To exchange ashes for roses

To all who mourn in Israel, [God] will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3 (NLT)

God our Shield and Fortress, I pray for a weary pastor. He has seen the Enemy prowling nearby, sated from a recent victory, and my friend grows tired from grief and strain. Send your angels to keep watch over his family as they cling together; do not let them lose heart! Give them reminders of beauty, moments of praise to inspire their souls, and send their roots deep so that they sway in the storm but do not break. Send this family your refreshing rain, and let them find healing in your waters. May this season of heartbreak and despair pass into one of renewal and splendor for the sake of your Name and in the sight of your people.

for strength and purpose in the leadership of our church

“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9 (NLT)

It's scary when we step out into something new, Yaweh. You hear these fears repeatedly in every generation so I'll be brief. Make us strong and filled with courage, equipped to fulfill your plans for us. BUT, teach us to rely on you rather than our own abilities, because of course, if we try to do it on our power the project is a failure from the start.

Strong and courageous. Strong and courageous. Strong and courageous. Let it be our breath in and out.

Let us listen to the voices of those who have your best interest at heart, and not be torn apart by the fearful and loud voices of dissention, deception, and disorder.

May the leaders be united, of one mind with you and each other; fending off attack, covering each other's backs, and reassuring the congregation with our faithfulness, unity and determination. May our love cast out fear. May we be strong and courageous. May we follow where you lead, even when – especially when – the road ahead looks difficult.

for Edrica and Barry, who are sick

He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Psalm 107:20 (New International Version)

It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's! Romans 8:10-11 (The Message)

Healer of Galilee, you are our our Light and Salvation, the stronghold of our lives. You give your angels charge over us to accompany and defend and preserve us. I come to you on behalf of Edrica and Barry, and for them I ask for your deep and powerful healing. Their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and I know you desire life abundant and whole, for both of them.

Both Edrica and Barry have spent a lot of time in the hospital lately. And Edrica is so young to be so weighed down by the infirmities of the body. Help her to not allow troubled thoughts to envelop her life in darkness, fear, or anger.

Mighty God, may both these children of yours have the same attitude and purpose that was in Christ, never letting the strain and difficulty of enduring such a trial destroy or damage their faith in you. Bend the skills of those in whose care they rest toward you, and use each life-giver -- each nurse, doctor, and friend -- for your ultimate purpose. Use us to help a hurting people know your abiding presence guiding and supporting their speech, their actions, their decision-making, and their love.

for my friend Shawn, as he counsels

Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don't want anyone looking down on God's Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives. Titus 2:1-6 (The Message)

Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands. 2 Timothy 2 (The Message)

God's Message came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?"
I said, "A walking stick—that's all."
And God said, "Good eyes! I'm sticking with you.
I'll make every word I give you come true."
Jeremiah 1:12 (The Message)

I thank you God that you have put this young couple in connection with Shawn. They very much need guidance and loving support. May Shawn communicate a deep encouragement that there is a path through pain, especially in these days when so many people just call it quits because the work involved in living out love is so hard. Help Shawn stand firm in the gap. May he turn to his church and community of support for a listening ear or a consult as he needs it. Many of us have faced painful and troubled times in our marriages and relationships, and have been grateful for the people you have sent us to help. You specialize in rescuing people from darkness, and in binding up the broken. We claim your hope on behalf of this young couple, and we understand there is also much work to be done if the couple decides to claim it with us. Guide and protect, O Lord. We continue to trust in you.

for a struggling Christian couple

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 (New International Version)

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32 (New International Version)

The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Luke 8:24-26 (New International Version)

I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:18 (New International Version)

Lord of Heaven and Earth, Wind and Sky: I bring before you this struggling young couple for whom my friend Shawn cares deeply. I don't know how broken their relationship is, but I know how hard it is to navigate when storms seem likely to overwhelm. Sometimes it's all we can do to keep the ship afloat. May this couple remember, even amid the thunder and waves, that you are Lord of All Creation, and that all things respond to your command. May they find plenty of community around them to help them bail out the water that threatens to sink their marriage. Let the past not defeat them, nor the present overwhelm them. Send your Light to guide and your Spirit to warm as you recall them to yourself.