Daily Prayers Wednesday, 11 May 2022

by Ian Trimnell · 11 May 2022

Prayers for the Day, Wednesday

Good morning, Cornerstone Friends.

Let us begin this morning with prayers of concern from the Iona Community.

O God of all creation
who has come to us in Jesus,
lead us in your way of love
and fill us with your Spirit.

Choose us
to bring good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
to bring sight to the blind
and set free the oppressed.
So shall your new creation come
and your will be done.
Amen

Spirit of truth and judgment,
who alone can cast out
the powers that grip our world
at the point of crisis,
give us your discernment,
that we may accurately name what is evil, and know the way that leads to peace, through Jesus Christ, Amen

Spirit of integrity,
you drive us into the desert
to search out our truth.
Give us clarity to know what is right,
that we may abandon the false innocence
of failing to choose at all,
but may follow the purposes of Jesus Christ.
Amen

God of history,
you share our joys and crushing sorrows, you hear the cries of the afflicted, you fill the hungry, and you set free the oppressed.
We pray for the end to all injustice.
Inspire us with the all-embracing love of God, challenge us with the sacrificial love of Jesus, empower us with the transforming love of the Spirit, that we and all God’s children may live and be free!
Amen

Our reading for today is Psalm 135 verses 1 to 7 and 13 and 14.

Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord;
give praise, you servants of the Lord, who minister in the house of the Lord, in the temple courts of our God.
Praise the Lord for he is good;
sing psalms to his name, for that is pleasing.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel as his treasured possession.

I know that the Lord is great,
that our God is above all gods.
Whatever the Lord wills, that he does, in heaven and on earth, in the sea and all the great deep.
He brings up the mist from the ends of the earth, makes clefts for the rain, and brings the wind out of his storehouses.

Lord , your name endures for ever;
your renown, Lord, will last to all generations, for the Lord will give his people justice; he has compassion on his servants.

Heavenly Father, you are always compassionate to us, supporting us, loving us and forgiving us however often we fail to live up to your plan for us. We thank you for your unfailing love and being always by our side. As we give thanks for your compassion towards us, we pray for grace ourselves to be compassionate to others – to our families, friends and neighbours near and far. We pray for strength to be open to the needs of others and especially all those we come into contact with today.
In Jesus name
Amen

Heavenly Father, today we pray especially for the people of Ukraine. We pray for the fighting to stop, for lasting peace to be negotiated and for the suffering of all those involved to be over. Be with those who are hiding in bombed buildings, those who are starving, those who are trying to flee the country and with all those families who have been split up. And we remember all those who have died and all those who miss them.
In Jesus name
Amen

Heavenly Father, here in this country we give thanks and pray for all those who work in the service sector and to whom we all owe so much. People such as nurses, carers, doctors, retail staff, teachers, refuse collectors, podiatrists and bus drivers to name but a few. Often these people work very long hours in difficult situations to keep us safe, educated and healthy. Father, guide them , support them and strengthen them we pray and help them to know how important their work is and how much valued.
In Jesus name
Amen

Finally, Heavenly Father, we pray for ourselves. We ask that we shall feel your close presence and that we shall live today as you would want us to. Help us to be strong parts of the communities we belong to – the Christ the Cornerstone community and the Milton Keynes community. Help us to love one another, always to see the best in one another and to work to heal any rifts that there may be.
In Jesus name
Amen

A hymn to end with

The love of God comes close
where stands an open door
to let the stranger in,
to mingle rich and poor:
the love of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk his way.

The peace of God comes close
to those caught in the storm,
forgoing lives of ease,
to ease the lives forlorn:
the peace of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk his way.

The joy of God comes close
where faith encounters fears,
where heights and depths of life
are found through smiles and tears:
the joy of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk his way.

The grace of God comes close
to those whose grace is spent,
when hearts are tired or sore
and hope is bruised or bent:
the grace of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk his way.