In the midst of the current pandemic there is much fear and anxiety and it is good to remember verses from God’s word which give us hope and encouragement. ‘The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid;do not be discouraged.’ Deuteronomy 31:8
Presbytery is having a weekly time of prayer at 12 noon each Wednesday. It would be good for us to join in prayer at this time.
The prayer for this week is below.
kind regards, Pat
Lord keep us under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress. Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low, that we may rejoice in your comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love.
Lord we seek your protection for all those who still need to travel to engage in essential tasks to keep the rest of us safe. Today we bring to mind all those front line staff working in hospitals, testing stations, ambulances, police and fire stations, supermarkets and pharmacies.We give thanks for their dedication and hard work and we pray that they stay safe at this time. We remember those too who maintain our mail delivery helping us to maintain contact with others and for delivery drivers and local shopkeepers who bring essential goods to our doorsteps. We give thanks and acknowledge the willingness of local volunteers to look after the vulnerable in our communities and we are all reminded at this time of the importance of looking out for our neighbours.
Lord we are challenged to maintain our faith in these difficult times having been deprived of the sense of community worship. Lord we give thanks for the sterling efforts of all those who have endeavoured to learn new digital skills so that corporate worship of all sorts can continue throughout Argyll and beyond. We pray that those who have embarked on this form of ministry are able to sustain us all through these difficult times. We especially pray for our ministerial colleagues who strive to maintain pastoral care at a distance, an alien concept in a world where personal interaction and presence are crucial but now no longer possible.We pray too for those times when they might be called upon to conduct funeral services, help them to find ways of consoling the bereaved that is meaningful in these difficulties.
We are not people of fear, we are people of courage. We are not people who protect our own safety, we are people who protect our neighbours safety. We are not people of greed, we are people of generosity.We are your people God, giving and loving, wherever we are, whatever it costs for as long as it takes wherever you call us.
We ask all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.