Skip to main content

Prayer Column - August 2021

Interceding with the Lord


A sick friend asks a group to pray. You do, and they get better. There is pleasure, rejoicing and praise: God is good. Someone else beseeches you to pray their house will sell, because it’s been on the market for ages and things are getting a bit desperate. So you say you will, but then doubts arise: ‘For Sale’ signs festoon every street; can God really intervene? You reflect on Scripture for a few days: God is Almighty, he’s the Creator he makes the blind see and heals the lame; with him nothing is impossible! With strengthened faith you ask – and a few days later, ‘I’ve got a buyer!’ Oh, glory! And so it goes. You pray and God answers: sometimes very soon, other times later. Even with such chronic world ailments as poverty, figures show the evil tide seems to be ebbing, gradually, overall.

Some plights seem especially affecting: a young family torn apart by debility or death; or the children themselves struck down in some horrid way; or addiction seizing unwary youngsters in its vile grip, ruining lives. Some haunting ills just get worse as you pray, and deaths occur. What then? We’ve seen we should resist doubt, but when to desist, and just leave it with the Lord? Or should we ever insist, praying with more fervour, perhaps with clearer understanding of the case, or by seeking the Lord’s will or word? Or as Jesus said, just persist, like that widow with the judge, refusing to give up till God answers, as he promises he will to his faithful (Luke 18: 1-8)? There are no rules or how-to techniques. We are only asking favours of the Lord God, believing we do so according to his will, and trusting in his goodness and compassion. Let’s pray...

Roy Lorrain-Smith

A prayer for each week

Heavenly Father, thank you for prayer and your promise to hear us. Give us faith in your almighty power as we pray, so we can resist all doubt. Amen.

Sovereign Lord, whose will is supreme in all things, help us seek your guidance as we pray, that we can confidently ask “in the name of Jesus”. Amen.

Compassionate Lord, caring far more than we ever imagine, help us as we pray, giving whatever insights we need, into the problems or your will. Amen.

Righteous Father, combining mercy with your justice, forgive us for too easily giving up in prayer, when you take longer to answer than we’d like. Amen.

Loving Father, reconciling Son and life-giving Spirit, One God, flavour our prayers with caressing care as we lift others to you for healing or help. Amen.

Your own prayers

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

News from Thornton Methodist Church

Like everyone else, we are all trying to get on with life but at times it is not easy and not meeting with all our Church family can be difficult and lonely. Just before Christmas we were having services twice a month but not all people were able to attend which was very sad but we all kept in touch by text/phone it is not quite the same but it is good to talk. During Advent we put a display in the porch window of the Christmas story, adding different characters each week until all figures were assembled around the baby for the community of Thornton to see. All our children in Sunday School received an Advent calendar to let them know we were all thinking of them. We also had a Christingle service but this was very different from previous years. Masks were worn, tables set out at the required social distance and hand sanitizers available in lots of areas. People made their own Christingles from packs but instead of using fruits, wrapped fruit lollipops did the job just fine. Rev. Chris...

Virtual Worship - Easter Sunday 12 April 2020

Today’s the day - everything is changed. Death’s cave is empty, save linen cloth as calling card for Love. That life has won, and hope’s made whole, thank God! Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, Alleluia! Holy and risen Lord, we come to worship you on this special Easter Day. We thank you for all you have done for us. We lift our eyes to honour you, living Lord Jesus. You have overcome death; fill us with your joy and new life. Amen You might like to read, sing or listen to an Easter hymn. Perhaps  Christ the Lord is risen today, or Low in the grave he lay (H&P 193/202, StF 298/305). This is perhaps the strangest Easter Sunday we have experienced in most of our lifetimes. Not able to gather as God’s people on this holiest of days. Not able to spend time with family and friends. Not able to visit dale or coast. Yet even as restrictions bite, we affirm God’s love in Christ Jesus, and seek to help each other hear the Easter message. We gather in ...

Rock Solid

Rock Solid is the new youth club for 9-13 year olds at Wilsden Trinity Church . It aims to provide a group for older children to follow on from Wilsden Trinity’s other youth club, Friends and Heroes. Every Tuesday we meet for games, Bible stories, sweets, crafts and chats. Highlights so far include wrapping people up as mummies, making ice cream sundaes, playing Zip Zap Boing (which is as confusing as it sounds), building Easter gardens and making lava lamps. We set aside a good amount of time just for chatting, and each week we have a “Millstone, Milestone” section – each person can say if they’ve had a difficult week (millstone) or a brilliant week (milestone) and why. This has been a platform for many entertaining anecdotes and tales that the group has shared together. Rock Solid started in March 2017, and so far numbers are low. Our small group has fun, but we would love to welcome some new members! All children and young people between the ages of 9-13 can join. It is £2 on the ...