Prayer Guide for October – 2024
We begin our prayer time in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. + Amen.
“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.” Martin Luther
‘Adoration’
Psalm 33:1-10; “Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.”
Lord God Almighty; Creator of heaven, earth and of everything visible and invisible; we stand in awe of You and of all that You created which surrounds us and is within us. Those of us living here in the Midwest of the U.S. cannot help but marvel at the change of seasons and how You sustain all life on this planet daily. Heavenly Father, as You have blessed our ancestors with descendants who seek Your Divine Favor and have further used each of us here today in the many different parts of this world to be a blessing to our families and also for others who have no Hope. Lord, we are confident that You will continue to move among and within each of us. You have given each of us an appointed measure of time, talents and treasures with which to seek and accomplish Your will in the coming seasons. Heavenly Father, direct us accordingly.
Psalm 28:6-9; “Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.”
A time of ‘Adoration’ to our Heavenly Father.
· Please take a portion of this day to sit quietly in a secluded area and consider how our Triune God has impacted your life and molded and brought you to this very point in your life’s journey.
· Spend a few hours this week to enjoy the change in colors of the plants, trees and crops and consider how our Heavenly Father had a purpose for each of them and us.
· As you look at the trees changing colors and the harvest of crops this month, sit quietly and listen to His hand at work in the firmament He created.
· Consider for a moment about the past generations of the Haitian school children who were brought to Haiti from Africa in bondage on French slave ships and how God knew how their descendants would impact their new country with the Good News…in His timing.
· Consider the lives of the workers in Haiti who walk closely with our Heavenly Father; parents, teachers, principals, feeding program directors and Pastors.
· Consider the Haitian children who will prayerfully be going back to school this month and be learning about our Triune God; seeking Your directions for their future, joyfully and courageously giving Witness of their Risen Savior to the souls still caught up in the lies of vodou and caught up with the gangs.
‘Confession’
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 loved 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.
Psalm 32:1-7; “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Matthew 5:4; “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
There comes a time when you mourn, when you reach the point of uncontrollable sorrow for your sins, when you admit that you have no other option but to place all your sins upon Him and when there is truly no other name that you can call; place your sins upon Him and His Cross on that lonely hill called Calvary.
· A time of personal confession.
Our sins are placed at the base of the 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’
Heavenly Father, as we open the newspaper, turn on the television or go online, we cannot help but see that there are so many areas in our world today where news reports are bleak and challenging. Some people are asking if these times are not the end times. Father, in these uncertain times, where do we begin to give You thanks for those unrecognized blessings? As we sit and look to You, may we take a few moments to recall Who is with each of us every hour of every day; so great are the blessings that You have poured into our lives and continues to daily shower upon us.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18; “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
The schools in Haiti had originally been scheduled to commence last month according to the government but due to the continued gang violence have been moved to this month. While there are still areas of Haiti that are facing gang driven chaos, the parents daily give thanks for their jobs or whatever means to supplement their family with an income, that wonderful school lunch for their children, the donors and also for the Trinity HOPE workers who are helping their school to learn how to manage the feeding program.
Psalm 118:1-4; “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”
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 You thanks for the Haitian children who are not only the prime purpose of Trinity HOPE but also Your missionaries and leaders for the future generations in Haiti.
· We give You thanks for the countless hours that the many Trinity HOPE volunteers have expended working with other volunteers here in the U.S. and in Haiti.
· We give You thanks for the work that is being accomplished by the Haitian parents, teachers, school principals and Feeding Program Directors who are shaping the lives of young Haitian children in this coming school year.
· We give thanks Father for protecting the lives of Your servants from the gang violence in recent times.
‘Supplications’
Genesis 3:8-10; “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Heavenly Father, there are moments of doubt when we and people living in Haiti ask “why is this trouble still happening to this country?” Lord, we need to pause and take a close look at our cities and country and ask the same question. This original sin began with the inhabitants of the Garden of Eden and is still staining this planet that You created. Sin happens. We face challenges here in the U.S., in Haiti and around this planet. We live in uncertain times. Father, today, there seem to be more times where we feel as if we are surrounded by higher walls filled with greater challenges that we cannot recall and wonder where to begin to ask for deliverance. You know our hearts. You feel our fears. You hear our groanings. So often, we ‘ask’ for things without really considering how they will impact our calling and our journey; to serve Him as He desires us to serve Him by bringing others into the Kingdom. And we ‘wait’ for HIS response. Father, in this season of waiting; hear us, be near us and guide us.
1 John 5:13-15; “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him.”
Heavenly Father, we bring our supplications before You;
· Heavenly Father, continue to lead and bless Trinity HOPE with Your loving hand; may we always strive to accomplish Your will.
· Bless the workers here in the U.S. and in Haiti and give them courage as they face challenges from the evil foe. Provide them with courage, endurance and love.
· Lord, please bless the children, teachers and cooks walking to school on muddy paths in Haiti during this rainy month. Assure them with Your promise that the Trinity HOPE kettle will be full of food at their school each day.
· Heavenly Father, as we have been waiting for school to begin and the violence to end, please keep up close to You. May we never doubt Your Wisdom and reasons for us to wait a little longer for Your Will to be known.
· Heavenly Father, bind satan from throwing challenges into the workings of our feeding programs in schools that are starting this month in Haiti and in our activities here at home.
· Father…put an end to the endless challenges brought about by angry people who are gang members doing the bidding of the evil foe. We ask that You would bring peace and Hope to Haiti and bring forward Christian leaders who will seek Your council and follow Your directions.
· Heavenly Father, protect the U.N. Police force in Haiti as they work daily protecting citizens and attempting to bring an end to the gang activity.
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.
“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.” Martin Luther
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