Father, your healing hand encompasses all that you have created. From the smallest scratch to the finger to a giant tear in the fabric of your universe, you are able to repair anything and everything that will affect the integrity of all that you have fashioned. We know that there is nothing that is beyond your capabilities, and it is with this in mind that we come before you in supplication for all mankind, also with the knowledge that to reach out to you from within ourselves, the need is there for those who we pray for to acknowledge inwardly that you are there.
From one individual to all mankind we raise our supplications to you for your help and guidance. To you Father we pray for those who are suffering in mind, body or estate, within our parish family. We pray also for all known and unknown to us who are likewise afflicted in the diocese, and for those brothers and sisters in the world who we have yet to meet. Let your Spirit come to rest within them, and give them the peace and healing that can only come from you. Surround them with your cloak of comfort and let your words of assurance remove any doubt and anxiety. For in giving to others, we are able to witness to your amazing grace and benediction for all who reach out to you, and to rest in the knowledge that we belong to a family that has no equal.
This we ask and pray in Jesus name.
Amen.
Scripture (Old Testament)
12 And he stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands:
13 For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven.
14 And said, O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts:
15 Thou which hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.
16 Now therefore, O Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me.
17 Now then, O Lord God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David.
18 But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!
19 Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee:
20 That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place.
21 Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.
22 If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house;
23 Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.
24 And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house;
25 Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.
26 When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them;
27 Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.
28 If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be:
29 Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:
30 Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:)
31 That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
32 Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name’s sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house;
33 Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.
34 If thy people go out to war against their enemies by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name;
35 Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
36 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near;
37 Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly;
38 If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name:
39 Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee.
40 Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
41 Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness.
42 O Lord God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant.
2 Chronicles Ch6 KJV
Lord God, there are not enough words to tell you how I see you, how I feel about you and how much I love you. The sight that I have been given is not through any mortal eye, but through the Holy Spirit and His provision. My mind is restricted to what I see in this mortal world but The Spirit shows me your seat of glory and the majesty that surrounds you. You are Strong, for all of the universe is held in the palm of your hand. You are Wise, for all things have been brought about to interact with each other and form a living creation. You are Beautiful, for when I look to the heavens I see the splendour that is arrayed before my eyes. You are Grace, for I know of the gifts and blessings that come from you. You are Timeless, for time is was created for me that I may decide where I want to be when I inherit eternity. All these things and more are you, but above all you are love, for all that exists was created through your love.
You are all things good to me and for me Father. From the day I was born to the day when I die, your desires for me will never change. You know where my journey will end, of my desire to finish in the place where yourself and the Lord Jesus reside, and to join with all those who with like mind have gone before. You are the ‘I AM’ Father and I know that you are, for there is no other who is able to do what you have done, and there is no other who could do it so magnificently. I give you thanks Father for your Son Jesus and your Holy Spirit and the enlightenment that I have received through them, for without them there would be no knowledge of you, no place to put my faith and my hope, and no one to share love.
This I pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Scripture (New Testament
53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Matthew Ch13 KJV
Extract
In summary, of the seven churches, only the church at Philadelphia received complete approval from Christ for their faithfulness, love and works. God promised that they would escape the fierce trial coming on the whole earth. Christ declared, “I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more” (Revelation 3:12). An extraordinary statement is found in the writings of the great historian Edward Gibbon. “The captivity or ruin of the seven churches of Asia was consummated, and the barbarous lords of Ionia and Lydia still trample on the monuments of classic and Christian antiquity. In the loss of Ephesus, the Christians deplored the fall of the first angel and the extinction of the first candlestick of the Revelation. The desolation is complete and the temple of Diana, or the church of Mary, will equally elude the search of the curious traveller. The circus and the three stately theatres of Laodicea are now peopled by wolves and foxes. Sardis is reduced to a miserable village. The god of Mohammed without a rival or a son, is invoked in the mosques of Thyatira and Pergamos. The populousness of Smyrna is supported by the foreign trade of the Franks and Armenians. Philadelphia alone has been saved by prophecy or courage …Among the Greek colonies and churches of Asia, Philadelphia is still erect – a column in the scene of ruins” (Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 64). Two thousand years later, Smyrna and Philadelphia, the only churches that received Christ’s unqualified praise, are still thriving cities with Christian churches.
Christ concludes His letters to the seven churches with an invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Jesus asks us to respond to His call to repentance and salvation: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). Although the letter to the Laodiceans is filled with warnings, Jesus concludes His last letter to the churches with a promise of eternal salvation and glory for any that will turn from their spiritual pride and give themselves totally to Christ as their Lord and Savior. “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21).
Apocalypse
The Coming Judgement of the Nations
Grant R. Jeffrey
Harmony Printing Limited
Five Finger Prayer
This is so neat. I had never heard this before. This is beautiful – and it is surely worth making the 5 finger prayer a part of our lives.
1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a ‘sweet duty.’
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God’s guidance.
4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.
5. And lastly comes our little finger – the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, ‘The least shall be the greatest among you.’ Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.
If you decide to send this to a friend, you might brighten someone’s day! Pass this on to someone special… I did.
Bernadette Njegovan
Children’s Ministry Coordinator