“You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts.” Psalm 139:1-2

• Pray for those facing a difficult medical diagnosis – a serious illness or major operation. Pray that as they grapple with hospital schedules, treatments and routines, they will know the peace of God. Pray too for their friends and relatives seeking to support them. Pray that as they grapple with difficult questions, they will be blessed with patience, understanding and hope.

• Pray for all those who work in hospitals and doctor’s surgeries. Pray that they will be effective in living out the Bible’s life words as they encounter patients of all backgrounds, nationalities and ages.  Pray for the chaplaincy teams at St John’s Hospital in Bath, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Edgbaston and University Hospital Aintree, who regularly order pastoral resources like Why Me? for use in their work with patients. Pray that as people encounter the Bible’s life words through these resources, they will experience God’s love and compassion for them.

• Pray too for the chaplaincy team at St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice in Taunton, who make use of SGM Lifewords pastoral resources in their inpatient unit. Give thanks that the resources have proved a blessing to the team there. Pray that as they draw alongside those coming to terms with terminal illness and their families, they will be bearers of God’s hope and grace.

“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” Nahum 1:7

• Give thanks for God’s care and concern for those who are going through troubled times. Pray for those whose lives have been shattered by abuse, redundancy, homelessness, illness, debt, imprisonment and other traumas.

• Pray for Christian counsellors and chaplains who seek to walk a journey with those who are going through crisis points in their lives, allowing them to share their stories and offering them hope. Pray that in all they do, they will communicate God’s grace and compassion to the hurting and vulnerable. Give thanks that Picking up the Pieces has proved a useful tool for helping people to come to terms with their situation and find hope and healing. Pray that it continues to be blessing both to the counsellors who use it and to those in need.

• Whether it’s because of war, natural disaster or just the search for a better life, few things can be harder than leaving your home. It’s an experience that will be familiar to the many of the refugees who sought sanctuary in Kenya from the recent conflicts in Rwanda and the DRC. Please join us in praying for the work of local churches in Kitengela, which has a large Congolese population. Pray that through the use of Inspire resources such as Picking Up The Pieces many would find rest and comfort in the Bible’s life-giving words.

People from all around the world and from all walks of life regularly make use of SGM Lifewords’ pastoral resources to provide hope, encouragement and support to friends and families, neighbours and strangers. As a new year begins, join us in prayer for and with all those who are seeking to live, speak and be life words in their homes, communities and workplaces.

“The LORD is close to the broken-hearted.” Psalm 34:18

• Give thanks that God who walked the earth understands what it is to experience the pain of loss. Give thanks for the Bible’s promise that he draws near to those who are going through the pain of bereavement. Pray for all those who are mourning the death of a loved one. Pray that in their grief, they will know God’s presence, comfort and strength.

• Give thanks for the many testimonies we are privileged to hear from people who have experienced comfort and strength in times of bereavement through reading a copy of Living with Loss. Pray that this resource will continue to be a blessing to those who are dealing with grief: and to those seeking to draw alongside and comfort them.

• ASR Lee Philipson works for the Soldiers and Airmen’s Scripture Readers Association (SASRA). He writes: “Following a recent Sunday chapel service, my wife Debbie told me someone had remained alone in the chapel. I looked in and found one of the troop sergeants standing by one of the candle stands. I spoke with him and found that he was mourning the loss of his mother. I offered to take a thanksgiving service for his mother, and led him in a short service the following evening. We chatted about his mother, and talked together about helping him preserve his memories and deal with the grief he was feeling. I showed him the leaflet Living With Loss, guiding him through its sections and encouraging him to take it and read it through later. This he did, thanking me for what I had done, and promising to come and see me again.” Pray for the work of Army Scripture Readers like Lee who are seeking to draw alongside members of the armed forces. Give thanks for their faithful witness, and pray that they will know God’s guidance and wisdom in all that they do.

• As 2009 draws to a close, join us in giving thanks for all that God has done in and through the SGM Lifewords global family over the past year. Give thanks for the ways in which he has equipped and enabled each of us speak, share and live out the Bible’s life words, wherever we are in the world. Give thanks for those who have been encouraged to engage with the Bible for the first time this year through our Inspire resources, and for those whose lives have been touched by Choose Life and by Pavement Project. Give thanks that in all things, we have known God’s faithfulness to us.

• A new year always brings new possibilities, new hopes and dreams. Whether it’s through an expansion of our work with vulnerable communities, or the development of new Bible resources, please pray that as we approach these opportunities, we’d be reminded of the confidence we can have in God’s care and provision. In particular we are looking forward to a possible expansion of Choose Life in the DRC and a new Pavement Project initiative in Mexico. Pray that God’s hand would continue to be seen in both these programmes and in the wider work of the SGM Lifewords global family.

Thank you for praying with us in 2009, and we look forward to praying with you into 2010!

• As we celebrate Christmas together with family and friends this week, praise God for the gift he has given us in his Son. Give thanks for the kingdom he ushered in – a kingdom of hope, of joy, of possibility, of justice, and of love. Pray that he will show each of us how we can live lives which reflect his love and compassion.

• Pray for those for whom Christmas is a difficult time – for those who are sick, or have been bereaved, for those who are lonely, or far away from family and friends. Pray that they will experience God’s presence, comfort and love. Give thanks for pastoral workers, chaplains and others who seek to draw alongside and offer support to those in need. Pray that they will know God’s wisdom and guidance in the conversations they have and the situations they encounter, and that they (and we) will find opportunity to share the Bible’s life words to those in need.