Congregational Prayer 12-16

Dear saving God, what a privilege to come to the well of hope and salvation in prayer.

We come with confidence because we have heard of your power, we have read your stories of rescue and deliverance, stories of your grace and love.

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Oh Lord our strength and might, we call on your name and seek your favor for our friends and loved ones who are facing illness or surgery right now.

Please God, watch over their care, hold them close and give them what they need in order to heal, or to be strong, or patient or hopeful. We pray for their recovery.

We pray for those who were injured and the families who lost a loved one in the school shooting in Connecticut. We can’t imagine their pain. There is a place so deep, so wide, that words fail. Please console their hearts and give them a sense of your closeness. It’s heartbreaking to cope with such a unthinkable tragedy. Please cover these families with your mercy, sooth their shattered hearts with compassion and help them through these difficult days.

How can we make sense of things that are senseless, or understand what is impossible to comprehend? Moments like these highlight our need for you and our need for the hope of Advent.

Father you sent your son as a fulfillment of your promise, a savior for a broken and hurting world, a reminder of your presence with us, your love for us and the anticipation of peace. Be with us as we await anew our hopes in that promise.

May our doubts, and struggles and times of pain, dissolve into assurance and hope as we journey toward your promise of Christ’s coming. May our waiting be filled with new discoveries and growth in our faith.

In Jesus name,

Amen.