PLC’s prayer blog (week of July 1, 2013)

“Prayer can never be in excess.” — C. H. Spurgeon

• 1-Minute Devotional Thought:

From the pen of prayer of John Calvin:

“Grant, Almighty God, that as we have not only been created by thee, but when thou hast placed us in this world, thou hast also enriched us with abundance of all blessings, — O grant, that we may not transfer to others the glory due to thee, and that especially since we are daily admonished by thy word, and even severely reproved, we may not with an iron hardness resist, but render ourselves pliable to thee, and not give ourselves up to our own devices, but follow with true docility and meekness, that rule which thou hast prescribed in thy word, until at length having put off all the remains of errors, we shall enjoy that blessed light, which thou hast prepared for us in heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Prayers for the week…

• As neighbors: Pray for the pastors in your community to be able to get their batteries recharged during the summer months, and that they would gain some precious time to make memories with their own families. Pastors will be better in their shepherding if their own well is deep with water and if their families are taken care of. Pray not only for your own pastor, but also learn the names and pray for other pastors in your town. Even more, send them in a card of appreciation. Do this and experience a bit of the joy in the reality of the “one holy catholic church” of which you are a part.

• Pray for pro-life ministry around the world. See if there is a ministry or some other means for lending a hand to families with loved ones in a condition of terminal illness. Though you may be strangers at first, what a wonderful way to show the love of Christ to them by easing the emotional and physical burden they face.

• Pray for the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) ministry taking place at New Mexico State — led by Ben Coppedge:

Ben Coppedge is a native of Atlanta, Ga. He attended the University of Georgia and had the blessing of living in Athens for 10 years. During that time he came to know the Lord, attended graduate school, served as an RUF intern at UGA and met his future wife, Anna. After working with RUF, Ben moved to Philadelphia to attend Westminster Theological Seminary and work with college students at the University of Pennsylvania. During seminary, he reconnected with that previously mentioned “future wife” who was working in youth ministry in Colorado and eventually asked her to be his “actual wife.” Ben and Anna were married in Athens in 2012 and are thrilled to be moving back to the West to serve the wonderful students of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Ben and Anna enjoy pretty much anything outdoors, anything in a coffee shop, or anything involving friends who take themselves with a grain of salt.

• Using the new 2013 “watchlist” produced by Open Doors, we pray for the persecuted Christians of a different country each week.

Teachers/parents, consider this a great way to introduce geography into the weekly lessons. Show students where the nation is, then pray for Christians in that place.

This week we pray for the Christians of Tanzania, which ranks No. 24 on the watchlist. Tanzania was visited just this week by President Obama and former President George W. Bush as they laid a wreath in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania — bombs orchestrated by Osama bin Laden.

In this Christian majority country with a substantial Muslim population, there is a strong Islamist drive toward the Tanzanian “House of Islam.” On the mainland, Muslim-background believers face difficulties but not extreme persecution. However, on the Zanzibar archipelago, Islamic militants bent on wiping out all Christians from the islands have burnt and looted churches and threatened persecuted Christians with death. The push for the spread of Islam is less violent but equally persistent on the mainland. If successful, it could threaten the presence of the church on the Zanzibar archipelago.

Pray:

For wisdom for those involved in the constitutional review process. Pray that pressure from Islamic extremists will be resisted and freedom of religion protected

For protection for church leaders on Zanzibar and Pemba islands

Give thanks for freedom to preach the gospel. Pray that Christians will have courage to share God’s love with Muslims.

• Prayer for the nation – focusing this week on the state of Michigan.

• In 2013, we will pray together by name for Christians in 50 nations, Christians in all 50 states and all the presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and the emerging new Reformed body, ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. You are encouraged to add specific pastors, lay leaders, congregations, missionaries, new church developments and other ministries to the list by posting a comment to the blog. (Please do not publicly post the names of missionaries serving in contexts where exposing their identity would cause them harm or bring harm to those they serve in Christ’s name.) Let us kneel before the Father and ask His will be done.

• Prayers for the PCUSA: Pray for the presbyteries of the Synod of the Trinity: Beaver-Butler, Carlisle, Donegal, Huntingdon, Kiskiminetas, Lackawanna, Lake Erie and Lehigh (more next week).

• Prayers for Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC): Rivers and Lakes Presbytery (Carolyn Nystrom, stated clerk).

• Prayers for the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA): the churches of the Warrior Presbytery (parts of Alabama).

• Prayers for ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.

• Prayers for The Fellowship of Presbyterians.