Daily Prayer for Wednesday, August 12, 2020

​“Within the kingdom of God’s might, lo, all is just and all is right…”        
                                           —-Johann Jacob Schultz, 1675

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                                                                 Hebrews 11: 1
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.

Prayer                                                                                Akanu Ibaim, Nigeria
O Lord, we beseech thee to deliver us from the fear of the unknown future;
from fear of failure;
from fear of poverty;
from fear of bereavement;
from fear of loneliness;
from fear of sickness and pain;
from fear of age;
from fear of death.
Help us, O Father, by thy grace to love and fear thee only,
fill our hearts with cheerful courage and loving trust in thee; through our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.  Amen.    

Hymn of the Day
“Oh My Lord, Please Don’t Forsake Me,” by Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra.  Listen and pray. 

Reading of the Day                                                          Philippians 2: 1-11
    If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8  he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death--
    even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him
    and gave him the name
    that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
    every knee should bend,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
    that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Prayers for self and others
Please pray today for those who are being affected by COVID 19. Please pray for Mark Sabala, working with Covid patients as a nurse, Marcy Szeliga, working as a case investigator and contact tracer, for Romie, whose father passed away recently and now her mother has died of the virus, for Sylvia Washer, and for all who have been recently diagnosed with- or are recovering from- the virus.  Please pray for people volunteering to test vaccines, that they would be well.  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
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.