A Concord Pastor Comments: Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 11/12

The answer is: we all need prayers!

We often ask others to pray for us
and we pledge, in return, to pray for them
and for those whom they ask us
to remember in our prayers...

Sometimes, though,
we may be afraid or slow
to ask others to pray for us...

So, let's pray today for folks who've asked us
to lift up their names to the Lord
- and for those who haven't
but who need our prayers nonetheless...

We pray for many people, for many reasons,
and we take comfort in knowing
that the Lord knows all our needs
even before we speak them...

We pray for family and friends
and for neighbors and parishioners
who've asked for our prayers...

We pray today for people we've never met,
for whom others have asked us to pray...

For some we pray for help, hope and healing...
for others we intercede for patience, forgiveness and reconciliation,
for many we ask for guidance, counsel and understanding...
for others we pray for relief, comfort and consolation...
and for all and for ourselves we pray
for serenity, harmony and peace...

We pray for the healing of the sick,
for the consolation of the dying
and for those who care for them, day by day...

We pray for those who grieve,
for light to shine within their darkness...

We pray for all those who need work
and we'll pray for all those who need rest...

We pray for those who are burdened
with anxiety, worry and fear...

We pray for those in prison,
for freedom in their minds and hearts...

We pray for children waiting to be born
and for the mothers who carry them;
we pray for children waiting for adoption
and for the families who'll receive them...

We pray for an end to violence
in peoples' homes, in their streets
and between nations...

We pray for all peoples,
especially for refugees,
whose lives, homes and churches
are threatened by destruction and death...

We pray for the healing of the abused and betrayed
and the restoration of their trust and hope..

We pray for the recovery of the addicted,
day by day by day...

We pray for the victory of justice
and we pray for a harvest of peace...

We pray for those who serve and protect us:
for those in harm's way
at home and 'round the world
and for an end to war...

We pray, as Jesus taught us,
for our enemies
and for those who persecute us...

And we pray with grateful hearts
for those who will, today,
find pardon, peace, healing, happiness and joy...

We pray for the many needs
of so very many people,
with confidence that God hears our every prayer
even before we think or speak a word...

We pray for those who are afraid
to ask for prayers...

We pray for those whose needs
are known only to God...

And finally,
let us pray for one another,
for all of us who read these words today...

Amen.