Prayers: April 17, 2022

Prayers

Always be joyful. Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

On the first Easter Sunday, John 20:1-2 describes: Early on Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 

This Easter we pray that we will know who and where Jesus is in our everyday lives and strive to take practical steps to make Him our constant companion:

• Admit our need and seek to know His love and goodness. Romans 3:23 – For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
• Move away from the crowd including tv and personal devices so that we can clearly hear God’s voice. Luke 9:23 – Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
• Run to be obedient when God calls.  Instead of dilly-dallying, be eager to serve in Jesus’ name. James 1:22 – But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves; Romans 12:11- Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
• Move to where Christ is – in worship, prayer, scripture, fellowship, nature. Joshua 22:5 – “But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”
• Elevate our view by seeing things through Jesus’ eyes. Psalm 119:18 – Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.
• Receive Jesus joyfully in our hearts and homes by making it a place Jesus wants to stay. John 14:23 – Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.

Lord, we are filled with joy this Easter because You are not in the grave, but alive and with us.  May we thank you for all things, trust your plan for our broken world, and share with everyone the hope we have of eternal life with you.

禱告事項

“要常常喜樂， 不住的禱告， 凡事謝恩。因為這是 神在基督耶穌裏向你們所定的旨意。”

帖撒羅尼迦前書 五章 十六至十八節

約翰福音20章1-2節中記載了第一個復活節主日的情形：七日的第一日清早，天還黑的時候，抹大拉的馬利亞來到墳墓那裡，看見石頭從墳墓挪開了，就跑來見西門彼得和耶穌所愛的那個門徒，對他們說：“有人把主從墳墓裡挪了去，我們不知道放在哪裡！”“

• 在今年的複活節，祈禱我們能知道耶穌在我們日常生活中的地位和位置，並努力以實際行動使他成為我們穩定不變的同伴：
• 承認我們需要去認識他的慈愛和良善。– 因為世人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀，（羅馬書 3:23）
• 遠離喧囂，包括電視和電話和其他電子產品，好讓我們能清楚地聽到神的聲音。–耶穌又對眾人說：“若有人要跟從我，就當捨己，天天背起他的十字架來跟從我。（路加福音 9:23）“”
• 快跑跟隨神的呼喚，熱心在主内侍奉，不要慢吞吞地浪費時間。– 只是你們要行道，不要單單聽道，自己欺哄自己。（雅各書 1:22）；羅馬書12章11也說：“殷勤不可懶惰；要心裡火熱，常常服侍主。”
• 跟基督在一起 —— 去   敬拜他、向他禱告、讀聖經、參加團契、到大自然中親近他。—— 只要切切地謹慎遵行耶和華僕人摩西所吩咐你們的誡命、律法，愛耶和華你們的神，行他一切的道，守他的誡命，專靠他，盡心、盡性侍奉他（約書亞記 22:5）。
• 透過耶穌的目光擡高我們看待事物的眼光。——打開我的眼睛，看到你教導中的奇妙真理（詩篇 119:18）。
• 讓我們的心和家都成爲耶穌想要停留的地方，使我們喜樂地接受耶穌。– 耶穌回答說：“人若愛我，就必遵守我的道，我父也必愛他，並且我們要到他那裡去，與他同住”。（約翰福音 14:23）

主啊，這個複活節我們充滿了喜樂，因爲你不在墳墓裡，你活在我們中間，與我們同在。讓我們感謝你所做的一切，相信你對我們生存的這個破碎的世界有個計劃，讓我們與大家分享在你裏面有永生的希望。