Prayer Diary Presbytery of Dunfermline July – December 2020.
Presbytery of Dunfermline
Prayer Diary July – December 2020
SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER IN PRAYER
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)
We invite you to join in supportive prayer, not just weekly, but daily. You can remember each congregation and fellowship on a weekly basis over twenty-six weeks or daily in a cycle of up to 31days. Pray for the Minister, Session and Office Bearers that they may know God’s guidance and blessing in all they do in Jesus’ Name.
I think it would be perfectly safe to say that the church of Christ was never in all its history so fully, so skilfully, so thoroughly, and so perfectly organized as it is today. Our machinery is wonderful; it is just perfect, but it is machinery without power. When things do not go right, instead of going to the real source of our failure, our neglect to depend on God and look to God for power, we look around to see if there is not some new organization we can get up, some new wheel that we can add to our machinery. We have altogether too many wheels already. What we need is not so much some new organization, some new wheel, but “the Spirit of the living creature in the wheels” we already possess.
Prayer has as much power today, when men and women are themselves on praying ground and meeting the conditions of prevailing prayer, as it ever has had. God has not changed, and His ear is just as quick to hear the voice of real prayer and His hand is just as long and strong to save as they ever were. Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, are at the disposal of prayer. But we must use the key. Prayer can do anything that God can do, and as God can do anything, prayer is omnipotent. No one can stand against the one who knows how to pray and who meets all the conditions of prevailing prayer and who really prays. “The Lord God Omnipotent” works from him and works through him.
Adapted from The Power of Prayer by R.A. Torrey
July 5th Aberdour St Fillan’s Church
Minister: Rev Peter Gerbrandy-Baird
Day: 1 Pray to know God’s love
““For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
“Your love might not equate the love of God, but it can reach out to the boundaries of Heaven when your neighbour feels it” ― Ikechukwu Izuakor – Great Reflections on Success
Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not. – C.S. Lewis
July 12th Beath & Cowdenbeath North Church
Minister: Rev Deborah Dobby
Day 2: Pray for a vision from God for the future of his church in Scotland in every part.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
Our world is constantly changing but the needs of our hearts remain the same, and so does God’s power to transform our lives and give us hope for the future. Billy Graham.
July 19th Cairneyhill Parish Church
Minister: Rev Norman Grant
Day 3: Pray for strength for your ministry.
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and will not be faint.
It is easy for us to live victoriously for the Lord when we soar on eagles’ wings. It can be exciting when we run and don’t grow weary in the work of the Lord, buoyed by his power and presence. But it often takes heroes to keep walking and not faint when trying times come. Keep on walking, the Lord is there when you most fear he has forgotten you!
26th July Cowdenbeath Trinity Church
Vacant – Interim Moderator Rev Monika Redman
Locum Rev Arthur Christie
Day 4: Pray for a spirit of rejoicing.
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say, Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
We are commanded to rejoice in the Lord always, not just in times of worship or prayer. Christians should always have a deep abiding joy in the Lord. You may not be happy about a tragedy in your life, but you can still rejoice in the fact that our unchanging God who loves us will see us through and use the situation for our eternal good. Christians are those who can have that deep joy in every circumstance of life.
2nd August Carnock & Oakley Church
Minister: Rev Charles Lines
Day 5: Pray for a spirit of devotion to deepen love for God.
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Psalm 91:1-2
How good it is to be as close to God as his shadow and share in the comfort of his shelter. He is not far if our hearts choose to draw near him.
9th August Culross & Torryburn Church
Minister: Rev Elizabeth Fisk
Day 6: Above all, be loving. This ties everything together perfectly.” Colossians 3:14
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8
10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour. Romans 12:10
16th August Dalgety Parish Church
Minister: Rev Christine Sime
Day 7: Pray to find your strength only in God
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10
The so-called super-apostles who relied on their intellect and speaking ability attracted followers to themselves. Paul, on the other hand, relied on the Lord. He knew that the less he trusted in himself, the more the power of God would flow through him. The less he trusted in self, the more he had to rely upon God.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to look to and rely upon You for the strength to do everything for Your glory. Thank You for always being faithful.
23rd August Dunfermline Abbey Church
Minister: Rev Mary Ann Rennie
Day 8: Pray for the peace of God to sustain you and all who minister today.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4
““Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” —Saint Francis de Sales
30th August Dunfermline East Church
Minister: Rev Andrew Morrice
Children and Family Worker: Alice Anderson
Day 9: Pray to stand firm in your commitment to the gospel.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58
If we were serving the Lord for this life alone, it would still be the right thing to do. He is worthy to be served and honoured with our lives even if life ended at death. Though following Jesus isn’t the easiest or the most pleasurable life, it is the best life. His instructions are for our good. But this life is only the beginning, a dot that begins a line that goes on forever.
6th September Gillespie Memorial Church
Minister: Rev Michael Weaver
Day 10: Pray for constancy of faith
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.1 Corinthians 16:13-14
“Stand firm in the faith!” Don’t compromise or waiver. There will always be challenges to your faith from people and circumstances. Remember the examples of those who have gone before you. Remember Jesus’ example. Remember that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. We serve out of love. If all our service is to the Lord, then we should do it because we love Him
13th September Dunfermline North Church
Minister: Rev Ian Thom Pray for Ian as he and Wendy retire and for the congregation in the coming year.
Day 11: Pray for a sacrificial and humble heart.
God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. Augustine
“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great…” Luke 6:35
Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you. Andrew Murray,
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less. -C. S. Lewis
20th September St Andrew’s Erskine Church
Minister: Rev Muriel Willoughby
Day12: Pray for the power to esteem others more highly than self.
12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. 2 Corinthians 10:12
In the church, the leaders should be the servants of all. They serve the congregation by serving the Lord. It should be a position for the humble who have a deep personal relationship with the Lord. Their goal is to have those they serve follow the Lord more closely. While they may invite others to follow their way of life (1 Corinthians 11:1), they are not seeking to amass people devoted to themselves.
27th September St Leonard’s Church
Minister: Rev Monika Redman; OLM: Margaret Mateos
Day 13: Pray for generosity in supporting the work of the gospel.
11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. 2 Corinthians 8:11-12
If you are in a time of abundance, is there a ministry that is being effective that could use your support in donated time, materials, or finances?
4th October St Margaret’s Church
Minister: Rev Iain Greenshields; Reader: Gordon Brown
Family Worker: Alastair Greenshields
Day 14 Pray for the joy of the Lord to empower your prayers today.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13
Joy is prayer. Joy is strength. Joy is love. Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. God loves a cheerful giver. She gives most who gives with joy. Mother Teresa
11th October St Ninian’s Church
Minister: Rev Carolann Erskine
Day 15 Pray for deeper self-knowledge
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2 Corinthians 13:5
We have the capacity to justify almost anything we do. Modern culture encourages our propensity to make excuses for our behaviour. The Christian must be careful to watch that he or she does not fall into this pattern to justify the carnal nature.
18th October Townhill & Kingseat Church
Minister: Rev Jean Kirkwood
Day 16 Pray for the peace of the church
“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11
Our focus here is on looking out for one another joyfully that peace may reign among us.
25th October Inverkeithing Parish Church
Minister: Rev Colin Alston
Day 17 Pray thankfully for all the spiritual blessings we enjoy in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Ephesians 1:3
If you are in Christ, you couldn’t have any more spiritual benefits than you already have. They are spiritual benefits like the love of God poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5), our heavenly Father hearing our prayers, the power of resurrection that transforms our lives (Ephesians 1:19-20), and gifts that enable us to walk in our calling. Certainly, we should praise God for giving us every spiritual benefit in the heavenly realm.
1st November Kelty Parish Church
Minister: Rev Hugh Steele
Day 18 Pray for the fulfilment of the gospel in time and eternity.
And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23
Jesus is the fullness of God who fills all in all. God is present everywhere at once in time, space, and the spiritual realm. It is all of Him and for Him. The fullness of the invisible God is expressed in Jesus, our Saviour and Lord. Please pray for Hugh and his family as he prepares for his retirement after August.
8th November Limekilns Parish Church
Minister: Rev Norman Grant
Day 19: Pray for submission to the discipline of the Holy Spirit.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
God has given every believer the gift of the Holy Spirit. We may not experience His fullness and power in our lives until we surrender fully to Him, but He is in us. He leads us on to sanctification by convicting and prodding us each day. He is getting us ready to be the bride of Christ.
15th November Lochgelly & Benarty St Serf’s
Deacon: Pamela Scott; Outreach Worker: Aileen Christie
Day 20 Pray for the graces of kindness and forgiveness
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
As God has been toward us in Christ Jesus, so we are to be toward others. Think of the abundant and complete forgiveness you have received through Jesus’ sacrifice. Kindness should be our attitude toward everyone, for God has been so kind to us. He has been tender-hearted toward us, too. And aren’t you glad that is the case? Then that is how we are to be toward others.
22nd November North Queensferry Church
Rev Colin Alston
Day 21 Pray for ideas about how to love others.
Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Paul says her that we should act in the same way God does because we are His beloved children. A good child should desire to honour his or her parents by imitating their good qualities. The greatest example of God’s love was His willingness to go to the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. When we sacrificially serve others with the love of God, our service is a fragrant offering to God.
29th November Rosyth Parish Church
Rev Brian Dobby
Deacon: Morag Crawford
Day 22 Pray that your faith may shield you in difficult days.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. Ephesians 6:16
When arrows of doubt, discouragement, or disappointment come- and they will come- we are to raise our shield of faith. We should wet it down with the water of the Word. Faith comes from the Word of God. It is bolstered by the experience of seeing the promises of God come to pass. We need to live in the Word and remember the works of God in our life so those arrows will not damage our faith.
6th December Saline & Blairingone Church
Rev Alexander Shuttleworth
Day 23: Pray for wisdom and grace in the preaching of the Word.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God Ephesians 6:17 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
But let us not forget that it is the sword of the Spirit. Jesus spoke only what the Father taught Him (John 8:28). He did not wield the sword as He willed, but as the Father directed Him by the Spirit. We can throw about Scriptures as we will in our old nature and accomplish nothing. We must learn to wield the Word at the direction of the Spirit, and only then are we truly effective in this spiritual battle.
13th December Tulliallan & Kincardine Church
Rev Alexander Shuttleworth
Day 24 Pray that the light of Christ may shine through you.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, Philippians 2:14-15
Do we believe that God is sovereign over all things? Will the work before us be for our good, to build our character or to teach us endurance? Are we redeemed children of God laying up treasure in heaven where we will be eternally with our loving Lord? Then why should we grumble or argue?
20th December For the whole Church
Day 25: Pray for peace upon earth and goodwill toward all mankind.
4 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests. Luke 2:14
Give us, O God, the vision which can see your love in the world despite human failure.
Give us the faith to trust your goodness despite our ignorance and weakness.
Give us the knowledge that we may continue to pray with understanding hearts.
And show us what each one of us can do to set forward the coming of the day of universal peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.
27th December
Pray for the ongoing discussions on the Report of the Special Commission of Presbytery
Day 26 But be very careful…to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.” Joshua 22:5
The author of Hebrews tells us to “spur one another on to good works” and “encourage one another” daily (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Pray for the Moderator, Clerk, Treasurer and Secretary of Presbytery.
Day 27: Praise God for his unfailing love.
When I lay these questions before God, I get no answer. But a rather special sort of ‘No answer.’ It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, ‘Peace, child; you don’t understand.’ C.S. Lewis
“‘Though the mountains be shaken, and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10
Pray for the work of the Committees of Presbytery and their Convenors
Day 28 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man.” Prov. 3:3-4
How to love others today: lay down your life! Seems drastic, but that’s exactly how Jesus showed His love for us (John 15:12-13). The basic principle has much broader application than actual physical death. Jesus calls us to unselfishly seek put others.
Pray for our OLMs Chaplains, Deacons, Readers and Elders and Youth Workers
Day 29: Pray that God will increase your love.
The greatest honour we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love. – Julian of Norwich
“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other…” 1Thess. 3:12 “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” Psalm 63:3
Pray for our Mission Partners
Rev Kate Reynolds, Mission Partner to Tiberias
Day 30 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Some popular preachers use this verse to say that we will never have difficult times for lack of something. Only a few verses earlier Paul declared that he had learned the secret of being content in facing hunger or plenty, abundance or need. During his time of need in one city, the Philippian believers sent him gifts to support him in his ministry, but he was often penniless.
It seems Paul was saying that because they supplied him in his time of need, they would reap what they had sown. God would provide for them in their time of need. That means there would come a time when they would be short of a necessity. However, they could count on God seeing them through and for providing that need at the perfect time.
Pray for yourself, and all whom you love and care for.
Day 31 “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:5-7
Thoughts on the scripture courtesy of Through the Bible Daily Devotions.