Topic: Endurance/Patience/Joy/Thanksgiving
Today we pray for Attendees: Rebekah, Karen, Leah, and Joe
We pray and ask God to fill each lady with the knowledge of his WILL through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. We pray this in order that each of them may live a life WORTHY of the Lord and may PLEASE him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that they may have great ENDURANCE and PATIENCE, and JOYFULLY give THANKS to the Father. Colossians 1:9-12
Inevitably there are a myriad of situations requiring a wise and discerning heart, choices that affect loved ones, family, and ministry. We ask for clarity, courage and provision (emotionally, physically and spiritually) to walk faithfully in Your will. Release them from self-doubt, sense of failure, and condemnation when things don’t turn out the way they expected them to. Please help them maintain a teachable, humble spirit.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
©2017 Thrive
Regional Prayer Focus Nation: Czech Republic
Challenges for Prayer
Freedom for Czechs has too often translated into a “free-for-all”. A generally successful shift to a market economy is positive for the country, but it places economic stress on too many of the most vulnerable. The moral vacuum that has emerged sees hedonistic materialism assume primacy; crime, sexual immorality, substance abuse as well as depression and suicide are more prevalent today than in Communist times. Atheism rose from 40% in 1991 to 60% in 2001 (and 71% non-religious in 2010), but apparently this does not preclude widespread use of horoscopes and a fuzzy mishmash of spiritual ideas. Pray for this existential and spiritual heaviness over the Czech Republic; pray that serious soul-searching may take place and that a shift in the spiritual atmosphere might occur.
The Catholic Church is in what could almost be described as freefall. Despite outnumbering all other confessions nearly 6 to 1, its influence is waning quickly. The openness of the 1990s was a window of opportunity that was passed up. Instead of offering a living faith, traditionalism (“religion for grannies”) and a failure to act decisively relegated Catholicism to a minor role in society – a strong contrast to neighbouring Slovakia and Poland. Increasing adaptation and renewal movements may not be enough to save Catholicism from declining further, since both laity and priesthood are generally quite old.
Excerpts taken from Operation World