A Prayer for Peace from the Lord of Life

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, For you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

Lord of Life,

We feel the effects of death every day. We know what it is to grieve the death of loved ones. We hear the daily reports of the havoc that COVID-19 has wreaked on the bodies of more and more people. As we rejoice to hear of those who have recovered, we grieve when we hear of those who pass away from it. Beyond that - as we face health struggles of our own, or our loved ones and friends do, and especially when it is terminal - we are sorrowful and struggle. Life is fragile.

Lord, you see this.
Lord Jesus, we see how You wept at the death of your friend.
You know our hearts, and You understand.

We see the world and all its dangers, and yet, we see You, our Good Shepherd, our Lord of life. We see the eternal life You promise, where evil and death are no more, and we see You with us in this life, our protector. When the shadows of darkness creep in, You are our light.

In our suffering, in the valley, bring us to Yourself. Help us to see that as we find it more difficult to trust ourselves, our own way, our own weakness, that as we are kept close to You, we are safe and sound, we have nothing to fear. We shall not lack safety.

“We are never so conscious of [Your] presence as when we pass through life’s valleys” (James Montgomery Boice). So Lord, as we walk through this valley, make us more aware of Your presence, Your close presence, Your loving presence, Your safe presence, Your watchful, caring presence. As we are more aware of Your presence, give us peace from our anxieties, confidence from our fears, comfort from our sorrows.

We pray this in Jesus’ saving name,

Amen.

Click here for ways that you can pray in the COVID-19 situation.

A Prayer for Trusting the Good Shepherd's Provision

He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (Psalm 23:2-3)

Lord,

Even in this time of social distancing, uncertainty about when we’ll return to “normal,” and having to adapt the way we go about our daily lives, one thing remains the same: You are God, You are good, and You care for us as our Good Shepherd. We shall not want; we have all that we need.

You make us lie down in green pastures. You bring us to the good places of rest. How can we rest? We need safe places. We need to not fear. You are our safe place. If all around us may be threatened, we rest secure because we know our future sure, good, better than anything we face here, if we belong to Christ. We need not fear, because You, the mighty God of the universe, are with us, watching over us, helping us, loving us. So we can lay our heads down at night and sleep, we can go through our days at peace because You provide rest.

You lead us beside still waters. We can drink deep and be satisfied. Even in these times when we might wonder what our supply chain might look like, when we’re hungry for a life more satisfying than what we have now, we look up and we see You, the source of living water, the source of life. Satisfy us with Your love, with Your goodness. As we look to and see and savour You, satisfy us, so that even as we face these trying times, we have a deep soul satisfaction.

You restore our souls. You restore life. You have brought us back to Yourself in Christ, bringing us from death and separation from You because of our sin to new life, reconciliation with You. You have come to bring life and life abundantly. Helpless on our own, You are the One who brings us to life. Helpless, needy, we all, but by Your grace and might, You have brought us to life - that is what You have done - and You sustain us. Sustain us even now, Lord.

You lead us in paths of righteousness. You are the source of wisdom. The way that might seem right to us on our own leads to our destruction. How we need Your wisdom and guidance - and how You delight to give it! So in these uncertain times, as we figure out on the fly what our lives look like, what the future might look like, how we need Your guidance all the more. So lead us aright, Lord; lead us in honouring You in all things.

Thank You, Father, that You do provide everything we need.
Thank You for Your great love for us.
We look to You,
We trust in You,
We love You,
Our God.

In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Click here for a list of things to pray for in the midst of the COVID-19 situation.

A Prayer for Being Content in Our Good Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

Lord,

Eternal God, Maker of heaven and earth, You who are far above all else, mighty and magnificent,
You are our shepherd, and we are the people in your flock. You are the one who is with us round the clock, never needing of sleep so that we can rest in your watchful care. Whatever the weather, whatever the season, whatever the conditions of the world around us, whatever the threat, You’ll never abandon us. You are the perfect shepherd, not weak and mean, but mighty and loving, and You care for us and our good.

Lord Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd, and You have sought us out, found us, brought us back home to You, we who have trusted You, wayward and lost sheep but now safe in Your arms. And because You are our shepherd, we rest secure. We have all that we need. Life may be hard, we may be busy, we may be anxious, we may wonder what will happen, but we know that because You are committed to us and care for us, we can be contented.

Lord, make us contented in all that You give! Make us calm and thankful as we see Your provision. We lack nothing that we need, and so Lord, help us not to covet what others have that we do not. Help us, instead, to be grateful for all that You have given and promise to continue to give. Help us to hold the things of this world lightly, so that when they are threatened or even taken from us, we can still rest rejoicing that we have You and Your good provision for what we need. Help us to lean on You, not on what we own or our homes or our status or whatever we hold to to get us through this life; You are the Good Shepherd who, as we trust You, will not lead us astray or awry, but You are leading us home.

Keep our eyes fixed on You and help us to trust You in this time.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

This week, we’ll be praying through Psalm 23.

(**Adapted from sermon preached by Ray Ortlund, Jr., on July 7, 2019, at Immanuel Church in Nashville, TN).

Click here for ways that you can pray in the current situation around COVID-19

A Prayer for Remembering that Jesus Understands

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Lord Jesus,

You gave up the glories of heaven and came to live as a man among us. While you were here, you were tempted. You knew the grief of loss. You knew great suffering. You saw all kinds of sorrows and need. You healed, You brought life, provided in many ways. You are the compassionate Saviour. You died the death we should have; you died for us to bring us life, and You do not leave us alone to figure out this life and make it through our weakness, our temptations and trials.

You are the Saviour who is able to well sympathize with what we go through, our weaknesses as we face the day. Thank You that You understand. You understand the days that we face with Coronavirus, the sickness it brings, the fear it may strike. You know the shift in our lives that it has caused. You know full well our temptations and struggles. As we adapt to this new way of life. How good it is to have unrestricted access to the God who knows and who sympathizes with all that we face; How good it is to have an understanding ear to bring our every prayer to.

Lord Jesus, draw us near to Your throne. Impress on our hearts to bring our fears and frustrations and temptations all to You. You are the Good King, the King whose grace extends to us - You are so good to us in so many ways we don’t even know. We bring our need to You. We each may have different needs as we face this day and the next. Help us to trust You. Help us in our weakness. Help us have wisdom. Help us in our worries and fears. Help us love You. Help us in every way and satisfy us with Your goodness today, that we may be content, even today.

(Take a moment now to pray for specific areas of need for yourself or others you know)

We pray this in Your mighty name, Jesus,
Amen.

A Prayer for Courage from the Living One

“For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God.” (Job 19:25-26).

Lord my Saviour,

We’re coming up to the Easter season, when we remember Your death in our place, bearing the sin of the world, bearing our condemnation. When we remember that the grave is not the end of the story, but that You rose from the dead, that You are alive today.

We know that our Great Redeemer lives.

In our suffering, in a day when a virus, a disease spreads throughout our world. Our world is afflicted, just like Job, and it’s affecting our daily lives, as we are limited in what we can do. We grieve the deaths that we hear and read about from this fearsome disease. And yet, You are the living God, and Your love for us, perfect and faithful and unfailing, drives out our fear, our fear of death, because You are the God who has brought us to life in Christ, so that no matter what happens to us, we belong to Him, and we will live with You forever. Here on this earth, keep us with You. Keep our eyes fixed on You. We are not alone, for we have You. Help us to see You - in Your Word, in ways You work.

So no matter what happens today or tomorrow, however our circumstances turn out, whatever happens with COVID-19, though we don’t know how it will turn out, we do know that ultimately, in the end, You will stand victorious. You already do, for You have defeated death and its power, You have defeated sin and its power, and You have bought and paid for our lives, to give us full and abundant and eternal life.

Lord, may this truth cause us to well up with joy and confidence, to see that, though we are weak, though we face this evil in virus form, we have the mighty, victorious God on our side. You are on Your throne, and You will see us through till the end.

Thank You for this grand assurance.

It’s in Jesus’ great name we pray,
Amen.

Click here for ways we can pray in the midst of the COVID-19 situation.

A Prayer for Sleeping Soundly in God's Care

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8).

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:2-4).

Lord,

We wake for another day and we wonder what it will hold.
We wake, and pour our coffee, and read the news and go through our day, occupied with our various concerns.

But as the sun sets and we are ready to turn out the lights, and we wonder what tomorrow or next week will hold in this rapidly changing world, though we may be weary from the day’s work and worries, sleep may seem to evade us. Lord, it does seem like a dangerous world and, even in our quiet corner of the world, something like COVID-19 reminds us that we are vulnerable. It can be hard to let down our guard for a little while to rest, to sleep.

But Lord, our help and protection do not come from how well we can self-isolate and stock up, but in You, the maker of heaven and earth. You are the infinitely mighty God, and so You have no need of sleep to recharge your energy. And You watch over us. Despite our fears about COVID-19, You do make us dwell in safety. Though we are not necessarily promised physical health, we are promised Your presence and provision and perseverance to the end, to eternity. Whatever happens, we are not left out of Your good care, Your goodness toward us, Your faithful love. Even in the hard things, You work for our good.

So we can sleep tight in peace knowing that You are on the night watch, standing guard, and we wake in the same good care that we laid down with. Our sleep is an act of trust in You - that we don’t have to be on our guard all the time, that the worries of tomorrow are still in Your sovereign care.

Help us to trust You.
Help us to rest well,
Even in a restless and wearying world.
As we lay down to sleep, ease our minds from our worries, fears, and anxieties,
Our uncertainties about how we’ll adapt to our new reality,
Our worries about what we’ll do when or if something happens,
And help us to sleep.

It’s in Jesus’ strong name we pray,
Amen.

Click here for a list of ways we can pray specifically in this COVID-19 situation.

A Prayer for Being Held in God's Mighty Arms

The eternal God is your dwelling place, 
and underneath are the everlasting arms. (Deuteronomy 33:27)

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 
Before the mountains were brought forth, 
or ever you had formed the earth and the world, 
from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Psalm 90:1-2)

Lord,

You are the eternal God. You were there before world began. You were there before sin came into the world and caused countless repercussions, like atrocities and adversaries and viruses like COVID-19. You were there to watch the fateful bite of that fruit, but You are still there, faithful to the end, never changing, never failing, always the same, everlasting. Though our circumstances have changed, You never do.

Your everlasting arms are mighty and strong. They do not weaken with sustained pressure or work. They do not need to let up or let go or let through over time or with enough weight. You are infinitely powerful. You are the perfect safe place to take refuge in.

You are our home.

And even as we must “Shelter in place” or “Socially distance” or “Self isolate,” we know that there is no better place to do so than in your everlasting arms, in the comfort of your embrace. Six feet from others, but you are closer than them all. You will hold us fast, for You love us so. Where else can we go? You have been the only real safe place for us to live in all through our lives, and You will continue to be in these uncertain days. COVID-19 has only affected us for days, maybe weeks, and we don’t know how long we’ll have to live like this, but You - far greater than a microbial virus - are eternal, and as we pass from one phase of life to another, one way of life to another, however difficult or threatening they may be, You, our good, gentle, gracious God, You are still faithful, still our constant, still our safe place, our refuge.

We run to You, our strength.
We rest because we belong to You.
We rejoice because You are still God over all.

Help us to trust in You.
Hold us tight.

Thank you, in Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen

As we pray for one another and our community in this time, click here for some ways that we can do that:

A Prayer for Being Settled in God's Goodness

“I will turn their mourning into joy;
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance,
and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 31:13-14).

Lord God,

As we begin another week in this new reality our whole world is in, our hearts may certainly seem troubled. Our world is shaken. The way we go about life everyday has changed and we’re uncertain about what tomorrow or next month or next week will hold. And yet, you are the God who turns mourning into joy. Circumstances seem joyless, but Lord, You are still God, our salvation is still sure, eternity still awaits, and You are still good to us. Help us remember this; give us a joy that goes beyond circumstances, but that sees You on Your throne. Help us not to seek comfort in our circumstances, in a life that we can make for ourselves, but in You; You are the God of all comfort.  

Lord, as Your people, we come to You and know You for ourselves, all through Jesus Christ. If You’ve given Him for our salvation, how much more will you give us exactly what we need in this life? You are our Good Shepherd, and we lack nothing. Lord, lavish our souls with Your goodness. May we feast on You. Though we might feel the lack of freedom or security or in-person fellowship with people we know and love, satisfy us with Your goodness, Your presence, Your peace, Your hope. Even though we may be missing parts of our lives, we do not lack the most important part; we have You.

So Lord, though we may feel unsettled and scared with the world around us,
Settle our shaken and weary hearts in You, so that we rest content, at rest in You.

For suggestions of how to pray during the COVID-19 crisis, click here.

A Prayer for Reminding our Hearts of God's Heart

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. (Psalm 86:15).

O Lord God,

How we need to be reminded of these truths of who you are, time and again.

Remind us of your mercy. Your compassion for us. How you’ve been merciful to us in the cross, in bringing us forgiveness of our sin through Christ. How You continue to be merciful to us each day in every little way, watching over us, protecting us, seeing what we need and being moved with compassion to provide and sustain.

Remind us of your grace. Your goodness to us that we do not deserve, Your undeserved favour. All we have is by your grace, even this very life we live. We are saved by Your grace. Help us by your grace. Help us, even as we face these hard and uncertain days, in our fears and anxieties. Ease them. Calm our heart. Help us remember that as bad as COVID-19 seems, You are far more good and generous. We have the King of heaven calling us His children, and so great an inheritance waiting for us! Thank You Father!

Remind us of your patience. That though we may not honour you in all things, prone to wander, Lord we feel it, and sin may remain and nag, You are patient, patiently calling us to You. May we come to You, returning daily.

Remind us of Your steadfast love, a love that does not leave or forsake us, that nothing can separate us from, that has our very best at heart. Whatever our circumstances, however we feel about them, You love us so very faithfully.

Remind us of Your faithfulness. You are not a fickle God. You faithfully love us, even when we have moments of forgetfulness or question You or the fears overwhelm us. Hold us Lord, Hold us fast. Help us Lord, help our unbelief, help us, even when we don’t know what to ask for or nothing else seems to work. Remind us that even in the presence of Coronavirus, we have Your presence with us, far closer, far stronger, far better.

Lift up our heads, strengthen our hearts, Lord, in the face of these hard things we face.

We pray this in Jesus mighty name,
Amen.

The ever-changing situation regarding COVID-19 is an opportunity for us as a church family here at Kingsboro Baptist and South Lake Christian Churches to pray for our community, our province, and our world. I would ask that you commit to do so every day.

Suggestions of what to pray for:

-That God would stop the spread of COVID-19.
-For those who feel scared or nervous. 
-For those who experience loneliness in isolation, especially singles and shut-ins.
-For those who are afraid to leave their homes.
-For those who are returning or who have yet to return home from abroad. 
-For those who have contracted COVID-19 or suffer from other serious illness.
-For the loved ones of those affected. 
-For those with sick and weakened immune systems who live in fear of contracting COVID-19
-For families at home with young children.
-For foster parents who have taken in at-risk kids and resources are now more limited. 
-For kids for whom school is the refuge from abuse at home. 
-For university and college students who face uncertainties in their studies. 
-For those who are experiencing a loss of wage(s).
-For people who fear losing or who have already lost their jobs. 
-For those who are in need of supplies. 
-For addicts who depend on meetings for recovery. 
-For those who experience homesickness and cannot travel. 
-For those who are afraid to leave their homes. 
-For the health, rest, and wisdom of health care workers. 
-For janitorial staff who are working to keep our hospitals and public places clean and safe. 
-For our leaders in government and health departments as they seek to wisely handle the COVID-19 situation. 
-That people would come to salvation and faith in Jesus Christ.
-That we would have wisdom about how best to handle all things related to COVID-19.

A Prayer for Placing our Hope in God's Faithful Love

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:21-24)

Lord,
As we are faced with more restrictions, with more uncertainty, with another day of wondering what will happen, and as we wonder how long a situation like our COVID19 crisis will go on or can go on, You remind us that Your love never ceases. Nothing can separate us from it - not life nor death or even the Coronavirus. Nothing, not now or in the future, will ever cause Your faithful love to come to an end. So whatever we face this day or in the days to come, we know and rest assured in Your love for us. Your mercies never come to an end, but are new every morning. You are so good to us in so many ways we can’t even count, and you give us each day, each morning we wake up, exactly what we need as we trust You. Keep our eyes fixed on You, help us to depend on You.

We praise You for Your great faithfulness. You have never left or forsaken us, and You will never do so. Help us remember that. Even if other parts of our lives, our freedom, our health, and whatever else may be threatened, we trust that You are our portion. We have You and because of that, we can be at peace. At rest. If we have you, we are the richest people on earth, the most secure on earth. Remind us of that Lord. As we adjust to our new reality, be at the center of our lives. It is there that we have hope, because our hope is not in how quickly this situation will be resolved, but how faithful You are to bring us through it and bring us safely home to You.

For that we thank You, love You, and trust You.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.

The ever-changing situation regarding COVID-19 is an opportunity for us as a church family here at Kingsboro Baptist and South Lake Christian Churches to pray for our community, our province, and our world. I would ask that you commit to do so every day.

Suggestions of what to pray for:

-That God would stop the spread of COVID-19.
-For those who feel scared or nervous. 
-For those who experience loneliness in isolation, especially singles and shut-ins.
-For those who are afraid to leave their homes.
-For those who are returning or who have yet to return home from abroad. 
-For those who have contracted COVID-19 or suffer from other serious illness.
-For the loved ones of those affected. 
-For those with sick and weakened immune systems who live in fear of contracting COVID-19
-For families at home with young children.
-For foster parents who have taken in at-risk kids and resources are now more limited. 
-For kids for whom school is the refuge from abuse at home. 
-For university and college students who face uncertainties in their studies. 
-For those who are experiencing a loss of wage(s).
-For people who fear losing or who have already lost their jobs. 
-For those who are in need of supplies. 
-For addicts who depend on meetings for recovery. 
-For those who experience homesickness and cannot travel. 
-For those who are afraid to leave their homes. 
-For the health, rest, and wisdom of health care workers. 
-For janitorial staff who are working to keep our hospitals and public places clean and safe. 
-For our leaders in government and health departments as they seek to wisely handle the COVID-19 situation. 
-That people would come to salvation and faith in Jesus Christ.
-That we would have wisdom about how best to handle all things related to COVID-19.