Wherever we are in the world, there is a church. Whether you attend or don’t, enjoy your Sunday because God, being omnipresent, is not only in a church he is wherever you are.
Pain, whether physical, emotional or psychological, can be debilitating to those who suffer it constantly. Life is full of pain but there are ways of tolerating it or overcoming it, if not eliminating it completely. Below are a couple of prayers, quotes, scriptures, that I have found helpful over the years; especially The Great I Am prayer. Along with good medical treatment and continuous searching for cures, may the following be helpful to those who are in the grip of pain on a daily basis.
Prayer for pain to vanish
Dear God
I know only you can help this pain vanish away. I plead for peace and serenity as I fight off the pain I am feeling. Send your hand down to me and fill me with your strength. I cannot take this pain any longer without your help! Release me from this hold and restore me. I trust in You to give me the strength to get through this. I pray that the pain will be gone! It will not hold me down because I have the Lord on my side.
Amen
Jesus Christ, the Great I Am, have mercy on me. I have found this one-line prayer to be hugely beneficial when repeated several times in succession.
“It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.” ― Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. James 5:14 (NIV)…(I would add to the opening sentence, “or in pain?”)
There are many ways to deal with the pain in our lives and sometimes we just need to be made aware of the spiritual help that is available. Pills are good…Power is better. Be healed.
Sometimes certain prayers will resonate with us more than others. Our associate pastor, Monica McClure, gave such a prayer yesterday and I’d like to share it with you, with her permission. It not only touches on Family Day but our world issues which certainly need much prayer.
Prayers of the People
Abba Father, As a people who dwell in the shelter of the Most high, we praise you for being our refuge. Lord, there is safety for us in the shelter of your wings. We thank you for our mountain top experiences of your grace which have strengthened our faith and given us hope for the future.
As we continue to walk with you on life’s journeys…through the valleys as well as on the mountain tops…draw near to us so that that we might dwell forever in your presence.
Generous God, you have blessed us with life. You have placed us in families giving us a place to call home.
On this family day weekend we think about our own families. We thank you for our parents who gave us life, our family members who have shared and enriched our lives and with whom we share many memories…
We thank you Heavenly Father for setting the solitary in families. But, we are also mindful that for some of us the word “Family” brings mixed emotions or heartache…some of us have experienced much pain within our family relationships…People who should have loved us and cared for us have failed us…Some of us feel the pain of abandonment, of abuse, of neglect…of heartbreaking loss, the pain of disappointed hopes and missed expectations, the pain of alienation from loved ones. Have mercy on us Lord, and minister to us your healing grace even in the messiness of our family relationships.
Father, today we pray for those who long to be married and have their own children…for childless couples who long to be parents…hear and answer the desires and prayers of their hearts. We pray for those that are in the midst of parenting infants, children, and young people. Give them wisdom, courage and stamina in raising their children to be well-adjusted citizens of the world, with a real desire to love and serve you.
We thank you for our St. Andrew’s church family today…another family to which we belong…one branch of the body of Christ…with almost 200 years of family history! Remind us of our commitment as a church to provide for and participate in the spiritual nurture of our children and young people. Continue to bless us, encourage us and keep us faithful to your call to share the good news of Jesus with everyone.
Prince of Peace, we continue to lift up the needs of our own broken world in the turmoil that surrounds us…We ask you to give wisdom, discernment and courage to elected representatives in government. We pray for people who are very anxious about what the future holds for them. For those who feel powerless to effect decisions that will have a direct impact on their lives. Remind us, that although we do not know what the future holds we know that you hold the future…and give us your peace. In Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN
Pastor Monica McClure
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Scarborough
February 19th, 2017
Psalm 37 was brought to my attention on an evening TV program last week but I just got around to reading it yesterday and a few things stood out for me. It seems God’s advice for today’s world and the last two weeks in particular is not unlike that of David’s time. See for yourself:
David writes, Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. (v.1,2)
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (v.7)
But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. (v.11)
Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; (v.16)
The wicked borrow and do not repay…(v.21)
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him he could not be found. (v.35,36)
These verses are written in the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. They are not only thoughts for a Sunday but for any day.
There are some people who think they are ruling the roost but look what Revelation 12:7-9 tells us:
And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
More food for thought on a Sunday or any day.
In his book “God’s Psychiatry”, Charles L. Allen writes this:
Possessing God’s power enables us to face life with enthusiasm; it gives us a deep inward peace because we are not afraid of tomorrow. There comes into our lives an inner joy that outward circumstances cannot reach. Because God is within us, and because God is love, there flows out from us a love for others that sweeps away all prejudices, jealousy and hate.
It seems that in today’s world where false power is overriding reason, we need all the antidotes we can get. God’s power is fear’s antidote. Why not draw on it and be part of the antidote that sweeps away all prejudices, jealousy and hate…why not?
Today, (I’m writing this on Sunday evening), I was challenged to take our choir’s anthem, “What Does the Lord Require?” and blog about it. The song comes from a scripture: Micah 6:8: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
So, here’s the challenge. How about if we ask what we require of each other.
Would we not require justice as defined in the Mirriam-Webster dictionary: the quality of being just, impartial, or fair.
Would we require kindness? Wikipedia says this about kindness: Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others.
And if we don’t believe in walking humbly with our God, would we not at least want to walk humbly with each other? I experienced walking humbly in Whistler just over a week ago when due to deep snow and icy conditions, my steps were guided by my daughter and daughter-in-law, one on either side of me.
Walking humbly with each other takes on the characteristics of protecting from hurts, offering comfort, being supportive, forgetting self while uplifting others…these are just some of the ways we can walk humbly with others.
Today I was required to accept a challenge and it makes me happy to know that there are many ways to look at words, whether they are in a song, sermon, scripture or sentence, and humbly learn a lesson from them. Are you up to the challenge of doing justice, loving kindness and humbly walking with your God or your fellow people? I believe that most people do so on a daily basis…and those who don’t?
After spending a wonderful week with loving family in beautiful Whistler, B.C. I am ready to take up my blog again.
No matter who I have talked to about 2017, the wish is the same…world peace. But you know, that is only possible if we all work at peace within our own little corners of the world. It’s like the song says…let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. Peace be with you as you become instrumental in contributing to everyone’s dearest wish…world peace.
The world is full of beautiful people. Last Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to spend time with some of the most beautiful people I know. They are the epitome of caring, kindness, goodness, generosity, selflessness. Not a week goes by that these people are not expressing one or more of these attributes to someone, somewhere, at some time.
On that Wednesday evening, a friend and I were the recipients of this couple’s generosity. We were treated to dinner out and a concert featuring Handel’s “Messiah” which has been performed by many musical companies around the world. The only thing I really knew about the “Messiah” was the “Hallelujah” chorus, one of my favourite pieces of music.
In 1741 George Frideric Handel took something like fifty-two scriptures from the Holy Bible and put them to music, resulting in one of the most renowned musical compositions ever written. The work is breathtaking. Hallelujah!
Wednesday evening was bitterly cold and slippery but the warmth and concern of our benefactors made this a non-issue. I have never felt so warm and safe in such cold weather, despite the fact that I wore non-tread boots and no hat.
As I said, the world is full of beautiful people, and I am thankful to know these friends who inhabit my little corner of the world.
After experiencing the “Messiah” I have to include its composer George Frideric Handel in that group.
Life would be less beautiful without the composers of beautiful music and those who bless others with beautiful deeds. Thank you, God, for beautiful people.
I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I am alone. I believe in God even when He is silent. I believe. Happy Sunday.
My Precious Life 