Prayer & Praise
Collect
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
 1 Kings 19:9-18
There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.  And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.  And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Psalm 27
 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? * The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?
When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, * they stumbled and fell.
Though a host were encamped against me, yet my heart would not be afraid, * and though war rose up against me, yet would I put my trust in him.
One thing have I desired of the Lord; one thing I seek: * that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the fair beauty of the Lord, * and to seek him in his temple.
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his tabernacle; * indeed, in the secret place of his dwelling he shall hide me, and set me high upon a rock of stone.
And now he shall lift up my head * above my enemies round about me.
Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation with great gladness; * I will sing and speak praises unto the Lord.
Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I cry unto you; * have mercy upon me and hear me.
You speak to my heart and say, “Seek my face.” * Your face, O Lord, will I seek.
O hide not your face from me, * nor cast your servant away in displeasure.
You have been my helper; * leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me, * the Lord takes me in.
Teach me your way, O Lord, * and lead me in the right way, because of my enemies.
Deliver me not over to the will of my adversaries, *for there are false witnesses who have risen up against me, and those who speak wrong.
I would utterly have fainted, *had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
O wait for the Lord; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart. * O put your trust in the Lord.
2 Peter 1:13-21
 I think it right, as long as I am in this body to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son,[b] with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
 Mark 9:2-9
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,  and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.  And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
please remember in prayer
Everstudy – One of the elders at my church has a daughter that has been missing since January 25. Urgent prayers for her safety and return home appreciated.
Em – So me, big decisions loom calling for wisdom beyond my ken – if you think of it prayer for God’s guidance would be gratefully accepted
Linnea – About a week and a half ago I woke up with every joint in my body in pain. It continued to get worse and initial blood tests show I may have an autoimmune disorder. I can’t get in to see a rheumatologist until the end of March and the pain has almost rendered me non-functional. Will you pray God relieves the pain? Thank you…
Bob Sweat – Many of you know of the journey that I have been on these past years regarding my returning to pastoral ministry. There has been supporting, as well as opinions of disapproval. I have posted before that my heart’s desire would be to find a small church that wants an older pastor to come and faithfully teach the Word of God and love His people.
While I was hoping that a small church would be in the Pacific Northwest, a church in Iowa has contacted me about a pastoral position. They have watched me teach via a Zoom session where I told them that the basis for me to accept a call to pastor them would not only be based on God’s direction but also the opportunity for my wife and me to meet the people. Their committee met and have unanimously agreed to fly us to Iowa.
If I accept the position, I would be returning to my roots, which is the Friends Church. I spent 30 years of my life pastoring 5 different Friends Churches in 5 different states. I can honestly say, that Iowa was never on my radar! I pastored a church in Kansas back in the 80’s, and it was the finest group of people that I ever had the opportunity to pastor.
This is not a done deal. We would be leaving our family to move 1600 miles away. I am feeling both blessed and scared. I am posting this on PP because many of you have faithfully prayed and encouraged me over the years. Please pray that my passion to serve the Lord in this capacity would not cloud my judgement.
Em – Need prayer cover up here in the mountains – my daughter (nurse) went out to go to work and noticed what looked like oil on the ground. Someone had drained all the oil out of her car AND her truck She going to work in my car which just had a new engine installed – hoping they didn’t empty it also. We’ve got people moving up here now that aren’t good folk, to put it mildly… and we do need prayer for protection now
Captain Kevin -I have a tele-med appointment this coming Tuesday morning with a gastroenterologist. Was able to get on a sliding scale plan with county hospital. Not cheap, but definitely helpful.
No doubt I’ll need labs and radiology tests, but I’m thanking the Lord for this opportunity and hoping to finally get some answers and treatments for whatever is going on with my digestive system.
sarahmorgan – .my Dec surgery was cancelled and rescheduled to January, and now due to continuing covid cases overwhelming the county, the January date has now also been cancelled and I was told it will be several weeks before they can talk about setting a new date….last fall, when I learned I needed surgery, I asked, “Can this wait until spring?” and was told that there were too many red flags for possible cancer for that to be a good idea.
Dan from Georgia -My father-in-law passed away earlier this afternoon due to COVID-19. He was 77. Prayers appreciated for wife and I and my sister-in-law and her daughter.
Mike E. -May I ask for prayer for my daughter and her young family? There are four of them. They all have Covid. My grandsons, a13-year-old and a one-year-old have Covid, as do both her mother and father.
Duane Arnold – my mother is in assisted living.
Martin Luther’s Disciple – my 96 yr old mother in law is in a similar situation in SoCal.
Jlo – my niece’s husband Aaron is having a tougher time of it. Has a persistent cough and fever. He has new meds today so hopefully he has a breakthrough.
Michael – Ray Garza is in the hospital with Covid 19
Michael – Tom Stipe is in the hospital with kidney failure from sepsis
Captain Kevin – job related difficulties, housing situation, pain everywhere, depression, Please continue praying for me. My GI issues are getting worse. Not sure if the symptoms are related, but I’m also having low back and pelvic floor pain. I’ve lost 26 lbs in the last 5 months, and not because I’m trying. I had been wanting to lose weight, but not this way. Honestly, I’m afraid.
sarahmorgan – my surgery is scheduled for mid-December, I won’t know if I have cancer until after the surgery, and all of the local news says that time will be the height of the pandemic here, so there’s a chance my surgery will be delayed…trusting God is very difficult right now, sigh.
Em – Victoria, homeless with a cat, shelters won’t allow the cat in and the cat is all she has.
Erunner – Our brother in law who is in his early 50’s has learned that his carotid artery is 70% blocked. It appears he will be undergoing surgery. They have also found an issue with his heart. He’s a believer with a gentle and wise spirit.
Please pray for him, his wife, and their three grown children.
London – My brother, a healthcare provider, and SIL tested positive for covid
Raina R. -Please pray for my sister-in-law. She has been having horrible headaches and is recovering from surgery
jtk – I request prayer for our outreach to the university. 25% of those 18-23 have considered suicide in the last 30 days. This is so urgent in my heart and spirit.
Em – Prayer for my daughter on city council would br appreciated, received 24 plus threatening Emails demanding that they disband their police department
Our Phoenix Preacher family , health, healing, joy, peace
Kelly -I have a real need to continue to see my counselor. In addition to the other reasons I see him for I have been having day long panic attacks, on top of the depression and PTSD-C symptoms.
Alissa -My sweet husband has Autism and was let go from his job yesterday.
Patrik -Pray for me, an ER nurse in Indianapolis.
Dan form Georgia – I work in aviation/transportation. We are getting hit HARD as many of you know. I am not even confident when I go into work everyday that it will be my last day (layoff or termination). Also struggling a lot with anxiety.
Chris -My wife started her second career as a nurse this week on the hospital floor that they treat the Covid patients.
Linneia – joint and muscle aches
Nancy – prayer for her discernment of an unexpected opportunity to become a more public advocate for the homeless,
Em – daughter is healing from fracture spine
Linnea – Would you pray for Greg? He was treated for an aggressive brain cancer and thought he was clear, but it has roared back. Please pray for healing and that he and his wife come to know the Lord. Thank you!
Paige – Asking for prayer for a family issue and the silencing of a lying gossip who is spreading slander about me to family members and others. It’s an on going issue that is quite perplexing, and apparently demonic. Twisted, delusional and strange.
cash – depression , PTSD
David H – I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy . Right side of my face is paralyzed. Prednisone and an antiviral.
Michael – heart aneurysm and a bad valve, bad back and neck issues.
JD – Marshal whose mother told him that she doesn’t love him
Linnea – Jon and Sarah. Please pray that they would know God’s love and would follow Him out of horrible lifestyles to freedom.
Michael, Rick, Joel, Dan, capt. Kevin, Owen – wand to hear from God in their prayer life
JTK – ongoing back issue.
David H – Aunt Ramona has Adenocarcinoma primary lung cancer.
Victor – chronic back pain
Linnea – sister salvation
Paige – 4 boys to be pleasing to God
Father, see our list, hear our cries, see our heart, heal us and have mercy.
Holy Spirit, pray though us, Jesus pray for us, Father, Your will be done.
my heart hurts for each of you. I pray that the mighty, living God we serve will grant answers to each of your prayers. I pray He grant relief from your burdens and pain.
Praying with you, dear dusty – praying
For the folks without electricity in the Portland, Vancouver area…. Praying for the safety of all.. Other places in the U.S. without power in this weather also….. 🙏
To quote Xenia, please Father in Your Son, our Redeemer’s Name, have mercy on us
Thanks, Dusty!
Praying for all those dealing with weather related issues.
My heart is acting up…prayers appreciated.
Praying for respite, Michael… Maybe even healing
Thank you, Em…
Michael, praying for you. Do you need to go to the emergency room?
CK,
Thanks…not yet.
Hoping it doesn’t come to that.
My long-delayed (by covid surge) surgery is actually going to happen this Friday, and I will be in the hospital for several days thereafter, then who knows what…I have appreciated the prayers by everyone here so much, and praying for all of you has helped me keep focused on things hopeful and not despairing.
Update on my request…
The daughter has been located, but told the police that she is not a missing person and does not want to be looked for. Because she is 18, the missing person case is closed.
Understandably, the family is heartbroken, so prayers for all appreciated.