Daily Prayer for Friday, January 22, 2021

​“Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!”        
                              —Katharine Lee Bates, 1893

Preparation for worship
Sit in a relaxed position. Take a slow, deep breath (or 2 or 3 or as many as needed) until you feel your body, mind, and soul begin to relax and rest in the Spirit.  Take time to reflect as you move through this time of worship…

Opening Sentences                                                                        Isaiah 6:8
The Lord said, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

Prayer                                                Book of Common Worship, PC(USA), 2018
Almighty God,
your Son our Savior Jesus Christ
is the light of the world.
May your people,
illumined by your Word and Sacraments,
shine with the radiance of his glory,
that he may be known, worshiped and obeyed
to the ends of the earth;
for he lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Hymn of the Day                            
Praise You in the Storm, by Natalie Grant. Listen and pray. 

Reading of the Day                                                                       Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills--
    from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time on and forevermore.

Prayers for self and others
Please pray today for those who are being affected by COVID-19 and by its side effects in our world.  Pray for the thousands who are still being diagnosed positive in the U.S. each day, and for the thousands who are dying.  Please continue to pray for Marcy Szeliga, working as a nurse in a COVID ICU unit; for Frances Gutierrez and her daughters, all recovering from the virus at home; and for Brandon Jantzen and his family— Brandon is experiencing continuing health problems after having Covid.  Please pray that everyone in our own country would have access to the best possible health care.  As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God.

Benediction
Brothers and sisters, your dreams should not go unnoticed.
God knows your dreams.
Now dare to dream out loud
So the world may discover what you and God can do.
Release every God-given dream,
So that others may be inspired to do likewise.
To the author of every good and noble dream, we give all honor and praise. Amen.