Pastoral Prayer: Loaves and Fish

Here’s a pastoral prayer inspired by Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the 5000.  It was written by Rev. Abi.

Prayer
(inspired by Matthew 14:15-21, Mark 6:35-44, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:4-13)

Merciful God we praise you for your unfailing love.
We praise you for feeding our hunger for bread and for “the bread of life.”
We praise you for taking our little basket of fish and barley loaves
and using it to feed others.

Lord we ask you for your care and healing touch for those who are sick.
We ask for your compassion on those who are suffering in our world.
We ask for you comfort for those who are grieving.

We thank you for your daily tender mercies.
We thank you for your daily love.
We thank you for your daily grace.

We call upon you Lord to empower us
   as we declare who you are to a world who needs you.
We call upon you Lord to inspire us
   as we seek to inspire others.
We call upon you Lord to strengthen us
   in our own weakness.

We ask all this in your son’s name,
Amen.
— written by Rev. Abi, and posted on her Long and Winding Road blog. http://vicarofwadley.blogspot.ca/