Prayer of Encouragement for 24 December
Deacon Arlene Burton offers the Prayer of Encouragement for 24 December 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! God’s blessings, peace, covering and favour be upon you during this season and always! Wow! What a year so far? It is Christmas time. So we celebrate Christ’s coming into the world during this season and I hope all year round, that is to come.
You know, a group of us were playing a game and there was a question involved. It asked about the roles in a Christmas pageant. Guess what? Certain roles were not included in the game. The main role that carried the most points was the shepherds, then Mary and the list went on. However, there was no donkey, no Joseph and the name of the main man was missing, Jesus. Imagine that, what a thing? A Christmas without Christ. A story about Jesus but without Jesus.
What does your Christmas celebration involve? Is Jesus in it? Is He at the center of it all? Or is it about the food and the gifts, the festivities? I believe that we need those things in a festivity but we must always commemorate the reason for the festivities.
Take a step back, look to your heavenly Father and say thanks. Thank God for His love and the most precious gift, salvation. As John informs us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17, NIV).
So as we go through this season, let us cherish the act of God’s love to us. Keep Him at the center by meditating on what He has done for us, and have a great Christmas. Chat all you want! Give, Live and Love! Love! Love! Show it!
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for this privilege, this awesome opportunity to connect with You through prayer. We thank You for being our main source. We thank You for Your continued sustenance. Lord, we also thank You for Your grace and mercy. We thank You, Lord.
Lord, we honour You as the awesome, righteous, adorable, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of peace, conqueror, overcomer, Saviour, redeemer, transformer, restorer, and You stand above all else. Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Lord, we thank You for waking us up in our right minds. We also thank You for providing, protecting and guiding us as individuals, families, communities, Churches and related associations, businesses, political representatives and as a country.
We praise You, Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise You! You determine the number of the stars and call them each by name. Great are You, Lord, and mighty in power. Lord, Your understanding has no limit. You sustain the humble but cast the wicked to the ground. We sing to You, Lord with grateful praise. Lord, Your pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor is Your delight in the legs of the warrior. Lord, You delight in those who fear You, who put their hope in His unfailing love (Psalm 147).
We come in the name of Jesus Christ, asking that You cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Forgive all of our sins and make us worthy vessels in your sight. It is against You that we have sinned and done wrong. Out of the depths, we cry, O Lord, hear and have mercy.
Lord, so many cruel things are happening around us to our children, youths, women, families, workers and citizens as a whole. Have mercy and help us. So Lord, cause it that we turn our hearts and minds to diligently seek Your face and wait on your guiding hand. Help us to seek You with all of our hearts and understand what that means. Also help us to love as You love, exercise justice and brotherhood/sisterhood, seek peace and pursue it.
Lord, help us to forgive family members, friends and all those who hurt us. Heal our brokenness and fill us with Your peace. God, help us to live in peace and righteousness.
We pray for all leaders of this country, the region and other countries. Lord, You know the measure of need for each. We ask that You grant it. We pray for selfless hearts and hands, and accountability and transparency in all that we say and do. As we continue to navigate our way through the many unusual happenings including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we pray for Your mercy, provision, healing and protection. As we face another season of Covid-19, we ask You for mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, so many of our people are losing hope but we pray that You remove the dark clouds from the east to the west and from the north to the south of this country. Grant us strength, and peace. So Lord, instill hope and cause it that those who do not know You will reach out to You for comfort and assurance.
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.
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.
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, Dentists: 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.
Lord, we pray for those of us who lost loved ones during the time of year, those who are sick and the shut-ins. We also pray for Your comfort and peace. We ask that, in addition, You build a banner around them. Provide Your power of physical and emotional healing.
Lord, we ask that as we travel to different areas save us from accidents, incidents, abuse, theft, burglary, bloodguilt from every angle. Carry us safely through. So let Your peace fill our minds and hearts. We ask all of these with thanksgiving, in Jesus’ name.
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.
