Prayer
of Intercession
"I
will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God;
for he
has clothed me with the garments of salvation,he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up
before all the nations." --Isaiah 61:10-11
For as the earth springs forth its shoots...
Amidst the depths of the ocean just south of Spain's Canary Islands, an underwater volcano is spewing gases and lava, causing a wide zone in which plants and fish have all died. The volcano is believed to be the beginnings of a new island, or an extension to an existing one.
Be
known to us, Lord Jesus, in the birth-pangs of our world.
Be
known to us, Lord Jesus, in the birth-pangs of governance:
--In
Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood is taking the lead in a round of run-offs
in Egypt's staggered parliamentary vote, consolidating its lead over rival
liberals and hardline Salafi Islamists;--In Europe, where European Union leaders are trying to force a change in the EU treaty in an attempt to solve the worsening debt crisis which has already dragged Greece, Portugal and Ireland into multibillion euro bailouts. The proposed new treaty calls for automatic sanctions for nations that overspend and would force them to include debt brakes in their national constitutions.
Be
known to us, Lord Jesus, in the birth-pangs of unrest:
--In
Afghanistan's first major sectarian assault since the fall of the Taliban
regime a decade ago, a suicide bomber slaughtered 56 Shiite worshippers and
wounded more than 160 others outside a Shiite shrine in the capital; --In the storming of the United Kingdom's embassy in Tehran, Iran, and the reciprocal closing of Iran's embassy in London; in the fears and rumors that war(s) might break out between Iran and Israel, or Iran and the western nations, or even Iran and its Gulf neighbors such Saudi Arabia.
Be
known to us, Lord Jesus, in the birth-pangs of righteousness:
--Chinese
police have busted two child-trafficking rings after a six-month nationwide
investigation, rescuing 178 children and arresting 608 suspects. The
investigation involved some 5,000 police. Since the government launched its
national campaign against human trafficking two years ago, police have arrested
almost 50,000 suspects, rescuing more than 18,000 children as well as some
35,000 women
Be
known to us, Lord Jesus, in the birth-pangs of danger:
--Japan's
tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant leaked about 45 tons of highly radioactive
water from a purification device over the weekend;--In Scotland, where more than 50,00 remain without power after winds of up to 165 mph swept the country, with continuing high winds and possible blizzard conditions still expected.
Be
known to us, Lord Jesus, in the birth-pangs of wonder:
--The
most Earth-like planet ever discovered is circling a star 600 light years away,
a key finding in an ongoing quest to learn if life exists beyond Earth.
"For as the
earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to
spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up
before all the nations."
Be
born in us, Lord Jesus, in the birth-pangs of our lives.
—
from World News This Week In Prayer
- Thurs., Dec. 8, 2011. World in Prayer is a ministry of the
Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist Lodi, California, USA, and is written
by a team of writers representing different denominations throughout the U.S.,
Canada and the United Kingdom. Visit
their web site at http://www.worldinprayer.org
For
more worship resources for Advent or Christmas, see the Indexes at the upper
right side of the page.
