Lent 2 – Sunday, March 5

Help! | praying

God is always listening

These weeks of Lent are a time when followers of Jesus seek ways to move closer to God.  This year, we’re inviting you to grow through focusing on a different element of faith each week.  Spending time reaching toward God may touch you in ways you didn’t expect.

Praying is intentional engagement with God, no matter what form the praying takes.  It can include listening or contemplating, exploring a piece of scripture, interacting with the natural world, considering the news, and even looking back over your day.  This week, we are focusing on prayer that reaches out to ask God for help.  The fancy name is intercessory prayer.  This is the kind of prayer where we ask God to care for needs in the lives of people and communities that are dear to us, in the wider world, and in our own lives, too.  When we meet for worship on Sunday evenings at Grace or on Thursday evenings at Pasquerilla, the prayers we gather and pray together are intercessory prayers -in these prayers we are asking God to intercede on behalf of those who are in need.  Praying for needs in the world gives us the opportunity to both express our concern for people and situations that weigh on our mind and to admit that many things are outside our own control.  We acknowledge that God’s love and compassion for the world (and us) is something we want to invite into our lives, something we want to rely on, something that can change the world.  Of course, God is surely fully aware of needs before we mention them in prayer, yet when we ask God to help, we are placing our trust and our hope in God.  Praying reflects a connection with God, and deepens it as well.  It doesn’t matter if our praying uses beautiful and well-planed words or barely-formed thoughts and feelings.  God is listening. 

-When have you found praying helpful or comforting?

-What kind of concerns and needs are you aware of today?

-What are prayers you have for both your own struggles and the difficulties of others?

-Where and when do you think you could pray today?  

Explore in ways that work for you.

-This is a chance to reflect and consider.  There is no right or wrong way to pray. 

-If you find them useful, try the questions to guide you in reflecting.

-Return to each week’s element a few times in the week.  You may discover something different.  

-Feel free to share something you discover on our socials.