Each week we invite you to pray with us for our brothers and sisters around the world who share our faith but not our freedoms. Using the "watchlist" produced by opendoorsusa.org, we will pray for persecuted Christians in a specific nation each week. We will also pray for Christians across America by lifting them up by state.  Additionally, we will pray each week for our fellow Presbyterians. So, in 2012, we will pray together by name for Christians in 50 nations, Christians in all 50 states and all the presbyteries of the PCUSA, EPC, PCA and the emerging new Reformed body of The Fellowship of Presbyterians (these will be added as they are formed).  You are encouraged to add specific pastors, lay leaders, congregations,  missionaries, new church developments and other ministries to the list by posting a comment to the blog.  (Please do not publicly post the names of missionaries serving in contexts where exposing their identity would cause them harm or bring harm to those they serve in Christ's name.) Let us kneel before the Father and ask His will be done. Let us pray...

 

Prayer for persecuted Christians in Iran.

 

Prayer for the nation - focusing on the state of California.

 

Prayers for the PCUSA: Charleston Atlantic, Charlotte, Cherokee and Chicago presbyteries

 

Prayers for the EPC: Mid-Atlantic

Each week we invite you to pray with us for our brothers and sisters around the world who share our faith but not our freedoms. Using the "watchlist" produced by opendoorsusa.org, we will pray for persecuted Christians in a specific nation each week. We will also pray for Christians across America by lifting them up by state.  Additionally, we will pray each week for our fellow Presbyterians. So, in 2012, we will pray together by name for Christians in 50 nations, Christians in all 50 states and all the presbyteries of the PCUSA, EPC, PCA and the emerging new Reformed body of The Fellowship of Presbyterians (these will be added as they are formed).  You are encouraged to add specific pastors, lay leaders, congregations,  missionaries, new church developments and other ministries to the list by posting a comment to the blog.  (Please do not publicly post the names of missionaries serving in contexts where exposing their identity would cause them harm or bring harm to those they serve in Christ's name.) Let us kneel before the Father and ask His will be done. Let us pray...

 

Prayer for persecuted Christians in Somalia.

 

Prayer for the nation - focusing on the state of Arkansas.

 

Prayers for the PCUSA: Cayuga-Syracuse, Central Florida, Central Nebraska and Central Washington presbyteries

 

Prayers for the EPC: Florida Presbytery

Each week we invite you to pray with us for our brothers and sisters around the world who share our faith but not our freedoms. Using the "watchlist" produced by opendoorsusa.org, we will pray for persecuted Christians in a specific nation each week. We will also pray for Christians across America by lifting them up by state.  Additionally, we will pray each week for our fellow Presbyterians. So, in 2012, we will pray together by name for Christians in 50 nations, Christians in all 50 states and all the presbyteries of the PCUSA, EPC, PCA and the emerging new Reformed body of The Fellowship of Presbyterians (these will be added as they are formed).  You are encouraged to add specific pastors, lay leaders, congregations,  missionaries, new church developments and other ministries to the list by posting a comment to the blog.  (Please do not publicly post the names of missionaries serving in contexts where exposing their identity would cause them harm or bring harm to those they serve in Christ's name.) Let us kneel before the Father and ask His will be done. Let us pray...

 

Prayer for perscecuted Christians in Afghanistan.

 

Prayer for the nation - focusing on the state of Alaska.

 

Prayers for the PCUSA: Abington, Alaska, Albany and Arkansas presbyteries

 

Prayers for the EPC: Central South Presbytery

Welcome to the PLC 2012 Prayer blog

Each week we invite you to pray with us for our brothers and sisters around the world who share our faith but not our freedoms. Using the "watchlist" produced by opendoorsusa.org, we will pray for persecuted Christians in a specific nation each week. We will also pray for Christians across America by lifting them up by state.  Additionally, we will pray each week for our fellow Presbyterians. So, in 2012, we will pray together by name for Christians in 50 nations, Christians in all 50 states and all the presbyteries of the PCUSA, EPC, PCA and the emerging new Reformed body of The Fellowship of Presbyterians (these will be added as they are formed).  You are encouraged to add specific pastors, lay leaders, congregations,  missionaries, new church developments and other ministries to the list by posting a comment to the blog.  (Please do not publicly post the names of missionaries serving in contexts where exposing their identity would cause them harm or bring harm to those they serve in Christ's name.) Let us kneel before the Father and ask His will be done. Let us pray...

 

Prayer for perscecuted Christians in North Korea.

 

Prayer for the nation - focusing on the state of Alabama.

 

Prayers for the PCUSA: Atlantic Korean-American, Baltimore, Beaver-Butler and Blackhawk presbyteries

 

Prayers for the EPC: Alleghenies Presbytery

A Barna Group study shows that "when asked to identify the single most influential Christian leader in the U.S. today, two out of every five Americans (41percent) are unable to think of anyone who would meet that description." Pray that God would lift up strong Christian leaders to be a witness to God's love to the nation and the world, and pray for those who are in a position to lead that they would remain faithful to Him and His Word.

Pray for Barbara and the Gillespie family and friends in the passing of Dr. Thomas Gillespie on Nov. 5. He was president of Princeton Seminary from 1983-2004. 

 

Read the statement from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Holy, merciful and all-powerful God,
provide a peace that surpasses the human proclivity for hatred in Egypt today.
Provide a divine hedge of protection around your people even as you continue to embolden them to stand for the name of Jesus Christ come what may.
Amen.

Egypt Coptic church decries attacks on Christians

This is a non-partisan call to prayer for the proceedings of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission which is hearing two cases on Friday, July 29^th.

You are invited to enter now into a time of prayer for all those involved.

·         Pray for the members of the GAPJC

·         Pray for those presenting on both side of each cases

·         Pray for those whose ordination status is being debated

·         Pray for all involved to be selflessly submitted to the revealed will of God as recorded in the Word of God

·         Pray that the minds of all involved would be held captive to Jesus Christ

·         Pray that the Enemy would be bound with all his lies and deceitful scheming

·         Pray for decisions that glorify God and advance His Kingdom purposes through the witness of the Presbyterian Church.

According to the OGA Web site, the docket for the day is:

8:30 am Parnell, et al v. Presbytery of San Francisco

11:00 am Session of Caledonia Presbyterian Church, et al v. Presbytery of John Knox

The GAPJC is expected to deliberate over the weekend and post rulings on August 1.

Let us pray...

 

Sovereign God, you hold all things in your hands. We acknowledge your perfect sovereignty over the circumstances that we perceive as "bad" and the ones we perceive as "good." Help us to have your perspective on all things. Help us to recognize your merciful and gracious presence even in the midst of rising waters in Louisiana, the aftermath of bomb blasts in Iraq, the path of destruction wrought by tornadoes in Missouri (and throughout the U.S.), the devastating mudslide in Malaysia and the belching volcanic ash in Iceland.

 

O God, we are so small and you are so great. We find solace in the hollow of your hand and the hallow of your name.

 

Hear your children as we cry out to you on behalf of those whom we love best in the world and on behalf of those whose names we will never know but whose pain we feel.

 

Open our hearts and our hands in ways as of yet unimagined that people might be comforted and you might be glorified even in the midst of it all.

 

We pray also, Father, for those in the midst of storms of life that cannot be measured by meteorology. The faith-quakes and soul-tsunamis of depression, divorce, job-loss, addiction, deprivation, disease, war and yes, denominational distress, make us regrettably self-obsessed. Make us ever-mindful that the world is watching us as they seek to find and understand You. We are Christ's witnesses, even in the midst of burdensome pain. We are His witnesses, even in the midst of dysfunctional relationships. We are His witnesses, even we are mocked. We are His witnesses, even today.

 

Hear us and then send us, in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of Your Holy Spirit, to the world that You so love. Amen.

2011 National Prayer

by Joni Eareckson Tada

National Day of Prayer

 

Almighty God, you are our Mighty Fortress, our refuge and the God in whom we place our trust.  As our nation faces great distress and uncertainty, we ask your Holy Spirit to fall afresh upon your people — convict us of sin and inflame within us a passion to pray for our land and its people. Read the rest of the prayer.

 

An earthquake hit Christchurch in New Zealand in September and a second earthquake hit the town on Feb. 22, wreaking even more destruction and killing an estimated 182 people.

 

The following link is to a blog by Rev. Martin Stewart concerning the “Challenges Ahead.”

In the aftermath of this morning's bombing in Jerusalem, we pray:

Psalm 122
 1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
   “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
2 Our feet are standing
   in your gates, Jerusalem.
 3 Jerusalem is built like a city
   that is closely compacted together.
4 That is where the tribes go up—
   the tribes of the LORD—
to praise the name of the LORD
   according to the statute given to Israel.
5 There stand the thrones for judgment,
   the thrones of the house of David.
 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
   “May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls
   and security within your citadels.”
8 For the sake of my family and friends,
   I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
   I will seek your prosperity.

 

Please join us in prayer for the following two Presbyterian churches.  Cards or personal notes of concern and well wishes may be sent to the addresses below:

 

Perry’s First Presbyterian Church burns to ground

Perry FPC

PO #489

Perry, OK 73077

 

Church is trashed, damage estimated at $50,000 in attack by vandals

Babcock Presbyterian Church

P.O. Box 188

Ashaway, RI 02804

Below is part of a special communication from Reformed Theological Seminary:

 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Gospel:

 

Our prayers to the Lord are all focused on the catastrophic earthquake, consequent aftershocks and frightening nuclear reactor scenarios in the great nation of Japan. We wanted you, our alumni and friends and RTS family, to know that Ric and Mike have contacted our RTS trained missionaries in Japan and have assured them of our and your prayers. Please keep praying. Remember that God is sovereign. Remember that tragedy becomes an open door for the Gospel. We weep with those who weep, and yet we also offer them the compassion of love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

Please join us in praying: 

·         For God's protection over our churches and missionaries in Japan;

·         For God's comfort and grace to be extended to every man, woman and child in Japan;

·         For the Lord to sovereignly reverse the damage and bring fruitfulness out of this, to bring hope and new life to Japan;

·         For God's sovereignty to be displayed as men and women and boys and girls come to know the saving power of Jesus Christ, the Lord of the storms;

·         For more pastors and missionaries willing to go forward to the ends of the earth to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ.      

As we all sing, "Great is Thy Faithfulness," we know that the prophet Jeremiah wrote those words amidst the ruin and ruble of a city, Jerusalem, in utter catastrophe, as the Babylonian hordes overran the once beautiful center of faith. It is in the nexus of inexplicable horror and quiet faith, that Jeremiah pens these words:

 

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3.22-23 ESV).

 

Therefore, we pray for the hearts of all followers of the Lamb to remember that Christ is sovereign and sovereign in His grace and steadfast love. …

 

Robert "Ric" Cannada, Jr.,

Chancellor and CEO   

 

Michael A. Milton,

Chancellor and CEO Elect

"... We will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam ..." – Psalm 46:2

 

We bow to pray this day for the people of Japan.

 

Holy God, redeem, even this.

By the power of your Holy Spirit, be very present in this time of trouble.

Grant peace to fearful minds.

Pour out your grace into grief-filled hearts.

Comfort those who mourn and reveal your presence to those whose lives are literally awash.

We know, O God, that you know the location of every person regarded by the world as "missing." Grant the grace of the knowledge of their whereabouts to those who seek them.

We know, O God, that you have the power to bring good even from this. We pray that as the earth quakes and groans with eager longing for man's redemption, you, O God, would show forth your active presence, your mercy and your grace.

 

In Christ we pray, Amen.

Today at Fuller Theological Seminary, we have been overwhelmed with sad news on many fronts. … I hope you will join me as we lift up in prayer the family members of Scott and Jean Adam and their two friends. Please also pray for those who have been impacted by the calamities at Light of Love Mission Church in Pasadena and in Christchurch, New Zealand. We ask our Lord to bring strength and desperately needed comfort to each one in the days ahead.

http://www.fuller.edu/About-Fuller/News-and-Events/News/President-Richard-J--Mouw--Responding-to-a-Day-of-Tragedy.aspx

During these days when attention is turning with new urgency toward Egypt and nearby countries, we invite you to pray for all those being affected by the political turmoil and unrest, especially for the Christians in the region. We are forwarding to you a report and request for prayer from our dear friend, Ramez Atallah, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Egypt. Thank you for praying.

Rob Weingartner, executive director, The Outreach Foundation

 

Dear concerned and precious friends,

I'm sure you are following the news and aware of the trouble, riots and tensions in Egypt and several other countries in this part of the world. I will not try to analyze the situation, which is changing by the hour. What might be stated one day may be obsolete the next! But we want you to know that we are very appreciative of your love, concern and your continued prayers for this country.

 

The Bible Society staff is all safe, and our properties are intact and unharmed. Despite the general turmoil, uncertainty, fear, anger and the many other emotions and realities of our situation, we as Christians are in no way being targeted or threatened.

After the absence of the police from the streets of Cairo, the burning of many police stations and escape of thousands of prisoners, some have taken advantage of the chaos to loot and steal. Neighbors are coming together, both Christians and Muslims, as together they protect their neighborhoods and property on overnight shifts, (due to the lack of police security). Each evening as curfew nears, barrels and bags and bins are positioned into barricades and all cars are stopped and people questioned by men armed with sticks and clubs, guns and knives. This however has provided most people with a real feeling of security and goodwill! But that was yesterday. This could possibly make a turn for the worse as civilians take the law into their own hands.

 

Expatriates are being evacuated. Banks and stock market are closed. Prices have begun to rise. Food, medical and other supplies are dwindling since most factories and businesses are closed after last week's wave of vandalism and the daily curfew from 3 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily. Even as I write, there have also bloody confrontations between Egyptian civilians in the main traffic circle downtown.

 

Please Pray

·         Pray that the situation comes under control very promptly and urgently. There are massive losses every minute. The official number of people wounded today, many of them seriously, exceeds 600 people, with at least 8 dead. Financial losses of the last eight days were announced by the official TV channel to be about 200 billion Egyptian pounds (36 billion US dollars).

·         Pray for the poor and destitute, the ones who suffer most at this time.

·         Pray that Christians in Egypt (both locals and expats) will not be tempted to "run" when things get hard. Libby Little, whose husband Tom was murdered in Afghanistan last summer, said that during that terrible war they and their daughters were known as "the people who stayed!" Lucien Accad, the former head of the Bible Society of Lebanon stayed with his family during that dangerous civil war even though they all had Swiss passports and could have left. While many foreigners are forced to leave by company policies, we pray that the shrinking Christian population of the Middle East will not be even further diminished by these current events.

·         Pray for the Bible Society of Egypt to think of creative and appropriate ways to bring God's Word to the people during these difficult times (after all, much of Scripture was written in contexts of danger). The staff is working from their homes on printed and audio materials to produce as soon as we get back to the office. The Book Fair, which was scheduled for Jan. 29-Feb. 8 has been postponed indefinitely. Book tables (an extension of the Book Fair offers) and Bible Sundays in all churches have been cancelled. As this will have a tremendously negative impact on our Bible distribution and income from sales and fundraising, as this is our peak sales season. Please pray with us as we consider how to close this income gap.

·         Pray for wisdom for the political and army leaders to know how to control the situation without resorting to brutal means.

·         Pray for the future leadership of the country. There are deep concerns over who will rule Egypt next. The door will be open to all political and religious ideologies, extremists and fundamentalists included.

·         Finally, please pray for me to quickly recuperate from a sudden heart problem (arrhythmia) which I succumbed to last Wednesday, causing me to spend 8 days in CCU. Yesterday was my first day home.

Thanks for your prayers, that's what we need most!

Love to you all, on behalf of the Bible Society of Egypt staff,

Ramez Atallah, general secretary

The Bible Society of Egypt

(An update from the Church on the ground in Egypt)

 

Over the last few months the Lord has clearly spoken to us many times to prepare ourselves for something to come. For what, we did not know, nor could we ever of imagined the magnitude of this situation! I want to start first with giving thanks to the Lord that though the Church building is located right next to the hottest spot of confrontation between the security forces, the army and the largest demonstrations, the Church building is unharmed. Though two main government buildings only a few meters away from us were on fire and heavily damaged. At the moment we are not able to reach the Church and to meet there.

 

Our prayer meetings had begun to intensify the last three months, accompanied with 40 days of fasting by the end of the year, in which more than 1,200 people participated. We heard many prophetic messages about what is to come, clear words indicating a huge change is coming in 2011. On New Year’s Eve, a clear word from Exodus 34:10 came to us saying, that He is going to things that no one ever heard before

in our land. The feeling we had was similar to the feelings of Esther, a time of a great danger mixed with a time of great victory, and how the Lord put her in this position “for such a time as this.” Esther 4:14

 

As I said in the beginning, we could never of imagined this situation! So, while we are going to the streets with our neighbors to protect our homes from the mobs, we are still on our knees in prayer, praying in small groups all over the city. As a leadership team we are trying to form action groups, to organize our efforts to respond to medical needs, to participate in cleaning the city from the huge amount of trash accumulation, and also to coordinate traffic control, since all the police traffic agents have left their positions leaving the streets in total chaos.

 

Our people are encouraged and courageously active in helping with practical needs, however, we need your prayerful support as the situation is not stable at all. Pray with us for:

·         The safety of the church and boldness of our people, (perhaps like Esther, we are here “for such a time like this”)

·         The new relationships that are being made as our church members are meeting some of their neighbors for the first time

·         Pray also that each one of us would be a source of peace and hope, as the dominant feelings on the streets are anger and fear

 

Thank you so much for your friendship and love, I will keep you updated.

 

Yours for His sake,

(The identity of this missionary is left out for her protection)

 

A friend was able to speak with her parents via land line this morning from Cairo, Egypt (1:30 p.m. Jan. 30, in Cairo) to report the latest developments. The staff is all safe. 

 

When last they spoke with her, Thursday morning, 50,000 Egyptians had marched in protest in Tahrir Square, about four blocks from the administrative offices. She was at work and the protest had not yet affected daily life. As she explained, in a city of 20 million, a 50,000 person protest was not too disruptive. The situation, however, soon changed.

 

You have all seen the news reports. Things escalated dramatically Friday and Saturday. The staff stayed home the past three days as a precautionary measure. Some fires and looting have broken out in her neighborhood in a sector on the southern edge of Cairo, because there is no longer any protective presence. The local residents, though, organized a crime watch and formed a barricade to protect homes. Our friend and her roommate are staying in their 9th floor apartment of a secured building. Before all the ATMs were cut off (computer driven), she and her roommate were able to stock their flat with a week’s worth of water, bread, vegetables and dry goods. She has also packed an emergency backpack in case there is a sudden need for evacuation. While evacuations are currently recommended by her embassy, she believes it is safer to stay put for now. 

 

She compared the atmosphere in Cairo to Katrina in some ways, with normal routines suspended, grocery stores sold out of many items and communications disrupted. Her boss was on the call and said that nobody should worry just because they have not been able to respond to emails – it is just that Internet service has cut on and off.

 

As for what’s next, the staff will continue to stay out of the fray and monitor developments. Like everyone else they are watching and waiting to see what the military does. She and an Egyptian friend report that the entire Egyptian people seem “very energized” and do not appear ready to stop the protests until Mubarak is gone. Things are relatively quiet the first part of each day, with the protests swelling in the afternoon and evening, so they are waiting to see what happens today.

 

They asked for your prayers:

·         That the unrest would be resolved quickly;

·         That stability and civil authority (protection) would be restored;

·         That the staff would remain safe;

·         That the end result be more democratic freedoms (including religious liberty) not less;

·         That in all things God’s eternal purposes would be advanced.

 

This woman’s parents wish to express their appreciation for all the calls and e-mails they have received. While they may not be able to respond individually, your expressions of concern and prayers are deeply appreciated.

 

Additionally, for security purposes, please be very careful with ANY specific information that may compromise our friends in the midst of this situation.

In the wake of escalating tensions and civil unrest in the Middle East, Presbyterian Church (USA) leaders have issued a call to prayer for the peoples and nations of the Middle East, as well as PCUSA partners.

 

The Moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010) Cynthia Bolbach, General Assembly Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons, and General Assembly Mission Council Executive Director Linda Valentine called Presbyterians to pray with these words:

 

“Hundreds of thousands of people have staged protests in the past few days in different parts of the Middle East, particularly in Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen and Algeria. Today, clashes between protestors and the police have intensified to dangerous levels. Lebanon has been in a precarious situation since the collapse of the coalition government earlier this month. Iraq continues to be the target of suicide bombers and other forms of violence. The failure of Israeli-Palestine negotiations is causing many to lose hope in a political solution for this decades-old conflict. 

 

Please remember all the peoples of the Middle East in your prayer. Please remember those whose lives have been disrupted and those who are afraid during this civil unrest. Please also pray for the governments and political leaders that they might govern fairly, wisely, and with sensitivity to the peoples’ lives and dignity.

 

Please pray in particular for the Christian minorities in the Middle East, as they often become the scapegoat in the midst of conflicts. Although most of the Middle East inhabitants are Muslims, more than 15 million Middle Easterners are Christians who trace their Christian heritage back to the apostolic era. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has partnered with Middle Eastern churches for most of the last two centuries. Please join your hearts in prayer for our sisters and brothers with whom we have been made one in the Body of Christ:” 

 

 

A prayer for the nations and peoples of the Middle East

 

God of every blessing,
hear our prayers
for all the nations and peoples of the Middle East:

Guide the people to express their concerns peacefully
and government leaders to respond peacefully;
Inspire all  to listen to one another carefully;
Lead all to pursue justice together.

Bless the poor in spirit ...
give them the gift of abundant life.

 

Bless those who mourn ...
comfort them with your healing presence.

Bless the meek ...
keep them in peace and safety.

Bless those who hunger and thirst for righteousness ...
feed them with justice and every good thing.

Bless the merciful ...
pour out your mercy upon them.

Bless the pure in heart ...
show them a vision of your peaceable realm.

And bless the peacemakers ...
support them in their holy calling.

We ask all these things in Jesus’ name.

 

A prayer for our partners in the Middle East

 

Triune God,
you make us for each other.

Redeem us to live together
and give us gifts to share with one another.

We pray that the people of the Middle East
might know your presence in these troubling times.

We pray particularly for our partners,
those with whom we share in ministry.

Watch over them,
remind them of our care,
and keep them in our hearts;
in Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.