Prayer Diary May 2017
Monday 1st
Thank you for bringing us through the Winter safely, Lord. The long days make everything look so fresh, and with young animals and crops growing strongly, we are assured that You will continue to give us all that we need. Thank You, Lord.
Tuesday 2nd Presbytery meets in Wick St Fergus
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess.1.11-12 ESV)
Wednesday 3rd
Father ,You know our hearts and share our sorrows. We are hurt by our parting from those whom we loved. When we are angry at the loss we have sustained, when we long for words of comfort, yet find them hard to hear, turn our grief to a truer way of life, our sorrow to firmer hope in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Thursday 4th Joint Session Meeting in Dunnet at 7pm.
We pray, Lord, for the Council Elections being held today. Prompt people to turn out to vote. We pray too that those who are elected may be committed to working tirelessly for us. Help us to remember to continue to uphold them in our prayers.
Friday 5th
There is still much work to do. Many people around the world do not have access to the Scriptures in their own language. To read God’s Word and encounter Him can lead to a great transformation in their lives and affect the lives of so many others. We ask you to pray that more people will be able to read the Bible in their own language so that they can engage with God in a real and personal way.
(Scottish Bible Society Read and Pray April – June)
Saturday 6th Messy Church in Dunnet Let’s pray for our children who are so easy to speak to and listen to. Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me and do not stop them because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’ Luke 18.16
Sunday 7th Psalm 23; John 10. 1 - 10
Olrig & Dunnet- Roger Bamfield; Keiss & Canisbay - Lyall
Lyall writes, ‘Please continue to pray for the vacancies in Caithness.
Here is an extract from my prayers on Easter Sunday:
We pray that You will call forth new spiritual leaders, with depth, insight and humility, women and men of vision, filled with Your Spirit, dreaming Your dreams, eager to follow the Living Christ without safety or certainty but with a thirst and hunger for the Holy, for the Mystery at the centre of all life, that entwines all humanity,
all peoples, of faith and of none.’
Monday 8th
Merciful God, You are the source of all goodness, generosity and love. We thank You for opening the hearts of many to those who are fleeing for their lives. Help us now to open our arms in welcome, and reach out our hands in support. We pray that the desperate may find new hope, and those lives torn apart be restored.
Tuesday 9th
Lord, thank You for Your promise that death is just a gateway to a new and better day; that we know when we part from a loved one, we will know the joy of meeting them again in the Promised Land. Thank You, loving Father, for the gift of Jesus, who died on the cross so that we can be comforted in our sorrow and secure in our knowledge of safe passage to You.
Wednesday 10th
Remember those who have received bad news recently and pray for
God’s comfort and upholding. Let’s be prepared for God to use us
in at least some part of His answer to our prayer!
Thursday 11th Dunnet Session Meeting
You told Your disciples, Lord, to become like little children. Lead us to work for the welfare and protection of all young people. May we treat them with dignity so that they may flourish in life, and follow Your example
Friday 12th Olrig Session Meeting
Give thanks for the volunteers who cut the grass around our churches and do general maintenance on the buildings, and attend to the flowers in the church each week. We ask God's blessing on them. Help us to show our appreciation for all that they do quietly in the background.
Saturday 13th
Prayer is such a valuable privilege - and a necessity if anything worthwhile is to happen within our church. Of course, Jesus is with us as we pray on our own but where husband and wife or two or three friends pray together regularly, He meets with us as He promised, and grants a special blessing.
Sunday 14th Psalm 31. 1-5,15-16; John 14. 1-14
Og & Dt –Ian McCree; Keiss & Canisbay – Roger Bamfield
Jesus, Lord of Your Church, be present in every gathering of Your people for worship today. Fill Ian and Roger with Your Spirit as they conduct the services today. Prompt Your people to attend and bless each of us richly. And remember Lyall as he conducts the services at Pulteneytown and Thrumster where he is their Interim Moderator.
Monday 15th Christian Aid Week
Jesus said, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.” Gracious God, we thank You for the opportunities we have to help people in real need by our actions or by our faithful prayers:
those who want to work but can’t because of a medical condition; single parents who can’t work because they have no-one to look after their children and have to rely on benefits; continued tomorrow..... .
Tuesday 16th Crossroads School Assembly
Prayer ideas continued from yesterday….
those caught in the poverty trap through no fault of their own or from making bad choices; those having to rely on food banks to feed themselves and their families; those who have turned to drugs as a coping strategy and have become addicted and are ruining their lives and those of their families. Jesus weeps for these dear folk!
Wednesday 17th Canisbay School Assembly
We bring to You today someone that we find hard to trust or to forgive. Let me copy You, dear Lord. Help me to love equally all those I know.
Thursday 18th
"Don't worry about failures: worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try ... (Jack Canfield).
Friday 19th
Lyall, Esme and Heather Stewart are minister-commissioners at the General Assembly which starts tomorrow. Please uphold us and the elder-commissioners. Lyall and Heather will have been very busy in their parishes and time for detailed preparations may have been difficult to find. Prayer is needed! We are relying on you!
Saturday 20th General Assembly opens
A VERY BUSY DAY! There are 27 items on the Agenda! Pray for the Moderator, the new commissioners, the overseas delegates, and for us as we represent you. May the Word of Life prevail.
Sunday 21st Psalm 66. 8 - 20; John 14. 15 - 21
Olrig & Dunnet – Marcus Cornah; Keiss & Canisbay tba
This afternoon, thousands will gather in Princes Street Gardens for ‘Heart and Soul 2017’ at which Councils, Committees, individual congregations and Charities show 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 22nd
Today’s business at the General Assembly begins with the Celebration of Holy Communion, always a memorable experience. 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 23rd Guild Big Sing at General Assembly
Since last year’s General Assembly the Church and Society Council have wrestled with very many of the issues which are News items in our country and further afield. So the Report presented today is a long one covering politics, Education, Human Trafficking, Climate Justice, and very much more. Everything is relevant. The Guild Report follows, and then a great experience as Guild members and friends from far and near gather to sing their hearts out!
Wednesday 24th
The Ministries Council reports today and we shall listen carefully because decisions will affect us now or in the future. At present the main concern in the Pentland Parishes and in Central Caithness is whether or not to agree to form unions, but the Council’s vision for a ‘hub-style’ ministry will, if agreed on, have implications for our Presbytery. Change has to come and many don’t like this. Pray on!
Thursday 25th Ascension Day
As the General Assembly continues, hearing from the Chaplains to Her Majesty’s Forces and the Mission and Discipleship Council we shall remember how Jesus returned to God’s right hand, His own work completed. May we be faithful in working for Him today!
Friday 26th
The General Assembly closes this afternoon and commissioners will return to their parishes with a variety of memories. Pray on for us as we endeavour to share with Presbytery and with you information and inspiration. Challenges lie ahead. Lord of the Church, help us to see challenges as opportunities and enable us to follow Your way
Saturday 27th
The Lord will settle international disputes… all wars will stop …. Come let us walk in the light of the Lord. Isaiah 2.4,5 NLT
What a promise! What a God we worship! He is able!
Sunday 28th Psalm 47; Luke 24. 44 – 53 Ascension Sunday
Olrig & Dunnet – Worship Team; K & Cb. – Marcus Cornah
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. Ps.133.1
Unity is such an important quality and we can never take it for granted, particularly in the Church. We need to work at it.
Monday 29th
There is a lot to be gained from failing the first time you try to do something. We ask God to give us courage and support us along the way when we try to do something that might be slightly out of our comfort zone, so that we will give new things a go.
Tuesday 30th
We pray that You grant wisdom and understanding to all those in positions of leadership and power, especially as we move toward a General Election . We ask that you bless each one of us with respect and tolerance towards our neighbour, no matter what their beliefs.
Wednesday 31st
With all our Pentland Parishes Churches on the NC500 (North Coast 500), let’s pray the visitors in and let’s be sure that we offer a real Caithness welcome to them. If these friends return to their home congregations inspired to pray for us, who knows what God may do?!
This prayer diary is produced monthly by and for the four congregations in our Caithness linkage:
Canisbay Church of Scotland SCO 32164
Dunnet Church of Scotland SCO 30261
Keiss Church of Scotland SCO 10874
Olrig Church of Scotland SCO 11353
We trust its regular use will strengthen the bond between our congregations as we share news and support one another.
This diary also goes by e-mail to a growing number of friends throughout Scotland and we are sincerely grateful for their interest and support.
If you have found this Prayer Diary helpful, please let us know.
If there is any topic or any particular prayer you would like included in a future issue please contact the Editor:
e-mail esmeduncan@btinternet.com or phone 01955 611 455
Copy date for the June issue is 27th May.
Apology: As your Editor is a Commissioner at the General Assembly this year it will not be possible to produce the hard copies of the June Issue until the end of May. Copies available in church on 4th June.
