Aug. 1-7 Colossians 3:1-11 - "Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth." Lord God, forgive us. We have not "put to death" those worldly things within us. We have wallowed in impurity, greed, and evil desires. We have lied to one another, and have refused to put away anger, wrath, malice, slander and filthy language. The body of Christ does not look or act like Jesus. Throughout this week, draw us to repentance...for our own sins, and for the sins of our congregations, our denominations, and the church around the world. Forgive us, renew us...help us to walk with Your Holy Spirit.

Aug. 8-14 Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 - "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." We thank You, Jesus, for the gift of faith. This week, help us to remember that You are at work in our lives and in the churches, even when we cannot see or understand how You are working. We pray for greater faith, not in ourselves and our efforts, but in You and Your grace. May we be like Abraham and Sarah (in their better moments) and believe that You ARE at work in our lives and even in our local churches, in the churches within our communities, in our own denomination and in all others. Prompt our hearts to pray for Your Church daily.

Aug. 15-21 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 - "The world was not worthy of them." Holy God, our lives are often quite easy when we compare ourselves to the lives of Your faithful ones in ages past. But we know You have many faithful ones who are being persecuted even now. We know many of Your children suffer greatly from natural disasters as well as human disasters. On this week, when so many are planning a last week of summer vacation, bring to our mind, our hearts, and our prayers the names and faces of Your children who are suffering. May we not only pray for them, but find ways to reach out to those who are within our reach. And Jesus, forgive us for all the times we have forgotten those You love so dearly.

Aug. 22-28 Hebrews 12:18-29 - "See that you do not reject the One who speaks; for if they did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven." Lord God, we love the youth in our lives. We enjoy them. We are proud of them. We would do just about anything to help them live happy and successful lives. Each year at this time we watch our children and grandchildren, and the youth from our congregations prepare for college. We watch others who are beginning a new job. And we wonder...have we given them what is most important? Have we shown them how to live in respect for the living Word of God. Have we taught them to hold onto their Savior when the world around them shakes? Tender our hearts to pray for individual young people each day this week. We pray for their faith, their character, and their service to Jesus.

Aug. 29-Sept. 4 Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Jesus, another summer is drawing to a close, and life will return to "normal" ... In most of our congregations, Sunday School will resume, the choirs will practice again, and committees will search for new programs to help our congregations be better than the year before. Presbyteries will meet, many asking, "What do we do next?" Help us to remember that seasons may change, but You do not. Each day this week, prompt us to pray for Your will to be known and done. Help us to trust our churches and the Church to Your care and guidance. Lead us to Your Word, and may we be blessed by its power.

Sept. 5-11 Philemon 1:21 - "I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints." Lord Jesus, we confess that we have seldom been known for our love and faith toward You and Your faithful followers. More often we are known for our doubt, our disobedience, and our irritation with the saints. Forgive us. During this week, help us to pray for people we’ve never prayed for in the past. Help us to pray for Your saints in other churches, Your saints who serve in our presbyteries, synods, and at the denominational level. May they feel an extra measure of Your love and Your presence with them as we lift them up in prayer this week.

Sept. 12-18 I Timothy 1:12-17 - "This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - and I am the worst of them." Lord God, we pray for the honesty and humility of Paul. May each one of us understand the depth of our need for our Savior...and may each one of us gladly give testimony to the life-changing grace of Jesus Christ. This week, help us to pray for those who need the forgiveness, the mercy of Christ...but don’t know it, or know it and resist it. As we lift them up in prayer, may we also reach out in kindness.

Sept. 19-25 I Timothy 2:1-7 - "...I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." Lord God, help us to pray like that this week. Help us to remember those who lead our government and to pray for them. Why is it so easy to complain and to blame, and so hard to pray for the people who lead us? Help us to pray for those who lead other governments as well. May godliness and dignity be our goals in every part of our lives, including secular and church politics.

Sept. 26-Oct. 2 I Timothy 6:6-19 - "But godliness with contentment is a great gain." O God of mercy, You have poured so many good things into our lives. We give You thanks. We also ask Your forgiveness for the sins of greed, ingratitude, and the worship of money. Show us how to live with an attitude of gratitude and with hearts that are generous toward those who have so much less. We pray that You will show us this very week how to live with “godliness and contentment”. May our prayers bring a smile to Your face, and may our deeds bring glory to Your kingdom.

Oct. 3-9 II Timothy 1:1-14 - "For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment." O God who calls us to discipleship, we lift up those disciples who find themselves suffering and even imprisoned for their faith and their faithfulness. We commit ourselves to praying for persecuted Christians on every continent this week. We know there are persecuted Christians all around this world...help us to care more, to pray more. And we pray that they will not live with fear, but with the spirit of power, love, and sound judgment. Even though we are not persecuted for our faith, we pray that for ourselves as well: may Your Holy Spirit give to each of us and all of our congregations a spirit of power, love, and sound judgment.

Oct. 10-16 II Timothy 2:8-15 - "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth." Lord, we cannot understand ourselves. We talk about evangelism, but rarely share our faith with those who do not know You. We talk about the importance of teaching the truth but hold back because we aren’t sure our words will be well received. We have received so much from You – our very salvation! – and yet we keep our mouths closed. Forgive us. Fill the Church and the churches with the fire of Your Holy Spirit, so that we can be diligent to present ourselves approved by God...

Oct. 17-23 II Timothy 3:14-4:5 - "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing those from whom you learned, and that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." Jesus, our perfect and eternal Rabbi, we thank You for those dear teachers who understood the sacredness of Your Word, and passed it on to us with great love and faithfulness. This week we pray for the current and future generations of teachers within Your Church and the individual churches. We pray that all those called to teach will be filled with great love for You, and with great love for the children of all ages they are called to teach. Encourage them, and help them to remember the holiness of their calling.

Oct. 24-30 II Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 - "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." We thank You, Holy Spirit, for the words You inspired Paul to write to Timothy. Those holy words inspire us, give us perspective, and encourage us again and again. This week we pray for leaders in our churches, leaders in the other churches in our communities, and leaders in the various denominations. May they be encouraged in their ministries. May they be strengthened in their faith. May they persevere in obedience to You. Comfort them when they are weary. Speak tender words to them, reminding them of the crown of righteousness they will receive from Christ when they enter the fullness of His kingdom.

Prayer For Those Struggling With Sexuality
by Melany Hamilton

Gracious God, we know that our society is filled with people who struggle with sexual sin and confusion. We confess that those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ engage in the same struggle, and often without our support and help. With humility and compassion, we lift them up to you. They are your children. They are our neighbors, our brothers and sisters.

We ask for a special anointing of your Holy Spirit upon the eyes and ears of those who struggle with issues of sexuality. Anoint their eyes to see compassion as well as conviction upon our faces. Anoint
their ears so that in the midst of all the words spoken, they will hear your Word—Truth that promises to set us free, Love that never lets us go, Hope of lives filled and transformed by your Holy Spirit.

We pray that all of us will see and hear Jesus, who did not and does not come to condemn and leave us in our sins, but to bring mercy, salvation, transformation, and restoration. May we all see and hear Jesus, who died on the cross to forgive our sins, including sexual sins, and to reconcile us to God.

Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.