Evening Prayer Thursday 24 September 2020
A reading from Psalm 78
1 My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old –
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
12 He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.
14 He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.
Psalm 78: 1–4, 12–16 NIV®
Dear God, we thank you for your teaching.
We thank you that we can study all your words in the scriptures.
We give thanks for all those who have written and preserved these sacred texts.
Lord Jesus, we thank you for your parables and stories,
created to give ordinary people an understanding of the extraordinary ways of God
and the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Grant that we may discern your true message in these tales.
We cherish these teachings in our hearts;
help us to play our part in sharing the good news
of how you guide and provide for all who put their faith in you.
As the crisis of the pandemic shows little signs of abating,
may we do all we can, we pray, to help those about us whose circumstances are increasingly difficult.
Even though our opportunities to meet and socialise with out friends are increasingly restricted,
help us to find new ways of sharing fellowship, and drawing in those at the margins.
There are many who are not confident with modern communication technology;
we must reach out to them with older, but still effective communication, by telephone
and the written word sent by old-fashioned post.
Help us to find ways to let those who need it most
know that you care from them and that we are praying for their needs.
We thank you, too, for all those who work to provide the services on which we all depend.
Guard and protect them all, so that they may continue in this work.
We know that there are many whose services we take for granted;
help us to recognise the importance to us of the work they do
and let us find ways to show our appreciation.
Just as you led your people out of Egypt, leading them with your cloud and your light,
providing them with both food and water in the desert,
we must know that you are leading us today, and will provide for our needs in difficult times.
Above all, we thank you that, as well as guiding and guarding your people,
you gave us, through Moses, your laws, which show us how to be your faithful people.
We bring before you all that has befallen us today.
We thank you for the many blessings we have received.
We lay at your feet the difficulties and problems that we have not been able to resolve.
We ask you for the clarity of mind to deal with them as they require,
and the recognition of when to let them go and leave them behind.
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
