"Lord Jesus, You Took..." - 14 March 2021

 

Lord Jesus, you took the man overwhelmed by a regiment of demonic forces, a man who was in perpetual motion, roving in the decaying and deserted places, dark and dismal, pulled apart at the emotional seams, and you restored him so that he was seated near you, clothed, and in his right mind. We cry out to you on behalf of some we know whose mental health is unsettled (…). Lord, speak your “peace, be still” and bring them a settled calmness, pulling their fragmented mental pieces back together. And be with their loved ones who are fearful, dismayed, distraught, and frustrated. Their loved ones who don’t know what to do or are worried about the actions they have taken. Help them to find your peaceful stillness inhabiting their hearts and minds. And, for both, we pray that you would guide them into new times and new seasons where they can, once more, enjoy the days ahead with each other. O Lord, hear our prayer. 

Lord Jesus, you took the man born blind and gave him a sight he never had; you took the woman who had been stooped and hunched over, bound by Satan 18 years, and made her able to stand upright restoring her life and liberating her: look on these we bring to you (…). Lift them from their troubles, release them from the miseries of Satan, and grant them a life of joy and service before you. O Lord, hear our prayer. 

Lord Jesus, you took the sparce resources of five loaves and two fish, and from that impossibility you satisfied sumptuously: have mercy on those who have little to nothing, those whose financial needs out distance their resources (…). Stretch their means, bringing their paucity to become prosperity. And cause them to know it was you who provided for them lavishly. O Lord, hear our prayer. 

Lord Jesus, you wept at the grave of your friend Lazarus, greatly troubled in your spirit; you had sympathy on the widow of Nain; you had compassion on the people who were like sheep without a shepherd: take notice of those who are grieving losses, those alone, those without direction, those drifting along (…). Comfort them in ways that will cause them to know you are their refuge and strength, a present help in trouble. For as the Psalmist sang, “When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul” (Psalm 94:18-19). O Lord, hear our prayer.

These prayers we ask in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen