The Prayer of Encouragement for 15 October
Deacon Arlene Burton offers the Prayer of Encouragement for 15 October 2021 for our country, businesses, frontline and other workers. Deacon Burton owns the copyright to this post. We reprint here with her permission.
Hi Everyone! I pray for God’s favour and sustenance in your life as you continue on this journey during these unusual times. May God’s hand of comfort and love permeate your spirit and cause you to transcend peace. If you or anyone you know has a prayer request, please let us know and we will include you in our prayers. You may post your prayer request here on our website.
You know, I have a God who comforts and assures me that He is working out everything for my good. I am extremely grateful. Of course, He must get the glory. At times, I get overwhelmed and fall on my face before the Lord in tears because of pressures on every side. After many years of diligently seeking Him concerning certain things, I am not seeing a turnaround that brings the significant change that I feel is needed.
Yet in my state of distress, God always takes me to a place of knowing and understanding the path that I am on, and at the same time, He gives me strength and an assurance that He has me. He will never leave. He counsels me and gives me comfort through His Word, His soft voice, a song and many times a message that He may lead me to watch. Though the situation has not changed, my attitude reclines me to a place of comfort.
As I reflect I am reminded of a plant that has an attitude. I kid you not. Based on my observation, the plant needed nurturing more than any other. It had to be pruned and watered on a regular basis. Any morning I stepped out and looked at the plant, I know the story. It will either be in an erect position or flat out. I mean flat out. It had long stalks and seemed so vulgar. I felt like the plant was bawling and making me know that it was hungry and needed to be fed. It was high maintenance.
The plant was on the verandah but I decided to put it on the outside in my little garden so that the refreshing rainwater could assist my efforts. It went way down at one point in time and I nurtured it back. It had a habit of doing so until eventually, it was no more. I was sad because of the amount of work that it took out of me for sustenance. Nonetheless, I decided not to keep those delicate kinds of plants anymore. To be practical, I keep plants that do not require constant care. I still work on them daily or every other day and the few that I have are beautiful.
You know, as I reflect and meditate, and consider my desires at times and the purpose and move of God, I wonder if some of the times I am not like that plant. Even then, God is not like me. You see, the plant was usually given the same attention as the other plants but demanded more of my time and wanted things within its time, not mine. I thought about its delicate disposition. The more delicate it is, the greater the demands.
I am reminded that we have delicate areas in our lives that need strengthening and growth that would prepare us for what God has in store. He knows the time for that to happen. If He allows us to prematurely open the doors ahead that leads to greater access then we would not be equipped enough to understand our role into what we have entered. Is somebody hearing me? Maybe you need to sit on this for a while.
The life of Joseph kept flashing across my mind as my thoughts continued to flow. You may recall that he was sold to some Ishmaelites and taken into Egypt (Genesis 37:28). He was thrown into prison because he did not satisfy the desires of Potipher’s wife (Genesis 39:4-19); forgotten by the chief cupbearer after interpreting a dream (Genesis 40:8-23). Yet, all along the way, Joseph was developing leadership and management skills.
Potipher put Joseph in charge at his house when Joseph worked there. He was also placed in charge of the prisoners while in prison. He was developing His gifts and abilities to hear from God, and interpret dreams. All of these skills and abilities were in preparation for Joseph, a Hebrew, to become the prime minister of Egypt. It was Joseph’s gift of interpreting dreams that opened the door to Pharaoh’s heart to accept and appoint him to such a high position (Genesis 41:9-45). Wow! Take a pause and give glory to God. Hallelujah! What a God!
Joseph always revered God as His great Master and Source. His responses told us of his heart for God. He told Potipher’s wife “‘No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’ And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” (Genesis 39:9-10, NIV).
The chief cupbearer and baker said, “‘We both had dreams,’ they answered, ‘but there is no one to interpret them.’ Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.’” (Genesis 40:8, NIV). “‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’” (Genesis 41:16, NIV).
What is your circumstance? Do you have delicate areas in your life being developed or to be developed? Are you allowing God to take charge? Are you allowing the wait for the entry into God’s best? Think bout it, chat bout it and decide what you are going to do about it.
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, hallowed be Thy name. We praise, bless, honour and glorify Your name. We acknowledge Your omnipotence, omnipresence and Your omniscience. Lord, we place You in the highest place as God, Lord and Saviour of our lives. Father, You are our guide, deliverer, provider and protector. It is through You that we live, breathe and have our being.
Lord, as we enter into a time of prayer, we ask that You answer us when we call to You, our righteous God. Give us relief from our distress, have mercy on us and hear our prayer. Lord, from the ends of the earth, we call and cry out to You.
Lord, we come in the name of Jesus Christ as individuals, families, communities, Churches, businesses, a workforce, youths and children and citizens as a whole; leaders, government and a country as a whole; thanking You for all that You have done and continue to do to sustain us as a people. Thanks for the victory for our footballers. Lord, we ask that You forgive all of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Lord, help us to forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from all evil. Lord, allow Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven concerning our lives and that of our country.
Lord, we pray for those who did CSEC and CAPE and are now receiving or about to receive the results. We thank You for those persons whose performances were excellent and we pray for Your continued favour on them. We pray for open doors so that their abilities, gifts and talents will be developed in maximizing their potential. Lord, we especially pray for those who have not done well or as they had expected. We pray that even now You identify them and build a shield of protection around their minds. Instil hope and peace in them and open the door for other chances for them.
Lord, as we place ourselves and country before You we ask that You will have mercy on us. We ask for Your continued provisions, covering, protection and guidance in all that we say and do. Lord, cause it that those who make the decision to cause problems for others in the form of stealing, killing, and other criminal activities, abuse and wounding be blocked from carrying out their wrongful acts.
Lord, help us to see our solutions through You. Help us to look to You for salvation. Our help cometh from You, Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. Lord, turn every heart to You and cause it that You get the glory out of our lives.
Lord, we pray especially for our church leaders, the Honourable Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness, Minister of Health and Wellness, Christopher Tufton, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Nigel Clarke, health workers and support staff, Minister of Education, Youth and the Environment, Fayval Williams; Minister of National Security, Horace Chang and his team, Minister of Justice, Delroy Chuck, and the leader of the opposition Mark Golding and his team. We also remember the judges in our congregation, Paula Blake Powell and Grace Henry McKenzie. Lord, grant them wisdom, knowledge, creativity, strength, courage and understanding to conduct their work in the best interest of those they serve. Help them to act with accountability and transparency. Provide for and protect them and their families.
We lift up to You those among us who are in business: Ewan and Maxine Oliver; Lanna and Desmond Bennett; Warrick Bogle, Carol and Leroy Blake, Marcia Leair, Robert and Bevelin Smith, Paulette Dixon, Kemorine and Karl Henry, Ava Comrie, Catherine Barkley and husband, Cornel Richards and family, Everton Lewis, Pauline and Mark Garvey, Brother Astley Hall, Maxine and Benedict Ranger, Melva Knight, Nicole Fender, Sharon Baldie, Karl Jones and others. Lord, cause it that they are sustained even in these deserted times and let Your blessings and mercy be upon them.
We also pray for the frontline workers connected with GMC: Medical Doctors: Asana Anderson Wilks and Rohan Wilks, Kahlete Falloon, Tina Kong, Vernon Jones, Leighton Logan, Emily Reynolds; trainee doctor (, Gabrielle Channer); Dentists: doing emergency cases; Jhenelle Black, Dania Jones, Eleanor Reynolds; Pharmacists: Sandra Bucknor-Jones, Viveen Watson; other doctors and nurses from GMC or in connection with members and adherents of GMC who are working on the frontline (for example Dr Richard Reynolds) and their families. So, Lord, as they try to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and other challenges, grant them physical and mental strength. Protect them from all forms of diseases and fill them with extraordinary bowels of compassion as they carry out their daily tasks. Lord, we also lift up for Your healing and restoration of those hospitalised or experiencing physical and mental hurts.
Lord, help us to seek and understand Your will and purpose for our lives. Also, help us to act through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in accomplishing them. Keep us sound in thinking and attitude, and let all that we say and do bring glory to Your name. So Lord, saturate us with Your presence and peace. Hear, O Lord, and answer in Jesus’ name we pray with thanksgiving.
Amen.
Our Prayers of Encouragement are for everyone. Therefore, please contact us with your request if you also need prayer or comfort. We would be so very happy to share with you.
Grace Missionary Church is a member of The Missionary Church Association in Jamaica.
