Evening Prayer Thursday, 12 November 2020
A reading from Psalm 40
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
4 Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
5 Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
Psalm 40: 1–5
Dear Lord, we look to you for everything.
Especially at this time, we call upon you to save your world
from the deadly effects of the current pandemic.
We thank you for the work that offers us all the prospect of an effective vaccine against the virus.
May those charged with the task of planning and implementing the distribution of the vaccine
and for administering the vaccine to millions of people have the skills and ability
to deliver what is required in a timely manner.
Help us all, we pray, to play our part in bringing the spread of the virus under control,
may we wait patiently for you to prosper the work of the scientists, doctors and administrators
working to find a solution to this world-wide problem.
Meanwhile, as we await these encouraging developments,
we pray that you will show us how we can bring comfort and help
to those for whom the current restrictions make their lives intolerable.
Inspire us to play a part, however small, in building a caring, compassionate community
for the good of all.
We pray for world leaders, and we ask that you grant them the wisdom to recognise
that the challenges facing our world can only be overcome by a wholly
collaborative international effort in which nationalism and partisanship have no place.
We recognise that you always show great mercy to those who strive to follow your teaching
and that of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
We close our prayers this evening with an evening hymn.
The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
the darkness falls at thy behest;
to thee our morning hymns ascended,
thy praise shall sanctify our rest.
We thank thee that thy Church unsleeping,
while earth rolls onward into light,
through all the world her watch is keeping,
and rests not now by day or night.
As o’er each continent and island
the dawn leads on another day,
the voice of prayer is never silent,
nor dies the strain of praise away.
The sun that bids us rest is waking
our brethren ’neath the western sky,
and hour by hour fresh lips are making
thy wondrous doings heard on high.
So be it, Lord, thy throne shall never,
like earth’s proud empires, pass away;
thy kingdom stands, and grows for ever
till all thy creatures own thy sway.
John Ellerton (1826–1893)
CCL31580
