Prayer Diary May 2015
Friday 1st
Thank You, Gracious God, for bringing us safely to the beginning of another month. Thank You for answering our April prayers. Help each of us to trust You for the answers which we wait for, knowing that everything is in Your hands. You are utterly faithful!Thank You!
Saturday 2nd
The greatest increase in persecutions of Christians in the past year has been happening in sub-Saharan Africa. Pray this month for the Church in Somalia where it is extremely dangerous to be a Christian. Al-Shabaab has declared it wants the country free of any Christians and those who are suspected of being Christian can be killed on the spot. (Information from Open Doors)
Sunday 3rd Psalm 22.25 – 31; John 15. 1 – 8
Olrig – Robert; Keiss & Dunnet – Lyall; Canisbay – Myrtle
Let’s remember in our prayers those who would love to be in
church this morning but can no longer get out. Pray that even as the rest of us meet together, they will still feel part of our fellowship and know the Presence of Jesus.
Monday 4th
As the days lengthen and we wake increasingly to strong sunlight, the memory of days of power cuts in January may have faded. It was dark – and cold!! Spiritual darkness is real and constantly around us, but the light of the Risen Christ shines eternally. We need to spread the Good News!
Tuesday 5th
Presbytery meets tonight and will be reviewing the Presbytery
Plan. Pray for wisdom for the Presbyters as they tackle the
challenges facing the churches in this area. Help us, Sovereign
Lord, to find new ways to serve the Church and our communities.
Wednesday 6th
Tomorrow the general public vote for the Government they wish to guide us for the next five years in the world of National and International Politics. We pray and hope that everyone entitled to vote will do so. This is our duty. Would that each Polling Station had a 100% or near response! How wonderful if for the next five years we could say, ‘How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!’ (Psalm 133.1)
Thursday 7th General Election
Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour. (Romans 13.7).
As we choose our leaders in government we give thanks, Lord, for all who will check and count ballot papers. This is a lengthy but important task as it maintains our free democracy.
Friday 8th
All-seeing God, please forgive me. I have failed to do all that I could to help others. I have been careless in my thoughts and in my speech. Please help me to try harder this month to follow You.
Saturday 9th Messy Church in Dunnet
Jesus called the children to Him and said, ‘Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Luke 18.16)
Loving Lord, bless all young children – in our parishes, in Britain and around the world. Keep them safe; may they know care and love.
Sunday 10th Psalm 98; John 15. 9 - 17
Olrig & Canisbay – Lyall; Keiss & Dunnet – Robert
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
(Psalm 118.8)
Someone has calculated that this verse is the central verse in the Bible. How apt! I need to remember it in my own daily life, and to act on it.
Monday 11th
This is Christian Aid Week and some of us will have been reminded of this in yesterday’s service, by posters which we have seen as we have travelled around and perhaps by sound bites on television. There are so many urgent requests for help on behalf of the world’s needy people, but Christian Aid remains the major organisation sponsored by the National Church. Let’s give if we can and let’s pray!
Tuesday 12th
Increasingly we hear of refugees trying to escape to freedom and at the time of preparing this issue, hundreds have lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea. Merciful Father, comfort the bereaved, grant rescue to those struggling to be free and change the minds of wicked traffickers and evil people.
Wednesday 13th
Give thanks for the first Messy Church held in Keiss last month. Seventeen children attended along with Mums, Dads, Grannies … Kimberly and her helpers were greatly encouraged and no doubt another such event will be planned. (No date as yet). This is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to families for whom our traditional forms of worship and teaching are largely irrelevant. It is not hard to believe that Jesus would have enjoyed Messy Church!
Thursday 14th Ascension Day Acts 1. 1 - 13
Today we remember how Jesus left His disciples to return to God’s right hand, His own work completed. As He left behind a group of followers to witness to Him all over the world, enable us, dear Lord, to be faithful in carrying out His commission.
Friday 15th
Loving Lord, we pray for those who have suffered loss – loss of an active body, loss of memory, loss of a clear mind. We think of friends who are lost to us, parted by distance or circumstance, and those whom we have loved and who are no longer alive. We trust in You and thank You that You never ask more of us than we can give.
Saturday 16th General Assembly opens
Today representatives from our county will be in Edinburgh for a busy week. Pray that they will be given strength for the hard work, thinking and wisdom required to make the decisions necessary to grow our Church in Scotland. Lord of the Church, be with them.
Sunday 17th Psalm 1; Acts 1.15-17,21-26; John 17.6-19 -
Olrig & Dunnet – Isabel Rennie; Keiss and Canisbay - Lyall
This afternoon, thousands will gather in Princes Street Gardens for ‘Heart and Soul 2015’ at which Councils, Committees, individual congregations and Charities show commissioners, visitors and passers-by what they are doing for the Kingdom of God. Pray for good weather and for a spirit of interest and mutual support. The effect cannot be measured!
Monday 18th
Today’s business at the General Assembly begins with the Celebration of Holy Communion, always a memorable experience. Elders, young and older, from all over the country, have been selected beforehand and have ‘rehearsed’ so that the Sacrament runs smoothly. The sense of being One Body is palpable. Pray that this unity in love continues through the week as commissioners discuss some matters which may otherwise separate us.
Tuesday 19th
Hearing the school bus each morning, stopping and then continuing its journey, prompts the editor to pray for the staff and pupils of her local school as the school day stretches ahead. Loving Lord, keep each of us faithful in praying for our local school, committing into Your hand all that will happen today .
Wednesday 20th
Remember parents whose grown up children continue to give cause for concern, whether the problems are medical, relational, or rooted elsewhere. Lord Jesus, You lived on earth; You know and understand. Comfort and enable these dear folk!
Thursday 21st
Pray for Myrtle, our Interim Moderator, currently in Edinburgh for the General Assembly and, on her return, conducting Sunday’s service in Olrig. She has a huge number of responsibilities within Presbytery and these seem unlikely to diminish. Pray urgently that God will call workers, both ordained and lay, into this vineyard!
Friday 22nd
The General Assembly closes this afternoon and commissioners will return to their parishes with a variety of memories. Pray for our commissioners as we endeavour to share with Presbytery and our home congregations both information and inspiration. In common with most of Scotland, we in Caithness face huge challenges in the months and years ahead. Lord of the Church, help us to see challenges as opportunities and enable us to follow Your way.
Saturday 23rd
Thank You, Father, for another weekend! Bless families, helping them where possible to be able to spend quality time together. Where there is tension, give a spirit of patience and understanding so that problems can be sorted out before they grow too big!
Sunday 24th Day of Pentecost Acts 2. 1 - 21
Olrig – Myrtle; Keiss & Dunnet – Lyall; Canisbay – Isabel R.
Happy Birthday! Did you remember that today is the Birthday of the Christian Church? As we gather for worship, pray that our celebrations may be heartfelt. God did amazing things as His Spirit came on the first believers and made them His Church! Life changing God, open our hearts to receive Your Spirit powerfully today!
Monday 25th
Jesus did so much in only three years of ministry! Help me, Lord, through Your Holy spirit, to continue Your work today.
Tuesday 26th Joint Meeting in Dunnet of our four churches
Give thanks that these joint meetings of Office Bearers are increasingly times we anticipate eagerly. Barriers are being broken. Pray for continued vision and openness as we seek the future.
Wednesday 27th Assemblies at Keiss, Canisbay and Crossroads
God’s love for us is set in concrete. That’s the foundation you build your life on. In our parishes, many new houses are springing up, hopefully on strong foundations. Thank God for the eternal reliability of His love for you and for those precious to you.
Thursday 28th
The four OLMs – Esme, Heather, Lyall and Robert – meet this morning to share and to support one another. Please remember us: ‘we can never get too much prayer!’
Friday 29th
Remember Lyall and Isabel as they prepare to go off for a well deserved holiday in the week ahead. Gracious God, grant safety in travelling, good weather and real relaxation. Bring them back restored and ready for the challenges of the weeks ahead.
Saturday 30th
Lord Jesus Christ, as a carpenter You knew what it was to serve others in Your daily work. We pray for those who serve us today, emptying bins, cleaning, driving, and waiting on us. Bless especially those known to us. Thank You for their commitment. Remind us to add our thanks when we have the opportunity.
Sunday 31st Trinity Sunday Psalm 139.1-6,13-18;Mark 2.23-3.6
Olrig & Dunnet (Communion)– Robert; Keiss & Canisbay- Esme
The Sacrament of Baptism will be celebrated today at Canisbay when Iain and Leonie Ham bring George, Phoebe and Iris for Baptism. Pray that God will pour His Spirit on this family and that they might know rich blessing today and in the years ahead.
