St Ed's and St Peter's prayer hub for 21st February

Psalm 34

I will always thank the Lord;

I will never stop praising him.

I will praise him for what he has done;

may all who are oppressed listen and be glad!

Proclaim with me the Lord's greatness;

let us praise his name together!

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me;

he freed me from all my fears.

As we move further into the season of Lent we are reminded of our constant need for God’s strength and mercy in our lives. On Sunday we will hear the account of Jesus’ forty days and nights in the desert where he underwent the incredibly hard time of temptation. We too are often tempted. Like the psalmist, we can cry out to the Lord in prayer in our times of struggle, desperation and temptation, asking for his strength in times of need and thanking him for his goodness.

Please use the following scripture verses this week as a way into prayer if you find them helpful.

Sunday: The psalmist wrote, ‘This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice in it and be glad in it.’ Psalm 118:24

You may like to spend some time today giving thanks for who God is and for all that God has done.

Monday: For we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth. Romans 8:22

We acknowledge that the world is so far from all that God intended it to be. We hold before God the pain of the world into which Jesus came.

Tuesday: Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Life is hard for all of us with struggles and temptations. Hold before God all who are in the grip of addictions and struggles for which they feel there is no way out.

Wednesday: Some people brought children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them... Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Mark 10:13-14

We pray for the children and young people who are struggling with all the effects the pandemic is having on them now and will have for many, many years to come.

Thursday: You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12

Ask the Holy Spirit to continue the work of grace in our lives of making us fully the people God created us to be, made in God’s image, reflecting God’s love.

Friday: Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

We give thanks that God in Christ has made, and is making all things new; there is hope in Christ!

Saturday: How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God's people to live together in harmony! Psalm 133:1

We give thanks for our life together in Christ and pray for each other as we prepare to worship tomorrow.

Please join us each day at 8am each day on Facebook for our Bitesized Prayer.

Also, you may like to pause each day at 12pm with Christians all around the world who pray the Lord’s Prayer at their 12pm!! This is an ancient practice that unites us wherever we are in our unity in Christ.

Attached is a sheet of the above in case you prefer to print a copy for reference