BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Daily Prayers of the Church Street family
July 30, 2020
Pastor Jan
Master Gardener, we know you have planted seeds of goodness within us, but for some reason, weeds have sprung up here and there, entwining themselves within the roots of our best intentions. We confess that our devotions have become as flimsy and fireless as the dandelion florets the wind carries away. Our prayer life reeks of self-interest, as predictable as crabgrass peering up from the seams in the sidewalk. Enrich our faith, Lord, giving energy to our lukewarm prayers and fervor to our casual nods of devotion. Refine our souls, we pray, that we might spring forth with new vigor, alive with the fire of faith.
God of Grace, hear our prayer.
Yes, as our Constant Caretaker, you are fully aware of the nettles that have gained a foothold in our souls; but you do not fixate about their presence. Rather, you remain focused on the healthy roots that sometimes appear dormant, but still thrive. Protect what is good within us, we pray, and nurture that which promises life and truth. And in your own time, bring forth that grain from within us, ripened by your Spirit, and separate it from the useless chaff. Then may it be ground into wholesome wheat, kneaded and baked, rendering life-giving bread, food for the journey with Christ.
God of Grace, hear our prayer.
What newness awaits all who trust in you, O Lord, for time and again you bring to fruition all that is withered and useless. Cultivate that vibrant flower of gratitude in our hearts, we pray, that we might see you behind every petal of grace that falls on our path. You are the Patient Gardener who gives us time to mature in our faith, time to correct our errant ways, time for gratitude to burst through the minute fibers of our hearts. Hear now as we sing our song of thankfulness for the ways you have strengthened and supported us through our days . . . How blessed we are that you are our Savior in all seasons!
God of Grace, hear our prayer.
And though you know these already, we offer the requests and celebrations offered by your servants at Church Street. We thank you that our concerns are your concerns, that our joys are your joys:
- Family celebrates a wife’s return home from healthcare facility
- Couple thankful for a lengthy and memorable vacation in the West
- Gratitude that a relationship is being restored
- Three offer thanksgiving for our choirs and worship team
- Clarity, wisdom, and guidance for a woman of strong faith
- Prayers for brother-in-law, malignant growth on esophagus
- Safety for husband & his crew working in a high-risk region
- Courage for a dear friend with lung cancer, awaiting MRI results
- Success for a nephew’s cancer surgery today
- Safety for paramedic daughter in high-risk work in Texas
- Strength for a daughter lovingly caring for her aging mother at home
- For a young man’s anger to dissolve & for his growing vision of goodness
- Young wife suffering from depression, that her darkness may lift
- Prayers for those ill with the virus; an effective vaccine to be found
- Safety for educators, students, and families as fall term begins
- A young nephew driving to California, for protection & guidance
- Safety for a young son returning to work in NYC on Friday
- All who are losing employment & are anxious about finances
- For an end to violence, reconciliation among our nation’s leaders
- Prayer for negative virus test results for two at-risk mothers
- Strength & healing for a member involved in a divorce proceeding
Lord of the Harvest, we trust in you for our strength. Grant that we may we grow straight and tall, content that you will one day peer across the fields, and counting us ready, gather us into your holy presence. Till then, we join again with all the faithful in that unending prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Programming Note: Pastor Jan’s prayers will continue next week, Monday through Thursday. Tomorrow, look for a new addition to our weekly communications – Catherine’s Corner: notes from Rev. Catherine Clark Nance.
Have a prayer request?
Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.
Join us for a midday devotion
Rev. Cantler leads us in a devotion at noon on our Facebook page today.
