I will be leading my first "Blue Christmas" service in the seniors residence where I pastor a little church. Since announcing this quiet gentle hour to acknowledge sorrow and loss in the holiday season, I have been overwhelmed with the number of people (residents, staff, family and visitors) who are clearly desperate to have their story of grieving heard: deaths of loved ones, loss of home, independence, and especially loss of the ability to remember. Please pray we will bring comfort into all this pain and sorrow while we point folks toward hope.
Jesus, you cried at Lazarus’s tomb, so you know how deeply grief hurts us. May your comfort and peace and the hope of the resurrection fill that little congregation as they meet. Give Kim your words and your strength so that she can help your people.
Lord, thank you for Kim’s willingness to step into this role of facilitation for folks to experience Christmas alongside the grief they bear. We pray your Spirit would come in that place and that you would reign there as the Prince of Peace in a mighty way.
Please pray for our family, especially our brilliant 27 year old grandson, who suffers with mental illness and alcohol and drug addiction. Pray that, despite the pain, will be able to love each other wisely and well.
Praying for this grandson who suffers so, that he will seek help from helpful sources, will not grow weary, and will get through while the family holds on and sustains him.
Please pray that I would wisely know how to walk with my parents as they age and especially my Dad as he battles the fear and anxiety that comes with dementia.
Hold Rebecca’s dad near so he feels your peace and presence in this frightening stage of life. Give Rebecca the grace and energy she needs for this journey with her folks.
Merciful God, we pray for your wisdom and peace for Rebecca and her parents, especially her dad. May the peace that passes all understanding be all around her and her parents this holiday week.
Merciful Savior, by your wounds we are healed. We pray for your healing power in Rajni’s life. As she walks through this dark valley may she fear no evil for you are with her. May she see your goodness and unfailing love in the land of the living.
I just helped my mother move to assisted living following steady decline and a fall last month. Please pray for her adjustment. Also after caring for her for many years, that God would give me direction for what’s next.
Father, we ask for a smooth adjustment for Kathleen’s mom. Give her comfort there. Provide Kathleen with a season of refreshment and rest and then a renewed vigor for the new ways you have planned for her to serve.
God, life and death are in your hands. To live is Christ and to die is gain. Please give Mom the hope of the resurrection so that she can finish her life strong in spirit and live for you where she is now. And please give new life and a new vision to this daughter who loves and has sacrificed for her mom.
Please pray for my husband and me as we transition from 35 years of pastoral ministry to retirement. Our church has shrunk and we don't have the heart to continue so we are handing the ministry off to a younger couple. God is in the move, but it's not without pain.
My husband and I are in a similar situation. Change is hard! Lord, give this faithful couple sweet times of refreshing and let their flock flourish under new shepherds. Let them know You still have good plans for them!
We thank you, Lord, for Debra and her husband’s faithfulness in ministry. May they hear a pre-echo of your “Well done,” as you guide them into a different stage of life and ministry.
Praying for you and your husband dear sister. My pastor husband and I are going through the same, except we are closing the church. God sees and is working… Beauty from ashes; graves into gardens.
Pray for my friend R: she's in her thirties and her husband's health is deteriorating; pray for strength and comfort for her and their 4-year-old.
Pray for my friend L: she's in her seventies and just lost her husband after a years-long struggle with Parkinson's.
Pray for my friend J: she and her family are dealing with a very belligerent 9-year-old foster kid whom they love dearly but are at their wits' end in trying to figure out how to help him.
Family is everything, so these things are especially hard. Praying for each of these friends and their families now. And for the friend who loves them.
Great God of love, I thank you for the way you fill Laura’s heart with love for her friends. Use her to provide comfort and grace, hugs and help as she walks with those in pain. Be near to each one.
Please pray for my family, specifically my parents’ marriage. Pray for my older sister and her children to find stability, and finally, I ask for prayers for myself to navigate these situations with proper boundaries
Karen - thank you for making space for this. Everyone is carrying so much. To know we're are not alone in the dark is such a gift. My eyes are troubling me and I have incredible medical anxiety and complex ptsd, so any little health thing I respond to with an overabundance of fear. I do my best to trust that God is holding me and will not let me go, but my ptsd sometimes gets the better of me.And dealing with doctors and specialists and insurance etc is very stressful for me. I don't often feel they are on my side, and advocating for myself while in ptsd-mode is exhausting. I would love to go through this current issue without the ptsd freak out, but to feel safe and held and to cared for by my medical team.
Praying for calmness and peace, for good medical care, for ease of physical distress. Praying that a few years from now you will look back at this time and marvel that you are so much better.
Good Shepherd, as Dawn walks through this dark valley, May she fear no evil for you are surely with her. Please comfort her with your guidance and your protection. May your supernatural peace fill her this Christmas.
Great Shepherd, gather Dawn in your arms and calm her heart and mind and body. Give wisdom and understanding to doctors so that Dawn can find the help she needs for her vision.
Praying for those who comment, such weighty concerns. Praying for the Church, as I’ve heard of more abuse. Please pray for my grandson who has Angelman syndrome and is 7, and prayers for his parents too.
Lord Jesus, please purify your bride, the church. Please help those who have been harmed. And please help this little boy, his parents, and his grandmother. Meet them at the point of their need.
God of Truth, open up the mind and heart of Freddy’s father to recognize where the father of lies is entrapping him and bring glorious freedom. Give grace to Freddy as he walks with him.
Such a good thing to find tonight! Pray for me. I may be about to lose my job. My boss and I have lost trust in each other. It will be hard to get back.
That is a hard thing. Losing a job is hard, I know.
But losing a job that wasn’t working well can be the best, even if it is hard. So I pray this ends quickly and for your benefit so that you can find a place where you can flourish.
Omnipotent Father, you know what is best for Kristi and how you want to provide for her. Give her the confidence to walk with you through this difficult situation.
God, please meet every single one of Kristi’s needs, including the need to have a job where she is valued and can trust her boss. May she sense your presence and your compassion and care.
Pray for my full-time employment; I have been unemployed since May. Pray my abusive ex-husband finally lets us actually get divorced. Pray for my wonderful, believing grandfather who is dying; and all of us who will miss him dearly.
That’s a lot to bear. Praying for good work. Praying your ex-husband sets you free and all the ways. Praying for healing for all of you who need it from being in that kind of situation.
Praying your dear grandfather’s passing will be peaceful and surrounded by love, and that that peace and love will feel those he leaves behind.
Surround Sarah with your love and meet her needs in every way. We ask for release from this abusive marriage, work that brings her joy and comfort as she mourns.
Pray for J, who ministers to young people and is seeing them struggle in many ways.
Father, thank you for J’s heart for those who struggle. Give grace and love and wisdom and patience to hold on to them in love.
I will be leading my first "Blue Christmas" service in the seniors residence where I pastor a little church. Since announcing this quiet gentle hour to acknowledge sorrow and loss in the holiday season, I have been overwhelmed with the number of people (residents, staff, family and visitors) who are clearly desperate to have their story of grieving heard: deaths of loved ones, loss of home, independence, and especially loss of the ability to remember. Please pray we will bring comfort into all this pain and sorrow while we point folks toward hope.
Oh, this touches me. We need so much more ministry to our elders.
Lord, bless all who come to this Blue Christmas and strengthen the hearts and soften the spirits of those serving them.
Jesus, you cried at Lazarus’s tomb, so you know how deeply grief hurts us. May your comfort and peace and the hope of the resurrection fill that little congregation as they meet. Give Kim your words and your strength so that she can help your people.
Lord, thank you for Kim’s willingness to step into this role of facilitation for folks to experience Christmas alongside the grief they bear. We pray your Spirit would come in that place and that you would reign there as the Prince of Peace in a mighty way.
This is a really beautiful idea.
Please pray for our family, especially our brilliant 27 year old grandson, who suffers with mental illness and alcohol and drug addiction. Pray that, despite the pain, will be able to love each other wisely and well.
Praying for this grandson who suffers so, that he will seek help from helpful sources, will not grow weary, and will get through while the family holds on and sustains him.
Sweet God of grace, gather this family into your embrace and bring healing in mind and body.
Please pray that I would wisely know how to walk with my parents as they age and especially my Dad as he battles the fear and anxiety that comes with dementia.
Many of us are making that journey. Praying for you and for them. Such a blessing to be with them even in these hard days.
Hold Rebecca’s dad near so he feels your peace and presence in this frightening stage of life. Give Rebecca the grace and energy she needs for this journey with her folks.
Merciful God, we pray for your wisdom and peace for Rebecca and her parents, especially her dad. May the peace that passes all understanding be all around her and her parents this holiday week.
I am due a bypass operation soon. Please pray it is successful.
Praying now for successful surgery and quick healing.
Thank you.
Great physician, guide and steady doctors’ minds and hands during Rajni’s surgery and give Rajni peace and sweet rest.
Merciful Savior, by your wounds we are healed. We pray for your healing power in Rajni’s life. As she walks through this dark valley may she fear no evil for you are with her. May she see your goodness and unfailing love in the land of the living.
I just helped my mother move to assisted living following steady decline and a fall last month. Please pray for her adjustment. Also after caring for her for many years, that God would give me direction for what’s next.
That’s a significant transition and a lot comes with that. I’m praying for both of you.
Thank you Karen, this is a beautiful thread, I too am praying for all.
Father, we ask for a smooth adjustment for Kathleen’s mom. Give her comfort there. Provide Kathleen with a season of refreshment and rest and then a renewed vigor for the new ways you have planned for her to serve.
God, life and death are in your hands. To live is Christ and to die is gain. Please give Mom the hope of the resurrection so that she can finish her life strong in spirit and live for you where she is now. And please give new life and a new vision to this daughter who loves and has sacrificed for her mom.
Please pray for my husband and me as we transition from 35 years of pastoral ministry to retirement. Our church has shrunk and we don't have the heart to continue so we are handing the ministry off to a younger couple. God is in the move, but it's not without pain.
Change is hard! Praying the Lord brings more than you could have imagined.
My husband and I are in a similar situation. Change is hard! Lord, give this faithful couple sweet times of refreshing and let their flock flourish under new shepherds. Let them know You still have good plans for them!
And God, we pray these same things for Shawn and her husband as well.
We thank you, Lord, for Debra and her husband’s faithfulness in ministry. May they hear a pre-echo of your “Well done,” as you guide them into a different stage of life and ministry.
Praying for you and your husband dear sister. My pastor husband and I are going through the same, except we are closing the church. God sees and is working… Beauty from ashes; graves into gardens.
Thank you. I am praying for you and your husband as well. Difficult times, but nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus. Nothing.
Amen♥️
That as a candidate for ministry I can find the church God is calling me to and be ordained...Thanks!
Praying God leads you to the perfect place!
Giver of all good gifts, I ask that you direct Carol to the place you desire her to apply those gifts in your love.
Pray for my friend R: she's in her thirties and her husband's health is deteriorating; pray for strength and comfort for her and their 4-year-old.
Pray for my friend L: she's in her seventies and just lost her husband after a years-long struggle with Parkinson's.
Pray for my friend J: she and her family are dealing with a very belligerent 9-year-old foster kid whom they love dearly but are at their wits' end in trying to figure out how to help him.
Family is everything, so these things are especially hard. Praying for each of these friends and their families now. And for the friend who loves them.
Thank you so much, Karen. Today has been a heavy day and your post today has been very timely. Thank you for using your platform to bless others.
Great God of love, I thank you for the way you fill Laura’s heart with love for her friends. Use her to provide comfort and grace, hugs and help as she walks with those in pain. Be near to each one.
Thank you, Carol!
Please pray for my family, specifically my parents’ marriage. Pray for my older sister and her children to find stability, and finally, I ask for prayers for myself to navigate these situations with proper boundaries
Praying for you and your family now.
Creator of family, we thank you for Bev’s love for hers and ask that you bring healing and stability, grace and love to these loved ones.
Karen - thank you for making space for this. Everyone is carrying so much. To know we're are not alone in the dark is such a gift. My eyes are troubling me and I have incredible medical anxiety and complex ptsd, so any little health thing I respond to with an overabundance of fear. I do my best to trust that God is holding me and will not let me go, but my ptsd sometimes gets the better of me.And dealing with doctors and specialists and insurance etc is very stressful for me. I don't often feel they are on my side, and advocating for myself while in ptsd-mode is exhausting. I would love to go through this current issue without the ptsd freak out, but to feel safe and held and to cared for by my medical team.
Praying for calmness and peace, for good medical care, for ease of physical distress. Praying that a few years from now you will look back at this time and marvel that you are so much better.
Thank you. 😊
Good Shepherd, as Dawn walks through this dark valley, May she fear no evil for you are surely with her. Please comfort her with your guidance and your protection. May your supernatural peace fill her this Christmas.
Thank you. 😊
Great Shepherd, gather Dawn in your arms and calm her heart and mind and body. Give wisdom and understanding to doctors so that Dawn can find the help she needs for her vision.
Thank you. 😊
Praying for those who comment, such weighty concerns. Praying for the Church, as I’ve heard of more abuse. Please pray for my grandson who has Angelman syndrome and is 7, and prayers for his parents too.
Praying for this precious boy right now. And his parents.
Thank you, Lord, for Barbara’s prayerfulness. Give wisdom and strength to her family as they love and care for her grandson.
Lord Jesus, please purify your bride, the church. Please help those who have been harmed. And please help this little boy, his parents, and his grandmother. Meet them at the point of their need.
Pray for my dad who had been and continues to be scammed, but not able to see the truth yet.
Lord, help this father be wise, discerning, and humble.
God of Truth, open up the mind and heart of Freddy’s father to recognize where the father of lies is entrapping him and bring glorious freedom. Give grace to Freddy as he walks with him.
Such a good thing to find tonight! Pray for me. I may be about to lose my job. My boss and I have lost trust in each other. It will be hard to get back.
That is a hard thing. Losing a job is hard, I know.
But losing a job that wasn’t working well can be the best, even if it is hard. So I pray this ends quickly and for your benefit so that you can find a place where you can flourish.
Alas, it came to pass and I was informed yesterday I won't have a job in 2024. I was told kindly, but that doesn't change the results.
I’m so sorry. Praying for that uncertainty now and for your provision and future.
Omnipotent Father, you know what is best for Kristi and how you want to provide for her. Give her the confidence to walk with you through this difficult situation.
God, please meet every single one of Kristi’s needs, including the need to have a job where she is valued and can trust her boss. May she sense your presence and your compassion and care.
Good health and healing for me and my family 💜
Praying!
Healer of hearts and bodies, we ask you to bring good health to Susy and her family.
Pray for my full-time employment; I have been unemployed since May. Pray my abusive ex-husband finally lets us actually get divorced. Pray for my wonderful, believing grandfather who is dying; and all of us who will miss him dearly.
That’s a lot to bear. Praying for good work. Praying your ex-husband sets you free and all the ways. Praying for healing for all of you who need it from being in that kind of situation.
Praying your dear grandfather’s passing will be peaceful and surrounded by love, and that that peace and love will feel those he leaves behind.
Surround Sarah with your love and meet her needs in every way. We ask for release from this abusive marriage, work that brings her joy and comfort as she mourns.