Prayer page
Prayer page
Make a Prayer Request, or Send us a Prayer.
Our prayer group meets each Sunday and we would like to pray for you or anyone known to you. Alternatively, send us in a prayer and we may display your prayer for the benefit of others. Contact our minister, the Revd Dr Derek Browning, by selecting the email link below.
Some thoughts on prayer
Prayer should be one of the most important and natural activities of Christian life. It is the main way we develop a relationship with God. Prayer is a relationship, not a ritual. It is not a torrent of mechanical and mindless words. It is a conversation with a loving God, Who we sometimes call 'Father'. It is a vertical conversation, not a horizontal one.
Here are some steps you might take:
Find the time Find the place Plan what you're going to do - are you going to read from your Bible, are you going to pray for groups of people, or an event in the news, or something that's troubling you? Divide your time into three parts.
Preparing | Maybe your Bible reading, or sitting and thinking about some situation on your mind. |
Silence | We find it increasingly hard in our noisy world to be silent. But it is something that helps us and calms us when we do it and become accustomed to it. |
Praying | Then pray, and perhaps divide the praying time into these parts: Thanking: Saying sorry (confessing): Asking (for yourselves, for others). |
Some people will then say the Lord's Prayer to round things off. After all, when the disciples asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray", this is the prayer that Jesus taught them.
Some people keep a prayer diary, writing down the things they've prayed for, and reviewing it some time later to see how prayers have been answered, or not.
Remember, God has three different ways of answering our prayers - He can say yes, or no, or not yet. All are legitimate answers, whether we like them or not! A famous preacher once said "I thank God that He is not prepared to do anything that I may chance to ask Him…I am profoundly grateful to God that He did not grant me certain things for which I asked, and that He shut certain doors in my face…"
It is sometimes hard when, in our prayers, God says no, or not yet. Sometimes we will not know during this life why this was the answer we got.
Conclusion
Prayer, then, helps our relationship with God, helps us focus on what's going on in and around our lives, and keeps our faith fresh and alive.
Resource:
Pray Now (Church of Scotland daily devotions, available in all good bookshops).
A prayer for you to use
Loving God
I give to You this day my thanks for all that blesses my life…
I confess to You the words and thoughts and actions that have brought hurt or sadness…
I bring to You my prayers for myself, my loved ones, my community, my church, my world…
Lord God,
The night of darkness is over;
The grief and pain and uncertainty gone;
Christ suffered and died and rose again;
Praise be to You for raising Christ Jesus.When I am in doubt or despair,
The presence of the risen Christ gives hope.
When I am in pain or distress,
The presence of the risen Christ brings healing.
When overwhelmed by problems and difficulties,
The presence of the risen Christ encourages.
When grieving or in sorrow,
The presence of the risen Christ comforts.
When faced with challenges and risks,
The presence of the risen Christ leads the way.
The triumph of the risen Christ removes all fear
For death has been overcome.
Glory be to You, O God.Amen
(taken from Pray Now 2000, Panel on Worship, Church of Scotland)
Home Page |
Our Week |
Our Minister |
Worship |
Outreach |