Prayers: March 13, 2022

Prayers

Always be joyful. Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thank you, God:

• for the shelter, safety and forgiveness we find in Jesus.
• for the Holy Spirit who helps to bring our rambling thoughts into perfect prayers to You.  “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26).
• for the person who brought Good News to us.
• for more hours of daylight.
• for training our ears to hear your voice in the commotion of the day.

Pray:

• that the angels of heaven would deal justly with those who wage war against humanity
• for the care and safety of refugees who have had to flee their homes
• for the souls of those who have died at the hands of those with evil intent
• that God will show us where we can be more like Him
• for forgiveness when our misguided plans have been made without seeking God
• for protection against the dangers resulting from our own pride and insistence of our own way
• that we may gather so many nuggets of truth in our bucket during our Lenten journey that we have no choice but to share with others
• for the success of small group ministry in providing Christian environments in which people can deepen their faith
• for courage to step out and act on the mission that Jesus is calling us to pursue
• for our shut-ins and others in frail health
• for our children who are dealing with more complexities in life than their parents.   Pray that God will provide understanding and patience to all family members so they can thrive despite difficult circumstances.
• for our church to keep pace with the needs of our believing and seeking community

To Think About:

We are reminded daily that living in the world brings about challenges over which we have no control, challenges which can lead us to feel distraught and hopeless.  More than 2000 years ago, the people of God felt similarly as they searched for someone to liberate them from the oppression of the day.  And God sent Jesus, then, to be the sacrifice for their sins; and we can receive Him now, to claim eternal life with Jesus if we repent and receive Jesus as our Savior.  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.  The Father and I are one.” John 10:27-30  We are rescued only by Jesus, the Good Shepherd – we can feel safe and secure in relationship with Him because He loves us, pursues us, finds us, saves us, and promises to never let us go.

禱告事項

“要常常喜樂， 不住的禱告， 凡事謝恩。因為這是 神在基督耶穌裏向你們所定的旨意。”

帖撒羅尼迦前書 五章 十六至十八節

感謝神

• 使我們在耶穌裡找到了庇護、安全和寬恕。
• 聖靈將我們不成言的混亂思念變成禱告。“況且，我們的軟弱有聖靈幫助。我們本不曉得當怎樣禱告，只是聖靈親自用說不出來的嘆息替我們禱告。”（羅馬書 8:26）。
• 給我們帶來好消息的人。
• 讓我們可以享受更多的日光。
• 訓練我們的耳朵在喧囂中聽到你的聲音。

祈禱

• 天使會公正地治理那些向人類挑發戰爭的人。
• 神看顧逃離家園的難民並保障他們的人身安全。
• 命喪于惡意之人的人的靈魂。
• 神讓我們看見如何更像祂。
• 主饒恕我們從前不尋求他而造成的錯誤計劃。
• 神保護我們遠離因剛愎自用所帶來的危險。
• 我們在大齋節之旅中在真理上收穫多而又多，不得不與他人分享真理的美善。
• 小組事工的順利進行，為更深地堅固人們的信仰提供一個基督信仰的環境 。
• 神幫助我們鼓起勇氣接受耶穌的呼召，邁出大使命去傳福音的脚步。
• 神為居家不能外出和身體軟弱的肢體加添力量。
• 神在家庭成員之間帶出理解和耐心，使處在比上一代更複雜的環境中的孩子們，在這些艱難的境況下，得以茁壯成長。
• 我們教會能滿足渴慕真理的弟兄姊妹和社會上尋求真理的人的需要。

思想

        我們每天都被提醒，生活在這個世界上會帶來我們無法控制的挑戰，並它所給我們的不安和絕望。 2000多年前，上帝的子民也有同樣的感受，他們尋找有人能將他們從當時的壓迫中解放出來。 於是，神差遣耶穌成為他們贖罪的祭物；如今，如果我們悔改並接受耶穌為我們的救主，就可以與耶穌一起獲得永生。我的羊聽我的聲音，我也認識他們，他們也跟著我。我又賜給他們永生，他們永不滅亡，誰也不能從我手裡把他們奪去。我父把羊賜給我，他比萬有都大，誰也不能從我父手裡把他們奪去。「我與父原為一。」（約翰福音 10:27-30）。 只有耶穌、神的好牧人才能拯救我們——因為他愛我們、尋找我們、尋著了便拯救我們，並承諾永遠不離開我們，讓我們可以在與他的關係中有身心的穩定和安全。