"O God, Before Whom..." - 22 November 2020

 


O God, before whom no god was formed, nor shall there be any after you; for you, you alone are the LORD, and beside you there is no savior (Isaiah 43:10-11): We implore you to show kindness and care to those who are facing critical times (…), those who are hospitalized and weakening (…), those who are recovering from sickness or surgery (…), those swallowed up in sorrow and sadness (…), for exhausted caregivers (…), for those walking through darkness, depression, or disorder (…). Grant them relief, replenishment, faith and hope so as not to rely on themselves but on you, O God, who raises the dead. For you are he who delivers us from such deadly perils and will deliver us. And so, on you we set our hope that you will deliver us again (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).

O Father, from whom all fatherhood is named in heaven and on earth, you who are over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:6), we implore you to strengthen and aid our brothers and sisters world over, including this congregation, Town and Country Christian Church; Victory Church; Victory Faith Center; and Vintage Church. Bring us all to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3).

O Almighty, with the Psalmist we say, “For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps” (Psalm 135:5–6). Please direct all nations, to include the USA, Cameroon, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Belarus, and direct all tribes, communities, clans, ethnic groups and peoples toward honesty, fairness, and the common good. Detain and defeat all evil, immorality, anarchy, bloodletting, banditry, and bullying. Keep or restore domestic equilibrium where it has either disintegrated or is being threatened. And grant us full-blown and speedy recovery from this pandemic!

O Maker of heaven and earth, who upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down; to whom the eyes of all look, and who gives them their food in due season; who opens your hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing (Psalm 145:14-16): we give you our deepest thanks for all you have supplied. We pray for those in prison and those who minister in the prisons, that you would bring hope and life and salvation. We pray for those who don’t have anything, or have very little, to eat this week and to whom the coming days look just as sparse, that you would take care of them and provide them plentifully. We pray for those who are helping at Project 66, RestoreOKC, Hope Center of Edmond, City Rescue Mission, the Salvation Army, and other ministries, that you would enable them to provide the kind of aid that will be genuinely charitable and beneficial. May this Thanksgiving rekindle our thanksgiving to you for all we have, each day of life, and our families.

We present our petitions to you in the name of, and by the authority of, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


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