Prayer of Intercession: Living Stones

Here’s a prayer of petition and intercession inspired by 1 Peter 2:2-10. It was written by Rev. Dr. Derek Browning, and posted on the Starters for Sunday website from the Church of Scotland.

Prayer for Others
(inspired by 1 Peter 2:2-10)

God of grace and light,
Found within and out with the structures of humanity,
You cannot be contained,
But on occasion choose to dwell in hearts and homes.
Glance lightly upon the hearts and homes dear to us,
The people and places where we seek blessing.

Build up our homes:
Where the happy may find peace;
The sad may find comfort;
The hungry may find food;
The weary may find rest.

Build up the places where we work:
Where the honest may find reward;
The dedicated may find delight;
The imaginative may find new horizons.

Build up our community:
Where the isolated may find friendship;
The marginalised may find welcome;
The unloved may find acceptance.

Build up our nation, loving Lord,
And bless those entrusted with the care of our society’s fabric.
May they use their skills, their calling, their hard graft
To fashion communities of grace and understanding,
Where generosity of heart and mind and soul
May be not only the gilding of our daily life
But its very core.

Build up the Church, redeeming Lord,
So that all Your children may find their place,
Unique and special,
Chosen and essential to the living edifice of grace,
Where by Your grace
Each one might know their value in Your economy,
And their significance in Your eyes.

Help us all, this day, to be living stones, and not dead weights,
Dreaming dreams, and living gloriously the joy and kindliness
Of a faith that edifies everything that life should be.
In the Name of our Saviour, our cornerstone, we pray.  Amen

~ written by Rev Dr Derek Browning, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.  http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/