A Prayer Of Preparation....

Written and submitted to me by Mike Cole. Thank you Mike.

Note: As you read Mike's prayer for the Monadnock region, please consider this prayer also for other regions. If you live outside of the Monadnock region (where Crestwood is), please pray for your region. Our core ministry covers the six New England states plus New York, the Monadnock region is simply our home base, but our vision for unity is global. - Dave

"Lord,

WE pray for the New Hampshire Mondanock Region.... We are thankful for the work you are doing within your church in this region. This has been a time of shaping and molding.... a time of chipping away at our old ways so that you can be seen by others through us in the days to come.

There are many who have endured much and we grow tired of the world's strain. We long for your springs of living water to bubble from the hard granite rock of our region. We wait for your hand to move over our land in a mighty way and while we wait we prepare....

We pray for the pastors of the region. We pray that you meet the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of each pastor and their families. Clear their hearts and minds of the worry and grief of this world, and fill their spirit with yours. Comfort them. Give them the peace that surpasses all understanding. Give them discernment to know how to direct the people of their congregations to you. Help us as members of their congregation to help them. Help us to realize that they are people too who have the same frustrations that we do. Help us to go out of our way to meet their needs.

We pray for the walls of denomination to crumble. We pray for unity of the body. Do we believe in you as our Lord and Savior? Do we believe that you conquered death and sin by your resurrection on the third day? Yes! Then let us set aside our differences and reach out to one another.

We pray for those in the region who have not come to you yet. We pray that we begin to allow you to move in us and through us in such a way that we are inspired by you to help those in our community in ways we never have before. Help us join, congregation with congregation, to meet the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of those you have yet to reach in our community. Will this be difficult? Yes. Will it be messy at times? Yes. But if we trust in you we can do all things for you and through you.

Lord, give us as your church the courage to move forward for you. Let us not be shaken by the lies that enter our head which tell us that we are too weak to be any good to you. Help us to remember that what we have and who we are comes from you. Our frailties and shortcomings pail compared to the blessings you have in store for this region and for each one of us.

We thank you for the many blessings you have given us during this time of preparation. You have given us what we need when we needed it; and their have been moments when you gave us more than we asked for. Thank you.

Lord, we give the Monadnock region to you. We wait in anticipation for your love to gush forth. In the meantime, we prepare, in Jesus' Name. Amen."