“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”
Gracious God, on this first Thursday in Advent, as we reflect upon the hope of the birth of Jesus, we give thanks for the news of the vaccine, bringing a sense of real hope for the future, into our communities. We give thanks and pray for all those involved with this amazing breakthrough, for their continuing work, and for the huge and challenging process of setting up a vaccination programme. As we wait for this process to begin, we rejoice in this hope for things to come, but so too we pray for those known to us who will face their own very real challenges today; those dealing with the grief of loved ones, those undergoing treatments for health issues and those awaiting diagnosis. As we pin our hopes on a vaccine that will heal our nation, we lift before You all those in need of the touch of Your healing today, all those in need of Your love, Your compassion and the assurance of Your presence with them. In a moment of quiet we place those known personally to us, into Your hands.
Lord God, at this pivotal time for our nation, we ask for the outpouring of Your Holy Spirit upon our land, and we pray too for the needs of all nations seeking healing from the virus. In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.