, and vision. Inspire us to be kind and generous when our work brings us into contact with people whom we may find difficult, and give us the courage to deal with any problematic situations or relationships honestly and in the spirit of seeking a resolution We thank you for our work friends and for all the many ways in which our work fulfils, inspires, and satisfies us. We pray for those who are unemployed, or unable to work, and particularly for those who find themselves in financial difficulties after losing their jobs, and for those whose work is dangerous or difficult. Be with us in our work, our rest, and in all aspects of our lives, to lead, guide and bless us. Amen.

Important meeting today after school.

also emailed school asking for help with dd who can not see properly.

oh and vision porblems may be related to a lot of her other problems. PT seems to think it is not hypermobility syndrome, thing is it is looking more like Ehlers Danlos.

Praying for answers BES

gosh you were quick.

The exam was hard but I got through it, thanks for asking Tuo!

Hope the meeting goes well BES.

I hope your appointment goes well BES glad you got through the exam wiggy

Gosh, BES, that sounds scary for your DD - not to be able to see properly is a worrying thing. I do hope they can help her.

Well done with the exam, Wiggy.

It struck me today that I haven't prayed for our churches and/or for the Church in the broadest sense. I know we come from all different denominations and traditions within Christianity on this thread, but, nonetheless, we are all part of the body of Christ in the Church and our churches are important to us (even when, as in some cases, they are less-than-ideal). So, here we go...

Day 19: A Prayer for the Church

Heavenly Father, who sent your Son to draw us to you in the richness and diversity of your Church, bless the churches where we worship you, their leaders, and those people who worship with us there. May they be places where we feel safe, welcomed, loved, and understood. May they be places where we learn, sing, pray, praise, and work to build your kingdom. Lord, we know that - merely human as we are - the earthly structures that we create in your service are not worthy of you, and sometimes go awry. If this happens, send your wisdom to guide us in the decisions we may have to make, your love to help us rebuild broken relationships where that's possible, and your strength to help us to move on, should that be the only solution. Inspire us to reach out to one-another as fellow-Christians, irrespective of denomination, tradition or worship practices. Help us to see past theological differences of opinion, and to focus on what binds us together: that is, our love for you and for Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Amen.

so I have been to hospital clinic appointments today. seems like I am going to get a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos type 3. need more tests. hopefully I will get a diagnosis as it will explain a lot of what is going on in me and in dd. me getting a diagnosis will help Dd if she needs one. and it looks like she might. I am a little surprised that it is EDS not just hypermobility syndrome, but then I am not the specialist.

Amen, Tuo.

Praying for definitive answers and good support, BES.

Day 20: A prayer for International Women's Day

Lord, bless the women who inspire, guide and care for us: our mothers, grandmothers, aunts and sisters; our friends and colleagues; our daughters and grand-daughters; our god-daughters; those whose stories inspire us even though we may not know them personally, and those whom we love. We thank you, in particular, for the women of this place and for this thread where we all gather in your name. Amen.

Keeping all in prayers

Lovely to see you amber.

Thinking of you, and your DD, BES.

Tonight's prayer, inspired by watching the news tonight.

Day 21: A prayer for peace in the world

Lord, inspire those who hold power in the world to love peace and to work to bring it about. We pray, particularly, for the leaders and people of North and South Korea and of the USA. May they find ways to put past differences behind them, to set aside ego and ambition, and to look for solutions which benefit the many and not just the few. We pray too for the people of Syria, and especially Eastern Ghouta, for relief to reach them, and for an end to fighting. We pray for all those, all over the world, affected by war, political uncertainty, repression, or the long-term effects of war on living conditions, resources and morale. May our leaders be wise, and may we always be brave enough to challenge them and hold them to account. And, on a more local level, may we treat our brothers and sisters with love and compassion, making our lives microcosms of your peace. Through your son, one of whose great gifts to us was his peace. Amen

Day 22: A prayer for Mothering Sunday

Lord God, our Father and our Mother, who made us and love us, bless us and those we love this Mothering Sunday. Bless those of us who are mothers: inspire us to be the best possible examples to our children, and grant us patience, humour, energy, love, and understanding. Bless, too, those who would have liked to have been mothers, for whom this weekend may be particularly difficult; comfort the mothers who have lost children through miscarriage, stillbirth or subsequently; and be with those mothers who do not see their children as frequently as they would like or who, for whatever reason, have lost touch with them. We give thanks for our mothers and any others who have mothered us and cared for us, for the example they provide, the love they show, and the support they offer. Bless those whose relationships with their mothers are fraught, and hold in your love those whose mothers have died, especially those who have died in the last year. We pray for those who mother under difficult circumstances, of domestic violence or poverty, through their own illness or the illness or disability of their children, for refugee mothers and those trying to keep their children safe in places affected by war. Lord, hold us in your loving embrace, like a mother holding her child, and help us to know your love, the better to share it with those we care for. Amen.

Amen. Lovely Tuo.

Day 23: A prayer inspired by Julian of Norwich

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

Lord, we know that our lives are messy, complicated, and disorganised. We fail, in so many ways, to live up to your expectations of us, and to our expections of ourselves and of one another. We come face-to-face with our shortcomings and failures and wonder if it's worth bothering to try again. Help us to trust that, when we fall short, nonetheless, through you, all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

Lord, we see around us a corrupt and dangerous world, full of people and regimes greedy for power, of poverty, deprivation, violence, war, hunger, and illness. Faced with the challenges of the world, we feel powerless, frightened, paralysed. Help us to work, in whatever ways we can, to make the world a better place, in the knowledge that we alone cannot solve the world's ills, but in faith that, through you, all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

Lord, we are challenged and hurt by the difficulties that afflict our own lives and the lives of those we love. When we feel hopeless and helpless, when we are ill or depressed, when we are carers for others, when we are bereaved, when we are lonely, help us to believe that, in ways that we cannot understand or begin to imagine, through your love all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

Lord, we know that we should not look for quick fixes and easy answers, yet we seek them anyway; we know that their failure to materialise does not mean that you do not hear us or care for us, yet we question your love. Help us to seek you and to trust in your presence in the challenges, pains, and difficulties of our world; inspire us with faith, hope, and love, and grant us the peace that comes from knowing that, while we may not comprehend the how or the when, all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

Amen

Amen. 🙏🏽

I've got a problem with my tooth. I have a nasty feeling it needs to come out: it's been kind of painful, and I've had a foul taste in my mouth for months now (since early January). I had a filling, thought that had sorted it, but it's back. I need to go back to the dentist. But I'm a bit phobic. So, if anyone has any spare prayers, one for bravery would be appreciated. Or for teeth!

Thinking today, for all sorts of reasons, about the power of education, so here goes...

Day 24: A prayer of thanks for education

Lord, we thank you for the power of education to open new doors, to change our way of thinking, and to make us open to ideas, discoveries and to each other. Bless all who teach, at whatever level, in nurseries, schools, colleges, universities, and in adult education classes of all sort. Grant them energy, enthusiasm, and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively, and make them sensitive to the needs of those they teach. Bless, too, those who learn; make them open-minded and enrich them through their studies. We ask special blessings on those who work in Christian education, bringing your word to others and helping them to make sense of their faith. Through your son, and our teacher, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Praying TUO. The fear in advance is so often worse than the actual event. The relief when it is out will be immense.