A particularly warm welcome to
St Cuthbert Church and Home Prayer Group,
whether at Home or in Church.
Our prayers for April are for
OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH
Our prayer topic as we approach Holy Week is Faith. Indeed, we could spend many of our prayer meetings on this subject.
.We receive God’s grace and all His blessings only through our faith, our salvation and our hope in everlasting life , we will be saying one of our creeds in our service later, IN WHICH WE ENUMERATE OUR BELIEFS. These include God’s active power through the Holy Spirit, , our other aspects of faith include our faith in the power of prayer ,our need to grow in faith ,our recognition of our faith being tested hence our absolute need to trust in God.
If somebody asked us what is the object of our Christian faith that well known verse in John 14 v 1 is a helpful pointer; Jesus says to his disciples . Don’t be worried have faith in God and have faith in me!
Shall we commence our prayer time together with the prayer that Jesus taught us.
Our Father which art in heaven ,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. AMEN.
Asking for God’s help in keeping our Faith, a prayer from Miriam Therese Winter.
Help us O keeper of Faith, to keep the faith entrusted to us , faith in a world worth saving, faith in a dream worth sharing, faith in a heritage worth keeping , even as we invigorate it, to have meaning for us now.
Help us to keep faith in you , and help us not to lose faith in ourselves , for FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF OUR HOPE AND HOPE THE ASSURANCE OF LOVE.
Praise to you O Faithful one now and forever. AMEN
A prayer asking God to strengthen our Faith.
Almighty God who in your wisdom has so ordered our earthly life that we must of necessity walk by faith and no by sight, grant us such faith in you that amidst all belongings that pass our understanding, we may believe in your fatherly care, and ever be strengthened by the assurance that underneath are the everlasting arms, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN
When life is not as we would wish the importance of Faith, a prayer from Margaret Dewey.
Lord I’m bored I have lost my sense of vision , I have lost my sense of vocation. Nothing seems to have any sense of meaning any more.
I keep on putting one foot in front of the other, but where am I going and why? What’s the use?
Everything used to be full of life , now it’s silent and empty.
Lord if only I where somewhere else, if only things had turned out differently, if only I could see where it’s all leading, if only -------if only I did not feel so depressed!
But these are the circumstances you’ve given me, it’s here----and not somewhere else, that I have to learn to trust you in prayer, to hear and bless me when I pray.with humility.
Lord help me to remember that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. AMEN.
A prayer recognizing the value of our Faith, but equally being aware of its fragility, a prayer from Anne Bronte.
While faith is in me, I am blest, it turns my darkest night to day.
But while I clasp it to my breast, I often feel it slide away.
What shall I do, if all my love, my hopes, my toil, are cast away.
And if there be no God above, to hear and bless me when I pray?
O help me God for thou alone , canst my distracted soul relieve,
Forsake it not, it is thine own, though weak yet longing to believe. AMEN
A prayer asking God to strengthen our Faith.
Almighty God who in your wisdom has so ordered our earthly life that we must of necessity walk by faith and no by sight, grant us such faith in you that amidst all belongings that pass our understanding, we may believe in your fatherly care, and ever be strengthened by the assurance that underneath are the everlasting arms, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN
A prayer for a growing faith in those who believe and those who lack faith from Christina Rosetti
O Lord strengthen the faith of us who believe and sow the seed of faith in the hearts of those who lack it. Give us grace to show our faith by our work. Teach us to walk in faith, in reliance on your promises, and enable us to fight the good fight of faith; that by faith we may overcome the world.
Through Him who loved us , and whose love is without end , oud Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. AMEN.
A prayer from Origen one of the early Church Fathers asking God to ensure that our faith steadfastly encompasses the promise of everlasting life, the unseen hand of the Holy Spirit ,and God’s plan for each of us.
May the Lord Jesus put his hands on our eyes also , for then we too shall begin to look not at what is seen, but at what is not seen . May he open the eyes that are concerned not with the present but with what is yet to come , may he unseal the heart’s vision that we may gaze on God in the Spirit , through the same Lord Jesus , whose glory and power will endure throughout the unending succession of ages AMEN
When anxiety and doubts persist a prayer from Joyce Jupp for our total trust in God as He leads our lives down new pathways in His service.
Pilgrim God there is an exodus going on in my life. Desert stretches, a vast land of questions. Inside my head, your promises rumble and turn. No pillar of clouds by day or fire by night that I can see. My heart hurts at leaving loved ones and so much of the security that I have known. I try to give in to the stretching and the pain. It is hard, God, and I want to be settled, secure, safe and sure. And here I am feeling so full of a pilgrim’s fear and anxiety.
O God of the journey, lift me up, press me against your cheek. Let YOUR GREAT LOVE HOLD ME AND CREATE A DEEP TRUST IN ME. Then set me DOWN, God of the journey; take my hand in yours, and guide me ever so gently across the new territory of my life. AMEN.
A prayer seeking to consolidate our faith as our everlasting anchor.
We believe in God the Father, creator of all that is whose mystery is beyond our understanding; whose love is always around us.
We believe in God the Son, Jesus the incarnate Word, who suffered and died for us, our risen and living Lord.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, Spirit of truth and love.
God’s power in the Church and the World, within our hearts to strengthen and sanctify.
Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
Placing our whole trust in Jesus’ promises; a prayer from John Stott.
O Lord Jesus Christ who invited the heavy laden to come to you, and who promised to give them rest and to never cast them out
Help us so to come to you that we may find perfect rest in you, and so to believe your promise that we may know that you have received us , for the glory of your name , who with the Father and the Holy Spirit are ever worthy to be trusted and adored. AMEN.
Trust in God; a prayer from Teresa of Avila.
Trust in God,
Let nothing disturb you,
All things pass,
God never changes.
Patience achieves,
All it strives for.
Those who have God
Find He lacks nothing
God alone suffices. AMEN.
Our own silent prayer
Shall we say the Grace.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen.
Thank you for being with us, whether at home or in Church, and so contributing to our prayers for Faith.
Roger.
Our next Church and Home prayer group meeting is usualluy held on the first Wednesday of each month and will be advertised on our website and in our church magazine.
We would very warmly welcome your support.
After the prayer meeting in church, there is a short Holy Communion service which begins at 10.30am and lasts about half an hour. There is no pressure to stay, but you would be most welcome! There is also the added bonus of coffee and fellowship in a local cafe after the Holy Communion service!
