Wednesday Prayers, 5 March 2025

God of all human history and God of all that is beyond;

help us to trust in You and find our core values

in following Your path as Your disciples,

with humility, faith and courage.

Holy God, because You exhibit complete holiness

we see our lack of what holiness can mean.

We can’t even look directly on Your brightness

and so we know how dark we must look to You.

But we remember Your compassion and mercy.

We remember that You love sinners – including us.

We remember that we are made in Your image

and growing into holiness that one day will be complete.

And we thank You for your eternal love and faith in us.

We pray for people who long for change,

whose lives have been turned upside-down by calamity

and who long for an end and a new beginning.

Bring Your light to dispel the darkness.

We pray for people struggling with addictions,

whether to alcohol, drugs, gambling or other things,

and needing the strength, resolve and faith to overcome.

Bring Your light to dispel the darkness.

We pray for people feeling in despair:

the doomscrollers, the cynics, the conspiracy theorists,

the moaners and endless complainers.

May they find positive ways to be

and to bring life-giving hope to others and to themselves.

Bring Your light to dispel the darkness.

Give a new lease of life to all who need a boost in confidence or attitude.

Give energy to those who feel tired or jaded.

Bring Your light to dispel the darkness.

For all who are in need of prayer today, we pray, and in particular for:

Mary, Peter, Cath, David,

Leona, Margaret, Ged, Jess,

Murdo, Joy, Mary,

Eric, Catherine, the Wexelstein family,

Irene, Raphael and family…

In our prayers, we remember them, and all we know who are in need.

Be with each of us and with those we love,

especially those going through times of trouble or anxiety.

We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen.

This year’s World Day of Prayer service has been prepared by the World Day of Prayer Committee of the Cook Islands. Please join us in the LARCH Restalrig building at 2pm on Friday 7th March.

The 2025 WDP program invites us into the knowledge that each one of us was made with care and love by God. When we can receive this profound truth, everything in our life changes and we begin to radiate and shine from within. We also learn how to treat every other person as made wonderful by God. ​

Too often, women and girls have been silenced and oppressed, making this upcoming theme from WDP Cook Islands particularly relevant. The message that we, as women and girls, are “fearfully and wonderfully” made in the image of God reinforces our movement’s support of women in expressing their faith and speaking about their lives in prayer and worship before God and in community. 

The Worship Service invites us to notice aspects of our divinely created bodies that we often take for granted.