Prayers: March 20, 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 gentle breezes making the flowers dance
• for remembering your promises to us even when we forget our promises to You
• for always listening
• for gentle nudges and whispers that direct our paths
• for the power we have to accomplish great things for You. “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22

Pray:

• that God will help us practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
• for the people whose lives have been torn apart by war; pray for their salvation and courage to endure the struggles of this world.
• for those in Hong Kong experiencing increased exposure to COVID infection due to the high number of cases and inability of the health care system to handle them.  Pray especially for those whose eternity is not secured in the Lord – may they have an opportunity to hear the Good News soon
• for those who are struggling with loss; that God will provide comfort and pull them from mourning to trust and strength to persevere for the future
• that our testimony is not only spoken words but a life that shows Jesus lives within us
• that though physical frailties may come with growing old, our trust and faithfulness will never wane
• that we may bear with one another even in our differences understanding that we each have shortcomings, but also the ability to share God’s truth.  Colossians. In 3:13
• for patience and trust when we don’t understand what God has in store for us
• for our missionaries who battle many seen and unseen enemies in building God’s kingdom
• that we may not miss the little joys of the day looking for something big to happen
• for God to help us with the almost impossible task of developing humility for to do so comes a great promise – Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. James 4:10
• for God’s help in treasuring the gift of family.  We may not agree with but we do love each of them.
• that we may continue to learn something new about Jesus every day in our Lenten journey
• for an opportunity to share Jesus this week with someone

To Think About:

We imagine the downtrodden people of Judah and Israel welcomed the message of hope that prophet Isaiah brought, The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.  Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. Isaiah 35:1-2.  We may view our current world circumstances of virus, war, storms, food insecurity and all other uncertainties as our wilderness and reason for hopelessness.  No matter our situation today, we too can rejoice in the daffodils and crocuses (and cherry blossoms) that are coming to life and restoring us with fresh hope. When we feel down, reflecting on His glory and splendor will bolster us. Our God is able and we can put our hope in Him! Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;  say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Isaiah 35:3-4

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

• 為微風使花朵翩翩起舞。
• 從不忘記對我們的承諾，即使我們忘記了對您的承諾。
• 時刻傾聽。
• 輕推細語引導我們前進。
• 賜下屬天力量，使我們在神國裏能成就大事。“你們禱告，無論求什麼，只要信，就必得著（ 馬太福音21:22）。

祈禱

• 神會幫助我們實施公義、憐憫和信實。
• 為被戰爭奪去正常生活的人們能向神祈求來自神的救贖，讓他們有勇氣忍受來自這個世界的痛苦。
• 為香港因衛生保健系統無力處理日漸增加的新冠病而處於增高傳染危機的人禱告，特別為那些在主裡沒有得到永生的人禱告——願他們很快有機會聽到福音。
• 失喪的人在悲傷中可以迎著信靠神而得安慰和力量，為未來而生忍耐的心。
• 我們的見證不只是口頭上的話語，而是用生活表明耶穌住在我們的生命裡。
• 雖然我們終會年老體弱，但我們對永生的盼望永不衰殘。
• 我們可以照著神在歌羅西書3章13節的教導行事爲人，並有能力分享福音：倘若這人與那人有嫌隙，總要彼此包容，彼此饒恕；主怎樣饒恕了你們，你們也要怎樣饒恕人。
• 我們在不能知道神為我們所預備的將來時，仍然堅持信靠神。
• 我們的傳教士在與可見和不可見的敵人征戰中得勝有餘，建立神的國度。
• 我們不要尋找大事中錯過享受每日生活中微小的快樂。
• 在人的本性沒有能力自我造就謙卑的品格時，神幫助我們培養此品格，因爲有一大應許 ——務要在主面前自卑，主就必叫你們升高。（雅各書 4:10）
• 我們珍惜神賜給我們的家庭。雖然我們可以意見不同，但必須彼此相愛。
• 我們在大齋節期的旅程中每天都能繼續從主耶穌哪裏有新的收穫。
• 讓我們本周有機會與他人分享耶穌。

思想

       我們想像猶大和以色列受壓迫的人民歡迎先知以賽亞帶來的有盼望的消息，曠野和乾旱之地必然歡喜，沙漠也必快樂，又像玫瑰開花。必開花繁盛，樂上加樂，而且歡呼。黎巴嫩的榮耀，並迦密與沙崙的華美，必賜給它。人必看見耶和華的榮耀，我們神的華美。（以賽亞書 35:1-2）。我們可能將當前世界的病毒、戰爭、風暴、糧食不安全和所有其他不確定性視為我們的曠野和失望的原因。無論今天的處境如何，我們也可以為正在恢復生機水仙花、番紅花和櫻花而歡欣鼓舞，它們以嶄新的希望使我們恢復活力。當我們情緒低落時，反思祂的榮耀和光輝會鼓舞我們。 我們的神有能力，我們可以把希望寄託在他身上。 你們要使軟弱的手堅壯，無力的膝穩固，對膽怯的人說：“你們要剛強，不要懼怕！看哪，你們的神必來報仇，必來施行極大的報應，他必來拯救你們。”  （以賽亞書 35:3-4）