Prayers for Others

O Lord our gracious and loving God,

We come to you this morning as your children, deeply aware of the fleetingness of time and life.

Life is precious, and for some it can be precarious.

As we reflect on the world around us and beyond our shores we are concerned for those who are under enormous pressure because of the situations that they find themselves in.

We pray for those who are anxious, and feeling overwhelmed by situations over which they have no control.

We are aware of various conflicts around the world, and the terrible situation in Ukraine continues to be in the forefront of our minds. We pray for those who have lost loved ones, their homes or their livelihoods, and for those who fear for their safety or the safety of loved ones caught up in the fighting   Please grant them peace, and hope for their future.

Life for many can be punctuated by the unexpected, and the unwanted.

So we pray those in our own community who are experiencing anxiety because of issues concerning their health, their housing, their finances or their relationships, please grant them hope.

We pray, too, for the bush chaplains of Frontier Services who seek to provide much needed support and encouragement to those who live in remote or isolated regions of our country.

We pray for those in need in our community, especially for children who are suffering illness or disabilities.

May your Spirit bring healing.

We pray for those who give of their time and abilities to the work of your kingdom in our community. 

As children return to school this week we pray for those who will provide school chaplaincy services while Kylie Conomos is on leave.  We pray too for volunteers such as Ian, who lead the Religious Instruction classes at the school. May your Spirit continually renew them, and provide them with inspiration and wisdom to respond to their challenges.

We pray for all who contribute to the life of our congregation, and for those who lead our worship. May your Spirit continue to provide all who serve, with the inspiration needed to respond to individual situations.

We pray that your Spirit might grant us the vision to look beyond ourselves, and envision what we, as your people, can be and do in community.

We would bring to You the needs of those in our congregation who have their challenges:

dealing with grief, illness, disabilities and anxieties. 

We pray that your Spirit might renew them in body, mind and spirit, and provide them with what is necessary to meet their deepest needs.

 We pray too for those who are unable to join with us in person this morning. May your Spirit assure them of our continuing concern for their well-being.

You have walked with each of us in our life’s journey, and we ask that these prayers will not be words alone, but the expressions of our hearts, offered in sincere faith.

And we offer these prayers in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray:

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

Now and forever.  Amen.