Our Father, we pray today for the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia. We ask that the war between these two countries may soon come to an end. We ask that it not spread to other countries. We pray for justice, peace, healing, and rebuilding.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Tender, compassionate Father, we thank you that you care for the infirmities of both our bodies and our minds. Today we pray to you on behalf of those in our midst who suffer from mental and emotional disorders of all kinds. Especially we think of those who find themselves in places of darkness, so discouraged or depressed that they wonder if they will ever again be able to praise you with joy. We understand that this is nothing new. Elijah was depressed. The author of Psalm 42 was depressed. Martin Luther lived with depression much of his life, and the great preacher Charles Spurgeon walked often on the brink of despair. Yet knowing that others have suffered may not make our own suffering less. We pray for your Holy Spirit to stand close to each of those who are in emotional or mental distress. Touch them, Lord! Encourage them! Heal them! Guide them back to a place of joy and praise. And show the rest of us how we may best help them.

We lift up our own prayers, especially for those we know who are are in mental or emotional pain:

In Jesus’ name, amen.

O God of Light and Truth, we thank you for our church’s special relationship with Tunghai University. It is our honor to worship on the Tunghai campus and to intercede for the success of its mission. Today we pray for our university president, Zhang Guo-En. We ask you to continue giving him vision and wisdom. We ask that he may find joy in his work, and that all who work with him may give him their full support and assistance. We pray also for Mrs. Zhang, and for all the members of their family.

Lord, we pray also that Tunghai may never lose its Christian identity. Let it shine like a light here in central Taiwan. Let it be a school where students, faculty, and staff find faith in Christ. A school where new Christians are discipled into maturity. A school where students learn to view all areas of knowledge in the light that comes from Christ. Bless our current and our future presidents!

We lift up our own prayers, especially for Tunghai University’s Christian identity and witness:

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mighty Father, you are the God of the whole earth. You made human beings in your own image and allowed them to spread throughout the earth. Now you are commanding people everywhere to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. You are calling your elect from every tribe and language and people and nation. But Lord, there are still thousands of tribes and languages and peoples that have no Bible and no gospel. How can they be saved if they do not hear? How can they hear if no one preaches to them? Please raise up missionaries to take the gospel to these groups. Stir up our own hearts either to go ourselves, or to pray and give. Jesus is worthy of all praise and obedience. Glorify him in our lives and in the whole world.

Next week, thousands of young people will gather online for the triennial mission conference, Youth Mission Conference. Please move in their hearts. Give them large visions for their lives.

We continue to lift up our own prayers, especially for the unreached:

Everlasting God, how often in our lives have we returned to these precious verses from Isaiah! We do indeed grow faint and weary. At times, we feel we are utterly exhausted. Even the Apostle Paul knew times when he despaired of life itself. But you are the inexhaustible God. The God who never faints or wearies. Your understanding is unsearchable, your power without limit. 

Thank you for this blessed Sunday of worship and reflection. As the day ends, we review what we heard from the pulpit this morning. We think back on the stories we have read in the Book of Numbers this week. As you continually renewed your people Israel in their desert wanderings, so we ask you to renew us as we move into the week that lies ahead. Renew our strength. Let us mount up with wings like eagles!

We continue lifting up our prayers, especially for our own spiritual renewal:

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Eternal and unchanging God, you are the God of our youth and the God of our old age. You give us life in our mother’s womb. You form our bodies and minds in the days of our childhood. You guide our steps through all the days of our adult life. You have promised to be with us to the very end of life.

Today we pray especially for the elderly of our church. We ask that you protect them from the virus. We ask that you give them vibrant physical and emotional health. We ask that you surround them with family and friends. We ask you to bring to them whatever assistance they may require. Above all, we ask that you yourself stand close to them each day and each minute. Let this phase of their lives be the sweetest of all phases, a time when they find themselves declaring again and again, “The Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him!” Make them men and women of faith and prayer, that those of us who follow them may gain courage from their example. 

We continue to lift up our own prayers, especially for elderly folk in our own families and church:

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Our loving God, we thank you that you are the healer of our diseases. Whether healing comes through the hands of medical professionals, through our bodies’ own powers of renewal, or even through death which leads to eternal life, you are the source of all healing. We thank you that we may entrust ourselves to you, both body and soul.

We pray especially today for Taiwan’s healthcare system. We pray for doctors, nurses, administrators, and all the others who work together to protect our health. Let talented young people continue to choose to enter the healthcare professions. Let every part of Taiwan society be well served by clinics and hospitals. Let the people of Taiwan experience the benefits of good healthcare from the time of their conception in their mothers’ wombs and until the time of their deaths. And please let Taiwan have the opportunity to share its knowledge and experience in international health organizations.

In Jesus’ name, amen.