Heavenly Father, Your word says that I should pray unceasingly for all the saints. I praise You for Your word, the wisdom it gives me, and the empowerment it bestows on me as a prayer. I praise You that I may not have many talents, but I can pray. Help me today to take command of my day and shake the evil from it with Your Holy Spirit.
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. [James 5:13-15, 16]
Holy Spirit, following the wisdom and direction of James, I come before You and ask that You would heal Louise, and many others I have known, and heal their children for going through divorce. I pray that You would heal Kayla from her medical conditions that the doctors still can not control. I pray for Ann, who should be doing chemo after breast cancer, but hit a road bump with kidney stones that have to be removed. I pray for the families in our communities who have suffered a loved one committing suicide. Or parents who have lost a child, and those who lost a baby during pregnancy. I pray for the people whom I do not always pick up on, who are alone, lonely, desperate, financially destitute, those who have been released from prison and are trying to learn how to live free again. I pray for the widows, the abused, the orphans, and the homeless. I pray for Jeff, who has schizophrenia. I pray that they will continue to have hope in You, find peace, healing, and be blessed as Joseph and Job were after many trials and tribulations.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Holy Spirit, help us to bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances we may have against one another. Teach us to forgive as the Lord forgave us. And over all these virtues help us to put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, since as members of one body we are called to peace. Let us be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts to God. And whatever we do, whether in word or deed, help us to do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Amen. Colossians 3:12-17