Evening Prayer Thursday, 30 July 2020
A reading from Psalm 145
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfils the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
Psalm 145: 8–9 & 14–21 NIV®
Gracious and compassionate Lord,
we pray that you will lift up all who are bowed down by the current difficult times.
We ask that the lonely find solace in your ever-present love,
that the frightened and anxious find strength to face the future,
that the sick receive the care and nurture that they need.
Give to parents the wisdom and patience they need to deal with children
who are missing their friends and the reassurance of their regular routine.
Dear Lord, we give you thanks and praise, that you watch over all who love you.
We thank you for all the good gifts that you give us day by day.
Grant us the ability to show your love through our actions as your disciples;
open our eyes to see how we can help and support our neighbours in their need,
and grant us the grace to receive from others the kind acts and thoughtfulness that they offer us.
We thank you that, in a time of crisis, people come together in community and work for the good of all.
As we return to a new normality, we pray that we do not lose this sense of community.
Let us all do what we can to learn the lessons that adversity can teach us,
and strive to build a better society for our community, our country and our world and yours.
We pray for leaders everywhere, in governments, in politics, in commerce and in technology:
grant them the wisdom to lead their organisations and the world to a better future for all people.
Today, we remember William Wilberforce, the social reformer,
and give thanks that you gave him and his associates the will to fight for social justice,
and to work for the abolition of the slave trade.
Let us recognise that fight for a world in which all are treated equally is not yet won,
and we must continue to support the struggle.
We welcome the efforts of the Black Lives Matter campaign to counter racism in all its forms.
We thank you for the renewed interest in black history, and the recognition that African and other non-European cultures have made valuable contributions to the development of humanity.
Help us to recognise that we are all your children, and equally beloved of you,
regardless of pigmentation, ethnicity or location of origin,
and teach us to treat all humanity as our brothers and sisters.
Now, at the ending of this day, as we prepare ourselves for a good night’s rest,
we pray that you will be with us all throughout the night, and into the dawn of a new day,
and may we all praise your holy name and give you grateful thanks for the precious gift
of your Son and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
We close our prayers this evening by saying the Grace together:
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all, evermore.
Amen
