Prayers of the People

This morning I got to lead prayer for our church live stream during a regular segment, "Prayers of the People". I wrote out the prayer so that I'd be eloquent and not say um too much, and I want to share it with you all out there in the blog-universe.

Heavenly Father - We come to you this Palm Sunday as a remotely gathered body,
learning new ways to connect with each other, and grateful that we continue to
have prayer as a way of directly connecting with you. And as the weather turns
to spring, we’re reminded of your attention to every detail of creation, how you
care for the lilies of the field, and how much more you care for us. We know your
ability to hear each of our individual anxieties, and thank you for the grace we are
extended by being allowed to approach your throne in prayer.

We pray that you’ll continue to show us your power and grace and peace as we
face the global pandemic. We lift up our local and national leaders - Dr. Ball and
the Howard County General first responders, Governor Hogan and his task force,
the president and his task force, and ask that you give them wisdom and compassion
in this time of economic and public health crisis. We pray for churches around the
world, remembering that we are a part of a larger body. We ask that you help us to
demonstrate love for our neighbor, that you would remind our hearts that fear of
this virus cannot translate to fear of our fellow humans. We ask that you continue
to lead our elders, deacons and pastors in identifying and caring for the needs
of the church.

We pray for our missionaries, many of whom are facing this global crisis separated
from families in other countries. We lift up our local crisis centers, such as the
Grassroots shelter and the Saalam center, as they seek to serve those in our
community who struggle with homelessness, or have escaped as refugees
and are not equipped for social isolation in a new country.

We pray for the parents in our church - those who are managing remote schooling
for teens and tweens, or caring for young, active and bored toddlers, or parents
of adult children, who are distanced from their families for the safety of all - we
pray that you’d give these parents the strength to continue on. We particularly
pray for the D Family, as they seek to protect their son as he’s treated for cancer,
and for S&O, who have only just become parents this week. 

We pray for the marriages in our church, as those with spouses can find comfort
in the presence of a partner during this crisis, but also confess that we are sinners,
and that often the stress of this situation is sinfully spent in frustration towards our spouse. 

We pray that you’d comfort those in our body who are dealing with anxiety from illness,
unemployment, loneliness, or any other unspoken need. Lord, we crave your presence
and protection. It’s in Jesus name we pray, Amen