Glenn Memorial UMC
Thursday, February 23, 2012
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Prayer GuidePrayer should become a regular part of our day. This prayer guide is written to help you explore prayer, to provide a structure for you to use as you pray, and to help you develop a daily prayer "habit."
“… keep up the life of simple prayer and inward worship. Keep it up throughout the day. Let inward prayer be your last act before you fall asleep and the first act when you awake.”
-Thomas R. Kelly, A Testament of Devotion, Harper Collins Publishers, Inc. 1992.
Scripture
To start each prayer time, a Scripture passage is listed for each day during the week. For Sundays, the lectionary Scripture passages are listed under the scripture portion and the Psalm is the closing prayer.
Praying the Scripture
Two options for praying the Scripture are given for the Scripture passage. They are Lectio Divina and The Ignatian Method. Both are ancient and offer rich rewards for those who develop a regular practice of prayer using them. Following is a brief description of both of these options.
Lectio DivinaLectio Divina (sacred reading) is the slow, reverent reading of scripture, pausing briefly as one is moved to prayer and then returning to the reading. It is not Bible study nor is it the same as reading the Scriptures for the purpose of private edification. It is not spiritual reading. Several forms are practiced. Described here is the scholastic form and is comprised of four steps. When the daily Scripture is long, only a part of it should be used for this option. (Suggested verses noted.) Read the entire passage and then use the suggested verses for Lectio.
The Ignatian MethodThis approach invites you to enter the narrative, picturing the situation and identifying with a character that populates the drama. It is sometimes called Dialogue/Imagination. Read the passage and choose a character to be in the scene. Then free your stream of consciousness to flow into the dialogue between characters as you read it again. This may eventually lead you to dialogue beyond what is given in the text, a dialogue that becomes part of your prayer. It is difficult to use this method when passages of Scripture do not have characters in them. One then must place the self in the time and place. Suggestions are given in either case. These approaches to praying the Scriptures are rich and fruitful for people who can readily exercise their God-given imagination. Pick one of them and try it.
Prayer SuggestionsSpecific suggestions for inclusion in your prayers are given. These suggestions include prayers of thanksgiving, petition, intercession, and examen. The suggestions are just that, suggestions. They are not meant to exclude your prayers of the heart but, hopefully, will broaden your prayers. If you feel they are inappropriate, or if you are uncomfortable with any of them, do not use them. Remember Glenn Church and its ministries as you pray. Write any prayer concerns or people who you want to include in your prayers on the pages in the back. Also, write any answers on the back page.
Closing PrayerA Scripture selection is listed to close each day's prayer session. Instead of reading the Scripture for information or inspiration, lift the Scripture up to God as a prayer offering.
Different people have different prayer needs and/or concerns and many have time restraints. Feel free to use the options and prayer suggestions however, you feel comfortable. But do pray.
We invite you to join our new e-mail prayer service so you can receive prayer requests and know about those who are sick or grieving, new members, and any specific prayer concerns at Glenn. Call the office or send an e-mail giving your e-mail address requesting to be added to the prayer list server. Prayers can be requested by sending an e-mail to bettyjoc@glennumc.org.
Copyright 2008, Luther Lewis February Prayer GuideFebruary 1, 2012Scripture
Acts 1:1-8. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (verses 7-8) or The Ignatian Method (You are Theophilus.) Prayer Suggestions
Thank God for the refreshing rest of the night and for the light of a new day with its blessed privileges and opportunities. Ask God to cleanse the thoughts of your heart. Praise God for the mercies that are new each morning. Ask for help to serve God by serving persons who are God's children. Ask that no darkness of pride and self-righteousness cast its shadow over your motives. Ask God to inspire those who speak and act in God's name with the truth, love, and power. Closing Prayer
Psalms 139:17-18. February 2, 2012Scripture
Joel 2:28-32 Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verse 28) or The Ignatian Method (You are listening to Joel.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for God's loving care through each day - for life, health and all the comforts you enjoy. Ask God to reveal to you your sins and faults so you may repent and forsake them and ask for forgiveness and cleansing. Ask for God's blessing for yourself and, if you are a parent, for your children. Ask for help to be faithful in your work, to be thoughtful of each other, to be kind, considerate, and helpful to all. Pray for those with whom you share physical space - family, friends, neighbors, and strangers on the bus, train, meetings, or the checkout counter. Closing Prayer
Psalm 139:23-24. February 3, 2012Scripture
Matthew 26:36-45. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (verses 40-41) or The Ignatian Method (You are Peter.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for the spread of the gospel and for those who are spreading it. Implore God for forgiveness for the errors and mistakes of the past and give guidance for the hours ahead. Ask God to save all those you love from passion, pride, and discontent. Ask for help to keep you from vanity and pride and from evil thoughts and unkind speech. Remember the sick, hungry, oppressed, and grieving. Closing Prayer
Psalms 141:1-2. February 4, 2012Scripture
Deuteronomy 5:12-15. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verse 14) or The Ignatian Method (You are Moses.) Prayer Suggestions
Thank God for God's provision to you each day. Ask God to banish all doubts from your mind and to drive away all shadows from your soul. Ask for grace to think those things that are right and for courage to speak those words that may move forward God's kingdom. Ask for help to come humbly in prayer in this quiet time. Pray for your loved ones that they may be kept both outwardly in their bodies and inwardly in their souls and be defended from all adversities to their bodies and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt their souls. Closing Prayer
Deuteronomy 28:33. 
February 5, 2012Scripture
Isaiah 40:21-31: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (Mark verses 35-38) or The Ignatian Method (You are Simon.) Prayer Suggestions
Thank God for Jesus, the most gracious gift to all peoples. Ask for guidance in your perplexities, for restraint in your joys, for comfort in your sorrows, for protection from your temptations, and for forgiveness of your sins. Ask for the grace to help in time of need and to summon you to deeper devotion in heart and life. Pray to find God in every person. Pray that the United Nations can accomplish its goals. Closing Prayer
Psalms 147:1-11, 20c. February 6, 2012Scripture
Exodus 16:16-19. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 16-19) or The Ignatian Method (You are an Israelite.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for each instance you have become an answer to your prayers. Ask God to take possession of your thoughts, to fill you with the Holy Spirit, to enable you to overcome every temptation, and to know and do God's will. Pray that your soul may be conscious of the larger life of which you are a part, that you may find its deepest realities, understand its eternal principles, experience its mighty forces, and move with its persistent current toward its divine goal. Pray to find God in every person. If you are ill, pray for the healthy; if you are healthy, pray for the ill. Closing Prayer
Psalms 141:3-4. February 7, 2012Scripture
Matthew 3:13-17. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 16-17) or The Ignatian Method (You are John the Baptist.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks that faith in Jesus, the reception of His spirit, and the adoption of His life principles reveal the same divine life that was vital to Him. Ask for forgiveness for continually tainting or circumscribing God's life within you, for living only within the narrow confines of your own little life, for failing to realize the largeness of the great spiritual world around you, for keeping aloof from many parts of human life, and for devoting your energies and time to the sinful and lesser life objectives. Ask for help to tread aright the unknown path of another day. Ask God to widen and deepen your life experiences, to keep you in sympathetic touch with all mankind, to help you make your life a genuine contribution to the progressive and divine life movements of the world, and to have a real part in bringing all members of God's family to know the length, breath, depth, and height of the fullness of Jesus' life. Closing Prayer
Psalms 142:1-2. February 8, 2012Scripture
Mark 1:9-13. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 10-11) or The Ignatian Method (You are one of the onlookers.) Prayer Suggestions
Pray for one person today - nothing else. Picture him/her as you believe God wants him/her to be. Closing Prayer
Psalm 142:3-4. February 9, 2012Scripture
Deuteronomy 4:29-31. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (verses 29-31) or The Ignatian Method (You are one of the people listening.) Prayer Suggestions
Come today with confession on your lips and penitence in your heart asking for forgiveness. Ask that your eyes will see for God, your ears will hear for God, your lips will speak for God, your hands will work for God, and your heart will beat for God. Ask God to bless the members of your family circle, to protect them in the hour of danger, to deliver them from temptation, and to make them a positive force for righteousness. Pray today that you may come nearer to the Christ ideal than ever before. Pray for those who try to resolve issues that divide Christian from Christian. Closing Prayer
Deuteronomy 4:39-40. February 10, 2012Scripture
Luke 6:12-16. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 12-13) or The Ignatian Method (You are listening to John.) Prayer Suggestions
Tell God that it is with a rejoicing heart that you approach with your prayer. Pledge yourself anew to the work of lifting the burdens of people and the up building of God's kingdom. Pray for persistence in prayer. Ask that the gospel note of love may ring out more clearly this day than ever before and that the sunshine of truth may enter all hearts where ignorance, superstition, and sin hold sway. Closing Prayer
Psalms 142:5-7. February 11, 2012Scripture
Nehemiah 13:17-22. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (verses 17-18) or The Ignatian Method (You are one of those hearing this.) Prayer Suggestions
Acknowledge God's providential love and care, offer praise for life, health, and work. Ask for help to realize that God's great loving heart turns toward you as the heart of loving parents turns toward their child. Pray for a way to be a help and a blessing to someone who may need you. Pray that you will walk, sit, and stand in such places as may be pleasing in God's sight and that it will be safe for others to follow you. Pray for blessings on your home and your loved ones and ask God to hasten the day when the Spirit shall fully prevail in all hearts, directing everyone's ways. Closing Prayer
Psalms 143:1-2. February 12, 2012Scripture
2 Kings 5:1-14; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Mark 1:40-45. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (Mark verses 40-42) or The Ignatian Method (You are the man with leprosy.) Prayer Suggestions
Thank God for the rising and setting sun, for stars, for clouds and winds, and for passing seasons. Ask God to defend you from all harm, to teach you to take your joys as they come, to make friends during all trials, and to know that life is good whatever skies are sent over you. Ask for the prayers for those who are praying with you. Remember your pastors, church leaders, and church school teachers, and ask for them to grow in spirit and wisdom. Remember those who are hungry, homeless, or lost. Closing Prayer
Psalms 30. February 13, 2012Scripture
2 Corinthians 8:10-15. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (verses 12-15) or The Ignatian Method (You are with Jesus.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for the Bible that is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your pathway. Lift your heart in praise for God's love. Ask that when this Sabbath ends, you have nothing to regret -- no wasted opportunity, no misspent hours. Pray for help to control your tongue so that you may not speak unadvisedly with your lips. If you are old, pray for the young; if you are young, pray for old. Closing Prayer
Psalms 143:7-10. February 14, 2012Scripture
Luke 3:21-23. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 21-22) or The Ignatian Method (You are being baptized.) Prayer Suggestions
Offer thanks for the Holy Spirit Who takes all things of Christ and shows them unto you and Who has promised to guide you into all truth and to comfort you all the days of your life. Pray to be awakened to a sense of your responsibility for the leadership of ignorance, hatred, and greed that you so often accept. Confess that you need to hold your hands out to God like a child. Ask that your prayer be heard and that you receive not according to your merit but according to God's mercy. Pray for women and children who suffer abuse, either physical or emotional. Closing Prayer
Psalms 143:11-12. February 15, 2012Scripture
John 1:29-34. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 32-34) or The Ignatian Method (You are John.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for God's loving care and watchful providence over you from the beginning of your life till now. Ask for pardon for all your offenses and be sorry for them with the godly sorrow that works repentance unto salvation. Pray for great patience, constant self-control, and the power to keep your temper and hold your judgments. Pray for guidance for the undertakings and employments of the hour ahead. Pray for those struggling with the challenge of change. Closing Prayer
Psalms 145:1-2. February 16, 2012Scripture
Deuteronomy 5:6-11. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 8-10) or The Ignatian Method (You are listening to Moses.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for your home, your work, your friends, and for Glenn church. Pray for direction which will set you forward along right ways, wisdom which will cause you rightly to choose every issue, and integrity which will keep you wholly loyal to the truth. Ask for grace to do your daily duties faithfully. Ask God to keep you patient under trial. Ask for comfort for the distressed and for righteousness and peace, truth and justice, fellowship and goodwill to prevail to all. Closing Prayer
Psalm 145:8-13. February 17, 2012Scripture
Luke 9:13-17. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (verses 13-17) or The Ignatian Method (You are a disciple.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks that you can approach God. Plead for grace to overcome evil in the day of temptation. Ask for help to do God's will in cheerfulness. Ask God to be the comforter of the aged, the guide of the young, the wisdom of all who teach, the ruler of all who govern, the light of all who are in darkness, and the Savior of all mankind. Pray for the church spread throughout the world that it may abide with steadfast faith in the confession of God's name. Closing Prayer
Psalms 145:14-16. February 18, 2012Scripture
Isaiah 56:1-7. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 6-7) or The Ignatian Method (You are foreigner listening.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for all the friendly folks who have come into your life, gladdening you by their human kindness. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to enjoy and use all good gifts given to you in a worthy and acceptable manner. Pray for strength to meet the common duties of the day and to live with your kindred and friends happily and helpfully. Pray that the way of duty and service be very plain to you. Ask that God's healing and comfort abide with those you love who are in sorrow and sickness and make them brave and hopeful. Closing Prayer
Psalm 145:17-21. February 19, 2012Scripture
2 Kings 2:1-12; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (Mark verses 2-4) or The Ignatian Method (You are Peter.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for your Mountain of Transfiguration. Ask for forgiveness if by thought, word, or deed you have grieved God. Confess that your home can only be blessed when God is the center of your family life and acknowledge that peace and happiness comes with God's presence. Pray that you will become unselfish and helpful to the weak, the tempted, the sorrowing, the discouraged, and the lost. Pray for those engulfed by grief, for souls that hunger, and for those rejected. Closing Prayer
Psalms 50. February 20, 2012Scripture
Matthew 6:25-34. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 25-30) or The Ignatian Method (You are a disciple.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks that God does not look at you like you look at yourself. Ask to have what is amiss in you mended. Ask to be taught to trust God, to listen to God's word, to do God's will, and to have the joy of serving. Pray that, when doubt disturbs you, you may have a vision of God that will take away all distress. Remember all your loved ones and ask God to bless all for whom you ought to pray - the sick, the suffering, and the sinful- and to pity them and minister to their needs. Closing Prayer
Psalms 146:1-2. February 21, 2012Scripture
John 3:1-5. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (verses 1-5) or The Ignatian Method (You are Nicodemus.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for God's great goodness to you and your loved ones. Ask for forgiveness of your sins and to be made more earnest in prayer, in gifts, and in service. Ask God's blessing on all the pastors, leaders, members, workers, and enterprises of Glenn Church and on all churches that seek to enhance God's kingdom. Pray for more laborers in the church and for increased missionary efforts to speedily fill the world with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Pray that the Spirit of God in you meets God's Spirit in others. Closing Prayer
Psalms 148:1-6. February 22, 2012Scripture
Joel 2:1-2,12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (Matthew verses 1-4) or The Ignatian Method (You are a disciple.) Prayer Suggestions
Pray that the love of Christ so fill your heart that others may know that you've been with God. Ask to be fed the bread of Heaven that you may be strong of mind, pure of heart, and unselfish in service. If you are overfed, pray for the hungry; if you are hungry, pray for the overfed. Ask for the joy of a friendship that leaves no hurt or sting. Pray for those who give life by way of food programs. Closing Prayer
Psalm51:1-17. February 23, 2012Scripture
Ephesians 2:13-18. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (verses 13-18) or The Ignatian Method (You are reading the letter.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks that God hears and answers prayers and moves on your behalf. Confess that you look to God for strength in your weakness and hope in your time of despondency. Ask for God's blessing on all other countries of the earth along with their rulers and statesmen. Pray for a wider interfaith ecumenism. Ask God to bless this country and those who are its leaders and to give the leaders grace, wisdom, and courage to promote righteousness at home and in our relations with other countries. Closing Prayer
Ephesians 1:3. February 24, 2012Scripture
Luke 9:18-22. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 18-22) or The Ignatian Method (You are Peter.) Prayer Suggestions
Be thankful that God daily loads you with benefits and continually plans your welfare. Confess that you are indifferent to God's great goodness. Pray for grace and guidance so that you may walk to please God. Ask to be taught the joy of discovering the tokens of God's presence everywhere - in the song of birds, the fragrance of flowers, and the marvelous beauty of sunrise and sunsets, but more in the ringing laugher and plaintive cry of little children. Ask that you may have pity for weak and tempted persons and that you may lend them your strength. Closing Prayer
Psalms 148:13-14. 
February 25, 2012Scripture
Isaiah 58:11-14. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (verses 13-14) or The Ignatian Method (Isaiah is talking to you.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for the new day and a restful night. Pray that your sins may be forgiven, that the Holy Spirit will take away your love of sinning, and that you may be willing and able to do God's will. Ask God to make your life strong in truth and righteousness and beautiful with love, courtesy, and cheerfulness. Ask God to bless your enemies, if you have any, and to give you right spirits for all mankind. Ask for help to love your neighbor as yourself. Closing Prayer
Psalms 150:1-6. February 26, 2012Scripture
Genesis 9:8-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (Mark verses 14-15) or The Ignatian Method (You are John.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for all your prayers that have been answered even if you do not know how they were answered. Ask for pardon that you have grieved God in the past. Pray for all persons who are oppressed and used for others' gain. Ask for help to earn your bread honestly, but not to be so busy that you let God pass by. Pray for peacemakers that they may be certain of God's trustworthiness. Closing Prayer
Psalms 25:1-10. February 27, 2012Scripture
Luke 12:22-34. Praying the Scriptures
Lectio Divina (verses 29-32) or The Ignatian Method (You are a disciple.) Prayer Suggestions
Thank God for the gift of life and that you will receive eternal life. Pray that whenever you fail you may be granted sufficient grace to fail no more. Give praise for lips that taught you to speak God's name, for love that believed in you, for arms that sheltered and sustained you in time of testing, and for eyes that enabled you to see things invisible and eternal. Pray for compassion because of your many weaknesses and faults. Ask God to protect and guide your loved ones as they go to school or work. Closing Prayer
Psalms 118:1-4. February 28, 2012Scripture
John 6:60-65. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 60-65) or The Ignatian Method (You are a disciple.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for all who have helped you to know God. Request that your heart be cleansed from every motive unworthy of those who love God. Confess that you are like a little child with all the weaknesses and imperfections of a child, but without a child's humility, purity, teachable-ness and trustfulness. Ask for courage, gaiety, and a quiet mind. Pray for God to comfort and to uphold all who are sick, bereaved, or troubled so that their trials bring them closer to God. Closing Prayer
Psalms 118:5-9. February 29, 2012Scripture
Acts 2:1-4. Praying the Scripture
Lectio Divina (verses 1-4) or The Ignatian Method (You are in the house.) Prayer Suggestions
Give thanks for all who have helped you to know God. Request that your heart be cleansed from every motive unworthy of those who love God. Confess that you are like a little child with all the weaknesses and imperfections of a child, but without a child's humility, purity, teachable-ness and trustfulness. Ask for courage, gaiety, and a quiet mind. Pray for God to comfort and to uphold all who are sick, bereaved, or troubled so that their trials bring them closer to God. Closing Prayer
Psalms 118:5-9. |
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