Lord, give us too the spirit of charity and mercy. For those who suffer and live in pain, give us more than a moment’s concern on the face. Often times the suffering of others is only something we hear about like yesterday’s news. It really does not matter that much. We soon forget. If a man has hope of healing, then he can endure his pain, but for those without hope, at least in this world, that man needs the outpouring of Thy Holy Spirit. Such a man can easily lose hope in this world. As hope deferred makes the heart sick, so the loss of hope drives men into despair. Help us to relieve pain. Help us to comfort the ill and sick. Lord be there for them.

Lord, help us to relieve the pain of the mind. Suffering in our thoughts is so prevalent among us. The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but as for a broken spirit who can bear. We have a tendency to worry a lot. We are anxious. We fret about our station in life. We worry about what other people think of us. We worry about how we look. We worry about the impression we make. We worry about our nation, our families, our budgets, and our sanity. Strain and stress takes its toll on all of us. We suffer disappointment, failure, loss, and desertion. When our friends fail us what shall we do. Lord, be there for us.

Help us to see that there is a purpose in all things. The easy life does not teach us much. We learn very little. Hardship and difficulty builds character and strength. It calls us to faith. We understand that there is nothing without purpose. If through our own hardship, we are an encouragement or an example to others, then how blessed can that be? When it is all over and life has come to an end, then those who overcame and kept the faith in trial and tribulation shall receive their reward. When we see no purpose in what is happening to us, give us that faith that can move mountains. Lord, be there for us.

Our Father, remind us that the times of life are in your hands. Nothing on this earth lasts forever. When we are young time passes so slow, but when we grow older, time moves so quickly. As this Church prepares for change, give them confidence that You will answer their prayers. You have something good prepared for them. God never leaves His sheep without a Shepherd.

Lord, as the people vote today to choose a Pulpit Committee, give them wisdom to recognize those with hearts that love You and love the faith once for all delivered unto the saints. Give them wisdom to recognize those who know this Church well and what the true needs of this Church is. Then help the Pulpit Committee to search and find the man who will fit this Church. Where I have been weak give them a man with strength. Where I have been unbalanced give them a man with balance.

Lord, so it is that all men are flesh. They soon pass from the scene. May I soon be forgotten. Keep the good and throw out the bad. May I decrease and Jesus increase. Give these Your people a man who loves the truth and who loves the people as much as he loves the truth. Grant wisdom to the officers of the Church as they stay and as they lead. They too are weak and need to be strengthened. They too need a Shepherd.

Lord, if we have learned anything, it is that covenant keepers always win in the end. The world may hate our Christ. They may hate the law of God, but in their hatred they only commit suicide. Lord, like the Christians in Jerusalem when the evil days came, show us the way out of the city. Keep us together. Let not the people of God divide into factions. Keep us from fighting each other and do give us a united witness against the ways of the world.