Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of February 15, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
Today’s lectionary reading from the Psalms is from Psalm 119:10 -16 …
119 10 With my whole heart I seek you;
do not let me stray from your commandments.
11 I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I may not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes.
13 With my lips I declare
all the ordinances of your mouth.
14 I delight in the way of your decrees
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
O Lord who hears our every heartbeat, you know that we come to you longing for a pure heart. But the Psalmist promises you the WHOLE heart. You know our hearts, O God, and you see how we have divided them in sections. There is only a portion for you. We love you with the part of our heart that adores creation and loves our family. We love you with the part of our heart that experiences joy.
You know our hearts, O Lord … and yet, you welcome us into your sanctuary of prayer. We humbly bring our broken hearts, our bitter hearts, our tired hearts, our apathetic hearts; we bring them all. The heartache, the heartbreak, and the heartsick.
So, we pray again with the Psalmist: we seek you with our whole heart! May our hearts be a place where we treasure your word and make room for your spirit. May we trust in our hearts that you know the brokenness we have stored there and are anxious to heal and to make new.
Having spent time meditating on your love for us and your openness to us, we can truly say now that our whole hearts are before you. We bring you the joy and the hope, the thanksgiving and the concerns, the regret and the looking ahead. Thank you for seeking after us with YOUR whole heart, O Lover of Our Souls.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ who taught us to pray …
We pray for…
- A child in our congregation whose classmate’s father died suddenly. Prayers for the family and all the children in this boy’s class as they support him.
- A friend who suffered a stroke while in Florida; prayers for healing and for his boyfriend and family.
- Several in our church family who are waiting on medical test results; prayers for patience and clarity!
- Those for whom Valentine’s Day was a hard day. So many expectations and so much hype make it a difficult day to maneuver for those who are single (and happy!), or who are longing for a relationship, or who have just ended a relationship.
- Families who have strained relationships
- A member’s parents who both have health issues
- A member dealing with heart issues and MS
- Friends going through struggles
- A sister looking for answers as to source of pain
- A couple moving into a new home; celebrating a new beginning but also grieving the death of their young son
- A member’s mother in cardiac ICU
- The Michigan State University community
- Parents struggling during a difficult period
- A friend looking for meaningful and sustaining employment
- The friends and family of a young mother; those who are remembering her in hometown service and those celebrating her life in Knoxville
We give thanks for…
- Doctors and healthcare personnel who understand addiction issues and provide care with compassion
- Support services for those receiving cancer treatments
- The uplifting worship service led by our children last Sunday!
We continue to pray for…
- The survivors in Turkey and Syria; those responsible for rebuilding
- Members and friends who are in rehab health facilities after surgery and/or illness
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.
