Saturday Vespers: Christian Responsibility

As the day and this week draws to a close, we thank you for your love and guidance. Thank you for the blessings and challenges, and we look to your guidance, protection and provision for the coming week, in hope and faith. We are humbled by the vastness of Your creation and the diversity of Your people. We lift our hearts in prayer for the entire world, acknowledging Your sovereignty over all nations and peoples.

We pray for peace to reign in every corner of the globe. May conflicts cease, and may understanding and compassion prevail. Touch the hearts of leaders and inspire them to seek peaceful solutions, fostering harmony and cooperation among nations.

We pray for those suffering from injustice, poverty, and oppression. May Your divine hand bring relief to the afflicted and empower them to rise above their circumstances. Grant them strength, hope, and the resources they need to rebuild their lives.

For a lady in Australia who will need to under cancer surgery next month

For the Pastor in India who's wife needs your healing for her stage 4 cancer

For a lady in India who need your healing and relief for her back pain

Ted fuller requests prayer saying:

Please pray in Jesus' name for the postal strike to lift and for them to come to a fair agreement in Jesus' name, Amen

RK requests to "please pray for our sales to continue".

Jason says "Please pray for The Lord to help my elderly Mother heal from a fall and help help pain go away"

Trishey requests prayer for healing for Carla.

We pray for strength for a senior citizen in India suffering from cancer : may he overcome his pain and gain strength.

Someone requests "Please pray for my family that God will have mercy and grant us a miracle that we can be freed from a terrible curse, all of be healed and be able to live our lives in the peace that passes understanding".

Talmid says "Please kindly lift me up to throne of grace for mercy and timely help through the blood of Jesus".

Saturday Vespers

Image contributed by Coral Keogh

As the day and this week draws to a close, we thank you for your love and guidance. Thank you for the blessings and challenges. May we rest peacefully tonight, knowing that You are always with us.

We lift up our hearts in prayer for all humanity.

For Peace: May peace reign in every nation, and may conflict be resolved through dialogue and understanding.

For Justice: May justice prevail, and may the oppressed find relief.

For Healing: May the sick be healed, the wounded be comforted, and the brokenhearted be mended.

For Love: May love abound, and may we learn to love our neighbors as ourselves.

For Hope: May hope ignite the hearts of all, and may despair be replaced with faith.

For a lady in Australia who will need to under cancer surgery next month

For the Pastor in India who's wife needs your healing for her stage 4 cancer

For a lady in India who need your healing and relief for her back pain

For Jerry who was diagnosed with early-stage pancreas cancer. We pray for your healing and guidance as he gets treatment

Smurfs requests prayer that the Lord would provide them with funds they need for a new roof and that they can get the boiler to light up for heat

Maxime prays that God may use her talents

We entrust the world to Your loving care. Guide us, protect us, and lead us toward a brighter future.

Saturday Vespers: Come to the Water

And Jesus said : Come to the water

Stand by My side.

I know you are thirsty You won't be denied

I felt ev'ry tear drop

When in darkness you cried And I strove to remind you

That for those tears I died

Lord Jesus, you have called us and we have found you. You feel our pain, our joy and our challenges and are with us through it all.

we thank you for providing us with parents who brought us to you. We pray for all those who have gone before us to you, parents, father, mother, husband, wife, aunts and uncles and friends, as we remember them not only today but every day. We thank you for our time with them.

Thank You for the gift of this new day. May this Saturday be a day of rest, renewal, and peace. Fill our hearts with gratitude for the blessings in our lives.

We pray for healing for the sick, comfort for the grieving, and hope for the discouraged. For financial health, physical health and healing and emotional strength for those who need it. For a Pastor in India who's wife is suffering from stage IV cancer - we ask for your miracle of healing. For a senior - relief from pain in her back and hips and renewed mobility.

Ben requests prayer for his Mum that the skin cancers she has been diagnosed with yesterday, will be completely and successfully removed on Friday 13th December. Please pray that all cancer cells will be removed and that she will be 100% cancer free after the surgery. Please pray that God will comfort her and take away her worry and fill her with peace as He protects her and His healing hands will be upon her.

Anonymous requests us to pray for healing for her husband, mom and dad.

Trishey and Tanu ask for prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Rajeev P prays For his personal life with Jesus and giving him wisdom and strength through tough times

Sara says "Please join me in prayer for my mom. She has a severe bacterial infection for 8 weeks now (2 months) and she slips into bouts almost of hysteria. There is demonic influence with it because she has demons come to her in the night telling her she is going to die soon. Please pray for my whole family for deliverance from generational strongholds and for my mom to be healed".

Lord Jesus, May Your love and grace surround us all.

Saturday Vespers

Prayer plays a vital role in our relationship with God. When we engage in heartfelt prayer, we open the doors for divine intervention in our lives and in our land. Prayer is not merely reciting words but a posture of speaking and communicating with the Almighty. Through prayer we express our deepest desires, concerns and gratitude to God.

As believers we have the opportunity to bring about incredible transformation through our prayers, in our selves and in others. Today we pray for that transformation for people around us, whether in health, finances or professions.

Today, let us pray for a Pastor in India whose wife is suffering from stage 4 cancer. We pray for a miracle for her healing and relief from the pain, as per your will.

We Pray for a senior in India to get your comfort and healing from her hip and back pain. You have helped her through on one side and we pray for healing on the right as well.

Tanu prays for a financial Breakthrough, & pray for money for provision for her family, kids school fees, for fees to pay for my masters degree.

Mindy prays for protection over her son

We pray for Bob who has been suffering with shoulder and upper arm pain for a very long time

Someone prays and asks if we would please pray for her that God uphold the sanctity of marriage, and God's commandments, during an illness that has caused discord within the family.

CNA requests prayer saying-

Requesting prayer for a teenage family member who believes they are transgender. May they be comfortable and happy as the gender they were born and find inner peace. Also requesting prayers for all young people going through this, as well as their families and friends.

Jason requests- Please pray for The Lord to help my chiropractor get my back feeling better and not make it worse.

bobchar requests prayer saying:

Please pray for my friend Dave who has been diagnosed with bile duct cancer. I pray the Lord will heal him completely

Lord, May we be beacons of hope, spreading love and kindness wherever we go.

Saturday Vespers

Heavenly Father, we come before You today with hearts full of gratitude and concern. We thank You for Your love, mercy, and guidance. We pray for peace to reign throughout the world, that nations may live in harmony and understanding.
Guide the leaders of our nations. Fill them with wisdom, compassion, and a true desire to serve their people. May they seek Your will in all they do and govern with justice and equity.
Inspire us to be agents of peace in our communities. Grant us the courage to stand up for what is right and the compassion to help those in need. May we be beacons of hope, spreading love and kindness wherever we go.
Lord, we pray for an end to suffering and injustice. May Your healing touch bring comfort to the afflicted, and may Your justice prevail.
We Pray for a senior in India to get your comfort and healing from her hip and back pain. Anon says -
Please pray for my husband because he is struggling with mental illness. Pray for a hedge of protection around him and my children. Pray that his is healed and seeks help. Pray that God sends the right people into our lives and that he binds any evil spirits that may be causing this illness. I pray that we see God's mighty hand working quickly.
We pray for a Pastor in India who's wife is suffering from stage 4 cancer. We pray for a miracle for her healing and relief from the pain, as per your will.

We Thank you Lord for showing us the way and providing us with resources to travel your path. 

Saturday Vespers: No word like hopeless

Life can sometimes make you feel hopeless: death, disease, misfortune dog our footsteps. No matter what happens in our life, there is hope. God is there. When we come to God in prayer, we do not come with our own righteousness but with a humble heart, seeking His great mercies. Sometimes, in the midst of our struggles, it may feel like God is not listening or paying attention to our cries, but, if we do as Hannah did, pouring out our soul for the Lord, God will hear our prayers.

We come before you in awe Lord, acknowledging your greatness and magnificence. We humbly approach you with our prayers, knowing that you are the one who hears and answers. As we navigate through the challenges of this world, as well as our own personal challenges, we ask for your guidance and wisdom. In times of uncertainty may we find solace in knowing you are with us and your purpose for our lives will prevail.

Almighty father, we praise you and thank you for your deliverance and protection of some of the people we have prayed for - the Pastor in Australia who is back in service; for your for your servant in India who went through a time of testing in terms of health and who has come through with an all clear.

We pray for a Pastors wife in India who has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and who desperately needs your prayer support for her recovery according to Gods will and miracles and strength for her and her family to go through this painful and tough times. We pray for Rockys daughter, a nurse who was beaten by a patient. Grant her healing and strength to carry on her mission.

We pray for Melody to get patience to take care of her husband who has dementia. 

Father God, please calm the storm and restore the souls of those suffering from extreme weather on the eastern seaboard of America and beyond.

Finally, we pray for all those who need jobs, healing, and other needs we are not aware of. For those who need to forgive, as well as for those who need to be forgiven. 

We pray for your grace and mercy to overflow in our lives. May your love shine through us, drawing your people closer to you. May your message reach where it needs to reach everyday.

Amen.

God's Case Study

Remember Job? A character of much importance in the Bible. Some people joke and say that he innocently became the subject of a bet between God and Satan. Except that God does not gamble. 

God also does not need to give points, but He did point Job to His truths. Yet, even today, we humans want proof points. Proof of His creation, proof of His presence, proof of His love for us. We sure know about Him, but do we really believe in Him until he shows His presence?

Humanity needs case studies like that of Job to show others of things like faith, Gods love, Divine intervention etc. If you look at it, Job is a typical human and, in the story, God lists out all the proof points you and I need that He exists, and He is God the Creator. He also gives proof points that He is the nurturer and the provider; that he is the protector of His creation and finally that He is the power that keeps the balance in His creation.

The Story of Job is an important one for us. Not because it teaches us how to suffer (nobody wants that anyway) and sustain but more importantly how and why to trust in God. It also explains the greatest mystery of life: why do bad things happen to good people.

At different times Jobs story can message different things. But perhaps the most important messaging is in Chapter 38 and 39 where God challenges man. At the end of it we realize we are not the mighty tower of knowledge we thought we are or think we are we are merely ants. We are still debating if there are aliens; or that who we think are aliens are angels; we still try to figure out nature and creation; we still even haven't been able to get the timeline right! Thus, if we know nothing, are powerless by ourselves, who are we to question God?

Right Time. Right Place.

"For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” - Esther 4:14

What a profound ultimatum was given to Esther! 

But in  Esther we find a powerful message of courage and divine providence. Esther found herself in a powerful position as a queen. She used her position to save her people from a terrible fate at the urging of her cousin Mordecai, who is quoted above as well. In fact, till this day the Israelites celebrate Purim, to commemorate the defeat of Haman's plot to massacre the Jews as recorded in the book of Esther. 

Like Esther, have you ever felt you were in a certain situation for a reason? That perhaps, like Esther, God has orchestrated events in your life to fulfil a special purpose? It can be easy to feel insignificant and powerless, but God often places us exactly where we need to be for such a time as this. 

We may not face the same dramatic circumstances as Esther but we all encounter moments where our choices can make a difference. It maybe a time when speaking up could bring about justice and healing. it maybe an opportunity to extend grace and forgiveness to someone in need. Whatever the situation, we have the choice to step into our God given role and purpose and make an impact.  

Like Esther, we must have the courage to step out of our comfort zones and trust in God's provision. When faced with fear or uncertainty, let us remember Esthers example and lean on our faith to propel us forward. 

Then think about Noah and his family. They  must have felt pretty isolated. For forty days the rain fell, and the flooding persisted for months beyond that. But the scriptures remind us that God had not forgotten Noah—or even the animals. 

Sometimes when we feel like we’re left out, we are exactly where God needs us to be, so that we may be ready when His plan comes to fruition.

So, embrace the call of God on your life. Be bold and courageous, knowing that you are here for such a time as this.  

The Terror of The Night

Imagine you are being chased by violent robbers who not only want to rob you but do bodily harm. You run here and there, trying to find an escape route but they are relentless. There is a whole bunch of them, brandishing knives and pistols, shouting and screaming about what they will do to you when they catch you. You run and run, hard and fast but they are catching up. You know it's only a matter of a couple of minutes before they catch you. As you run you think of your family, friends. You also think of who or what can help you. You rue the fact that you did not put emergency on fast dial on your phone, because you know when they do catch you, they will take away the phone. Suddenly as you zig zag you see an alley... though it's dark but it does provide you with an escape route. You duck into it hoping to find escape. The robbers are right behind you. As your eyes focus in the dark you see that it's a dead end. A 20 feet fall blocks any thought of escape. You turn to face the robbers. To face possible death. Your heart is beating, fear is making you cringe, paralysed. You think of your family, their images fleet before you. You know it's the end of the road. You tried but failed. You fall, defeated.

Can you feel the fear and defeat? What would you feel and do if you ever came into such a situation?

Back to our story.

As you lie there hopeless and helpless, you see the robbers closing in. As their eyes adjust to the dark, suddenly a door opens behind you; strong hands reach out and pull you in and lock he door again. You see that you are in a room with many people, all smiling and comforting you. They offer you water and make you sit. You start to feel safe.

If this happened to you what would you feel? Do you think this can never ever happen to you?

This story is fictional of course. What is not fictional is that the same situation actually befell the Hebrews as they tried to escape the Pharoah. Before them was the red sea and behind them was Pharoah. While a lot has been written about what happened after their experience, no one really thinks about what they felt prior to the event. What fear and hopelessness they may have felt. They may even have said farewells to each other, knowing surely that some, if not all, would die. They would not know then that God would fight their battle that day. He would use His weapons of the wind and the waves to give the Pharoah a final defeat. What sword can fight of the wind? What shield can protect against a tsunami wave? What human can outrun a tsunami?

Today, our battles are as real as they were for the Hebrews that day. What protects us against known and unknown dangers? Only the Almighty. (Remember the pandemic).

You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
Isaiah 54:17

A.S.K : Pastor Rajiv's Mid Week Message

Ask, Seek and Knock. 

Matthew &:7 says - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you".

But how do we know if what we are asking for is the Will of God? Pastor Rajiv discusses this very important aspect of the ASK principle today in his message.