Prayer Guide for May – 2020
We begin our prayer time in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. + Amen. Adoration
1 Kings 8:22-24; “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below; you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it; as it is today.”
The hours of sunshine are increasing each day; nothing from our hands had anything to do with this. There are an ever-increasing number and variety of birds visiting the feeder on my deck; my thoughts or desires had nothing to do with determining how many of their feathers were brown, red, yellow, blue or white…or if they were going to be male or female. I just took another breath on this beautiful spring day; it wasn’t something that I thought about doing as it has just become a natural movement to expect as my lungs grow empty. Our eyes gaze upon the beauty of the leaves, flowers and crops beginning to come alive in this springtime and our minds are still in celebration of our Lord’s resurrection from the tomb last month; our mouths give praise to our Heavenly Father for all that He has done since Creation…from the beginning. It is ALL about HIM. A time of ‘Adoration’ to our Heavenly Father.
Please take time to sit quietly and gaze at His creation and feel His presence in your life.
Think about the provisions, protection, hope and love that surround you today, because of His unfailing love for you.
Give thanks for where God has placed you and the gifts that you were given to use for Him along your journey.
Confession
Acts 3:19-20; “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you; even Jesus.” We were born, sinful and unclean, through no fault of our own, but because of the sins of our parents, grandparents…Adam and Eve.
God sent His only Son to die for our sins. Jesus did everything right while he was here on this earth. He loves you with a love that cannot be measured. He gave to the world when no thanks were returned to Him. He healed when there was no hope, and He died without complaint. Jesus did nothing wrong and everything right; all this for you. He lived for you and died for you. Our sins nailed Him to the cross on Calvary and kept Him there until His life on earth had ended. A time of personal confession. Our sins are placed at the base of the Calvary cross...His cross, and we give thanks that the times we have fallen short in the eyes of our Heavenly Father have been washed clean and we have been forgiven through the Blood of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
As you look at life appearing in your garden, on the trees, at your bird feeder and consider what has been left in your senses because of coronavirus, may we be reminded that we live in a broken, sin filled world and stop and give thanks for Who has marked us as His child. Lives have been challenged and changed; surgeries delayed, schools closed, jobs lost, finances vanished, lives ended, morgues filled and funerals postponed. As you read this, be assured that He has more work for you to do on this side of Heaven. Give thanks that your life has been marked by the Cross of Jesus Christ, our resurrected Savior. You will conquer all of the brokenness in this world because of what Jesus has already done on Calvary for you, me and 30,000 Haitian kids who were in Christian schools before coronavirus invaded their country. Give thanks that He has more work for you, for me and for them to accomplish in the coming seasons.
Psalm 30:10-12; “Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.” You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.”
Heavenly Father, we come to You now with hearts, minds and words filled with ‘Thanksgiving’.” We give thanks for our Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit.
We give thanks for having a Savior who gave His life for our sinfulness; “your sins are forgiven”. HE is Risen!
We give thanks our providence; monetary, food, clothing, timely moisture and shelter. As we give of our first fruits may we also give a portion of our best to His children in Haiti who need the assistance we can provide because of You.
We thank you Lord Jesus, for providing guidance to the Trinity/HOPE leadership, who have formulated a plan to provide food to the families of the 30,000 Haitian children using remaining food and resources from this school year.
Supplications
Ephesians 6:18-20; “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
It has been a difficult challenge that the coronavirus brought into our lives in the past months. It has left scars for a lifetime. The same virus began in Port-au-Prince a few weeks before Resurrection Sunday and while our country diligently worked to contain and defeat the virus; the country of Haiti is woefully prepared for this challenge. T
he US has one ICU bed for every 3,000 Americans and Haiti has one ICU bed for every 100,000 Haitians. The entire country of Haiti with a population of 11 million people has 911 doctors and 64 ventilators. It is estimated that the death toll could reach 800,000 in Haiti. And because so many in Haiti generally have respiratory issues in the springtime, they will not know what has hit them until it is too late. Another factor about the Haitian culture that is of concern is that they are not given to social distancing. Often, you will see school girls holding hands with girls, boys holding hands with boys and of course boys with girls.
It is difficult to recall a time in Haiti when children or adults have not desired to stand next to me, much closer than I was accustomed too. This virus will bring difficult, challenging and sad times to their country. Heavenly Father, we bring our supplications before You;
Heavenly Father, protect your servants living in Haiti from the spread of coronavirus. May Your message be on the lips of Your servants as the words of Hope and life everlasting through Jesus be on their lips.
Lord of the Harvest, please bless the efforts of the Haitian farmers as they plant their gardens that provide for their families; nutritionally and financially.
Lord, please continue to rest Your healing hand upon Mark Gudlin and keep him infection free and may surgeons replace his knee joint and return him to his normal life’s activities.
Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a Word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You sent it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:11-14; “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
May God go before you to guide you; may His arms be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you. And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you always dear sister and brother in Christ,
In His love, Jay Brinkmeyer