July 31st, 2005

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In Need of Prayer

Read Ephesians 6:10-20

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

EACH Sunday, my role in worship is to announce prayer concerns from the bulletin. One Sunday I mistakenly read from an old bulletin. When I read Don's name, he leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I wonder how they found out about my eye?" It turned out that during the week he had been to the hospital emergency room with an eye infection.

I also read Jeff's name, and several people called him during the week to make sure he was okay. Jeff's wife told me later, "Don't worry about announcing Jeff's name by mistake. He had a bad week and needed some calls."

The truth is, all of us need prayer every day, even on ordinary days. It doesn't take an emergency or a major illness to make prayer necessary. Difficulties at work, family problems, health concerns, financial worries, and the frustrations and disappointments of everyday living make an impact on all of us. One of the gifts we can give one another as a church family is our prayers for one another, even on ordinary days. Prayer can touch us as nothing else can.
Susan Beamer (Indiana, U.S.A.)

Prayer:

Dear God, we pray today for those in our church family. We also continue our prayers for those in our community and around the world. Thank you for hearing the concerns of our hearts. Amen