Prayer Vigil Friday 11/25/11

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. ~ Colossians 2:6-7

Welcome to Prayer Vigil Friday

I was doing some reading about prayer and came across an article written about the extraordinary blessings of friendship and prayer:

For friendship is, at its best, a prayer.

It is, after all, an act of faith. It is sacred. It is an epistle, delivered from one person to another. In its best moments, friendship is a canticle that celebrates, a parable that teaches. In the close proximity of a friend, you find a cathedral where promises are kept, and a chapel where tears are shed. Friendship is a responsorial psalm: one heart speaks, another responds, and in the silences in between we hear something of God.

Jesus—no stranger to friendship, or to its swift reversal, betrayal—said that wherever two or more are gathered in his name, there he is, too.

Perhaps when we seek a friend, we are seeking God, the God who dwells in all of us, the God in whose image we have all been made. Perhaps in friendship he is there, waiting to be found, the God of laughter and companionship, the God of shared secrets and long stories and strong coffee, the God who is comfortable just kicking back. He is there to listen, because that’s what friends are for. He is there to guide us on the journey, to see that we are not alone and that there is someone with us who can read the map. He is there to help us find faith in one another, at moments when that particular faith may be all that we have. He is there to let us know that someone else understands our pain, shares our joy and, thankfully, gets our jokes.

Out of that, we are encouraged and given hope. Out of that, I believe, we are given God.

Friendship is a Prayer by Greg Kandra

When I am struggling, I know that I have friends praying for me. When you are struggling, know that your friends are praying for you. Know that I am praying for you. Find comfort in your prayers and in the knowledge that you are loved are cared for.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11

There is something consoling, we know, in communal prayer. Hearts and voices join in one place, under one roof, at one moment in time, to acknowledge the Creator and ask his blessings. And in doing that, we acknowledge what we are—people bound by common faith, humility and trust.

A friend loves at all times… ~ Proverbs 17:17

So it is, I think, in this extraordinary prayer of friendship.

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His promises never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ~ Lamentations 3:22-23

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. ~ Psalm 143:8-10

Lord, Thank you for the blessings in my life. Thank you for family and friends who love me. Thank you that I see the world with different eyes, and have the opportunity to reach out to other women to offer support and an understanding ear. Help me not to be afraid to reach out for help. Help me to trust those around me with my struggle with infertility. I will not be ashamed, but will be proud of the fight within me to battle infertility.

Give me strength, Lord. Warm my heart and soothe my battered spirit. Heal me from within so that I can continue to take advantage of every single opportunity I am given. Keep me alert to the options I am given. Lay a path before me and present the choices before me in such a way that there is no question what path I should take.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. ~ Psalm 62:5-8

Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. ~ Hebrews 13:5

I pray this prayer with all of the love and faithfulness I can muster within. I pray this prayer with a vulnerability that only you can nurture and protect. I pray this prayer with all of my sisters – and together we pray that through the mighty power of your love, you will hear our united voices as one, and bless us with your powerful presence in our lives, and your comforting peace in our souls. In Your Holy and Precious Name, Amen.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 15:13

Put some time aside today, even if it’s a few minutes or 20 minutes. Close the door, close your eyes, dim the lights, light a candle, whatever you need to do to focus and spend some prayerful time with God. Pray for women you know, pray for women you don’t know. Then take some time and pray for yourself. Spend some time reflecting over the past week, over any frustrations you’ve had, whatever you’ve been putting off talking over with God. Get angry if you need to. Cry if you need to. Smile and give thanks if you need to!

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16

This scripture truly is what Prayer Vigil Friday is all about:

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” ~Matthew 18:19-20

Let’s join in one big prayer all day today!