Prayers for Day 1

We are concluding Day 1 of the Three Days of Prayer. Thank you to all who have participated in sharing prayers online, and praying on your own. This morning, we posted a morning prayer. Now we offer an evening prayer, again from the Lutheran Book of Prayer. Take some time, wherever you are this evening, and pray:

Lord God, heavenly Father, use the quiet of this night to settle the hearts of men everywhere that they may contemplate Your goodness and Your mercy. Still the strife that enters homes, communities, and nations. Put down those who employ power for power’s sake. Stifle the mouths of those who foment bigotry and hate. Pour out your love in fullness upon those who honor your name, that Your kingdom may come and Your will may be done among us, for Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

Let’s all pray together! Comment on this post, comment on our Facebook page, or  tweet @FaithLutheran. Look for more prayers to come, as the 3 Days of Prayer continue, Jan. 7-9.

Join us on Wednesday, January 8, we’ll hold two special prayer services at 12:00 noon and 6:30 pm.

The prayer from this morning:

Gracious God, by whose mighty hand we live and by whose loving care our lives are preserved, we thank You for Your protection during the night now and past and for the privilege of another day of life in your service. Grant to us and our loved ones Your continued presence. Protect our homes, our schools, our community, and our nation from harm. Graciously preserve us from temptation and sin. We ask Your special blessing upon those who are in any distress of body, mind, or spirit; help them experience Your ready help and loving comfort.

As we return to our daily work, keep our occupations from becoming drudgery, and remove from them all tension and boredom. Give us a new vision of our tasks – as opportunities for worshiping You and as vocations in which we glorify You by our service.

In your mercy preserve from defeatism those who are unemployed, unemployable, or retired. Enable them to find in their leisure new opportunities for witness to You and for service to their church. Fill us all with the joy of service, for the sake of Jesus, who went about doing good.  Amen.