A 24 hour prayer will be held by the St. Ignatius Church, K.R. Puram starting at 4:30 P.M. tomorrow, Friday, January 15, 2016 and ending with Holy Communion service in church on Saturday, 5:00 P.M. The prayer is for the smooth conduct of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Bangalore diocese Nineveh convention on January 18,19 and 20 and for personal requests of church members and acquaintances.
The prayer is being planned and worked through the church whatsapp group with an individual or family opting for a half hour slot and the prayer thus being continued for 24 hours. Those who are part of the prayer have the choice to pray in a church or from wherever they are. It goes along with the belief of the Syrian Orthodox Church that worship is liturgy after liturgy. It does not stop but rather gains strength from the body and blood of Christ and continues in an uninterrupted spiritual journey.
Prayer helps us to communicate with God, give thanks and praise to God, confess our short comings and ask for help. It also gives us the space to reach out to God for others and not just for our own needs. Prayer is a reminder of us being human and of the manifold blessings that we have received from God by the life, passion, death and resurrection of the only begotten son of God.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)Nothing will happen to us without the knowledge of God and God will in all of God's goodness take care of us. Even as we are tensed because of our lives we are reminded "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."(Philippians 4:6-7) Strong belief is essential for those who want strong interventions from God. St. Mark 11:24 says "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." We are bothered by those who speak against us and those who haunt us with their presence and words on a daily basis. But Christ taught us to love our enemies. "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (St. Luke 6:27-28)Prayer definitely then has to be not just for family members and friends but for those who have maybe hurt us. Prayer makes us ask God instead of feeling bitter and sad about our own life. "You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God." (James 4:2)
This is not a prayer to get whatever we want but to get what God wants us to get. God is the best judge of right and wrong and knows specially well what we can take and what we can experience. Do join hands with us in prayer and send us your prayer requests too. "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:4)
Thursday, January 14, 2016
24 hour prayer: A liturgy after liturgy
A 24 hour prayer will be held by the St. Ignatius Church, K.R. Puram starting at 4:30 P.M. tomorrow, Friday, January 15, 2016 and ending with Holy Communion service in church on Saturday, 5:00 P.M. The prayer is for the smooth conduct of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Bangalore diocese Nineveh convention on January 18,19 and 20 and for personal requests of church members and acquaintances.
The prayer is being planned and worked through the church whatsapp group with an individual or family opting for a half hour slot and the prayer thus being continued for 24 hours. Those who are part of the prayer have the choice to pray in a church or from wherever they are. It goes along with the belief of the Syrian Orthodox Church that worship is liturgy after liturgy. It does not stop but rather gains strength from the body and blood of Christ and continues in an uninterrupted spiritual journey.
Prayer helps us to communicate with God, give thanks and praise to God, confess our short comings and ask for help. It also gives us the space to reach out to God for others and not just for our own needs. Prayer is a reminder of us being human and of the manifold blessings that we have received from God by the life, passion, death and resurrection of the only begotten son of God.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)Nothing will happen to us without the knowledge of God and God will in all of God's goodness take care of us. Even as we are tensed because of our lives we are reminded "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."(Philippians 4:6-7) Strong belief is essential for those who want strong interventions from God. St. Mark 11:24 says "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." We are bothered by those who speak against us and those who haunt us with their presence and words on a daily basis. But Christ taught us to love our enemies. "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (St. Luke 6:27-28)Prayer definitely then has to be not just for family members and friends but for those who have maybe hurt us. Prayer makes us ask God instead of feeling bitter and sad about our own life. "You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God." (James 4:2)
This is not a prayer to get whatever we want but to get what God wants us to get. God is the best judge of right and wrong and knows specially well what we can take and what we can experience. Do join hands with us in prayer and send us your prayer requests too. "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:4)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)