Evening Prayer based on Northumbria Community Prayers and Moravian Readings

Saturday 29 March 2025

Pause

As I enter prayer now;
I pause to be still;
to breathe slowly;
to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God

Preperation

Watchwords

Watchword for the week

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

Isaiah 55:6

But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.”

Habakkuk 2:20

He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

Mark 11:17

Prayer

Most holy Lord and God, fill us with your spirit as we seek your presence with reverence and awe. Forgive us when we act foolishly and ignore your still, small voice that guides our hearts and minds into making decisions that honor you. Create in us a deep desire to give you our best as we praise you in our places of worship, and in how we interact with others. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

In your name Papa, Jesus and Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

Psalm 130:6

From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help. Hear my cry, O Lord. Pay attention to my prayer.

Psalm 130:1-2

I pray with all my heart; answer me, Lord! I will obey your decrees.

Psalm 119:145

Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?

Psalm 130:3

I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word.

Psalm 130:5

Expressions of faith

Lord, You have always given bread for the coming day; and though I am poor, today I believe.

Lord, You have always given strength for the coming day; and though I am weak, today I believe.

Lord, You have always given peace for the coming day; and though of anxious heart, today I believe.

Lord, You have always kept me safe in trials; and now, tried as I am, today I believe.

Lord, You have always marked the road for the coming day; and though it may be hidden, today I believe.

Lord, You have always lightened this darkness of mine; and though the night is here, today I believe.

Lord, You have always spoken when time was ripe; and though you be silent now, today I believe.

Today’s Scripture Reading

But I know the Lord will help those they persecute; he will give justice to the poor.

Psalm 140:12

No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

Genesis 50:21

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Luke 11:5-13

Today’s Meditation

As the tamed horse
still hears the call of her wild brothers
and as the farmed goose flaps hopeful wings
as his sisters fly overhead,
so too, perhaps,
the wild ones amongst us
are our only hope in calling us back
to our true nature.
Wild ones
who have not been turned to stone
by the far-reaching grasp of the empire
and its programme of consumer sedation,
the killing of imagination.
Where, my friends,
have the wild ones gone?

Joel McKerrow

‘Come to the edge’,
He said. They said,
‘we are afraid’.
‘Come to the edge’,
He said. They came.
He pushed them, and
they flew.

Guillame Apollinaire

Prayers for others

OMS Prayers

Open Doors World Watch List

Pray for Kazakhstan

Heavenly Father, we ask You to walk with our family in Kazakhstan as they trust and follow You no matter what. Please protect our Kazakhstani sisters and brothers from abuse in their homes, unjust court cases and the misuse of regulations against them. We ask You to shield church leaders from government surveillance and make a way for every believer to have their own copy of Your Word. We pray with confidence knowing that You can and will use Your church to bring Your Word to all those who desire to know You deeply. In Your name, we ask all these things, Amen.

Canticle

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 63:7

The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

Psalm 27:1

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 63:7

The one thing I ask of the Lord — the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord ’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.

Psalm 27:4

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 63:7

Yet I am confident I will see the Lord ’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.

Psalm 27:13

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 63:7

Blessing

I will be at peace with my brothers and sisters, and love them.

I will follow the example of the wise and good, knowing You will comfort and help me, both in this world and in the world to come.

In your name Papa, Jesus and Spirit. Amen

Closing Prayer

Father, help me to live this day to the full, being true to You, in every way.
Jesus, help me to give myself away to others, being kind to everyone I meet.
Spirit, help me to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in all I do and say.
Amen.