I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27: 13-14)
God our Father,
In these days
We are asked to be confident in those who govern, in those who administer, in those who research.
We are asked to be confident in one another that we will follow guidance and show consideration.
We are asked to be confident that we will find a way through Covid-19 and regain our quality of life.
We do not despise the skills and expertise of men and women who seek to bring us hope.
But on this day we lift our hearts to the God revealed in Jesus and place our confidence in Him.
The God who was one of us, who experienced the pressures of human living, who knew the limitations of our being, who even knew the death that is our final destiny.
The God who showed that in the midst of brokenness goodness and love are possible.
The God who assures us that even in death His purpose continues.
This is the God who reveals Himself in the land of the living, the God for whom we wait.
He alone can strengthen us from within as we go forward in faith.
God our Father,
In the midst of changing circumstances and faced with uncertainties in the future, we thank you for the eternal things that keep us strong.
We thank you for the sustaining fellowship of your Church.
We thank you for the Gospel with its hope of renewal for humanity and creation.
We thank you for the promise that this life with its brokenness, its disturbance and pain will give way to the New Creation in which every tear will be wiped away.
We thank you for all those we have known who held this faith and died with this hope in their hearts.
Help us to be encouraged by their commitment and perseverance.
Bless those of us who remain throughout the earth. Grant us the will to press on as faithful witnesses whatever the circumstances.
Bless the nations that you seek to draw to yourself. May they find in this time that hope that lives in the midst of all challenges and will in the end be fulfilled.
Bless our United Kingdom. Sustain the leadership in the four nations, provide resources for all those in surgeries and hospitals, keep safe all those in front-line work.
Bless our families and friends. Draw near to those who are sick or bereaved; grant peace to those who are frustrated and hope to those who fear for the future.
