Easter 7a General Prayer

Lord God heavenly Father, we give You thanks that through faith in Your Son Jesus Christ we are Your people and the sheep of Your pasture.  Hear us as we come to You in prayer and answer us for our good:

We praise You for Your steadfast love that endures forever and Your faithfulness to all generations.  According to your wise, fatherly will meet the needs of those who suffer any want and grant healing to those who are ill, especially do we pray for David as he begins treatment for cancer and Melanie who is hospitalized.

Lord, we know that You are the God of steadfast love and justice.  Watch over, guide, inform, and protect all of those who are involved in the justice system of our nation.  Especially do we pray for the weakest members of our society, that You would be their Advocate and direct the affairs of the courts for their good.

We ask Your blessing upon all of those who are at a turning point in their earthly journeys, that you would guide their footsteps and directs their paths.  Especially do we remember our graduates, that You would give them success in the next stage of life and the Peterson family as they move to Kansas, that You would graciously meet their spiritual and physical needs in their new home.  We give You thanks for their presence among us over these last 17 years.

Help us to be people who are devoted to prayer, confident that we have an advocate in Jesus Christ who has forgiven our sins and made a way for us back to You.  When we are worried and afraid remind us to cast all our anxieties upon You for You care for us.  As we commit our plans and ways to You in prayer, make us willing to accept the answer You give, confident that You are ordering our lives for our good.

Grant us Your grace and the help of the Holy Spirit to remain steadfast in times of trial and temptation.  Uphold all of those who are suffering for the sake of Christ’s holy name.

We thank You for the lifetime of love that You have granted to Your servants Stanley and Sylvia as they celebrate a wedding anniversary.  Continue to bless them with a love for another and You that grows each day. 

God of all grace, You have called us to eternal glory in Christ:  restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us in our faith so that we would be sober-minded and watchful until that day You exalt us to Your eternal presence.  We ask it in Jesus name.  Amen.