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Prayer pointers 2008
We would like to thank CARE for permission to use the following prayer information. Further resources for prayer can be obtained from their web site www.care.org.uk/prayer
The NHS
The NHS is the world’s largest health service with running costs of £104 billion in 2006-07. It is one of the world’s largest employers with 2.3 million staff.
Lord, our Divine physician, thank you for the vision and conviction of those who pioneered the National Health Service. We praise you for sixty years of health care and for every person who has served in the NHS. Amen.
Dear God please help Christians who are employed by the NHS to receive your strength and love, so they may be channels for your healing and wholeness to patients, colleagues and others they meet. May they find opportunities to connect with others in the workplace to pray and encourage each other and may they also receive support and help from their local Church.
Pray for God’s special protection and courage for the increasing numbers of staff who are threatened with violent behaviour, especially from patients affected by alcohol, drugs and severe mental health problems. Remember those working as paramedics, in accident and emergency departments and other settings.
Remember professional carers, nurses, doctors and social workers who attend to the needs of housebound patients. Ask God to help them to be patient, kind and efficient when they are short of time and resources and dealing with challenging situations.
Remember all those working in the NHS who have come from overseas – especially from the developing world. Pray that they will have opportunities to learn much and gain valuable experience and that many will return home to their countries in due course to share their skills and expertise there.
Pray for students in the UK who are training to be doctors, nurses and other health professionals; that they will be well prepared to take on their work responsibilities once they have graduated. Pray to that the current system of placing them in training posts will be radically improved so that everyone can find a suitable job in an appropriate setting.
Thank God for the excellent health-care available to children. Please remember all those who care for children in clinics, hospitals, hospices and the community and for those managing resources that they will make wise decisions.
Thank you Lord for all who are involved in the Hospice Movement; seeking to meet the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of people who are dying and caring for those who love them. Please bless those who work in each establishment and provide for the financial and practical needs. Amen
Ask God to draw especially near to people who are depressed and mentally ill and find it difficult to lead normal lives. Pray that they will receive the medical treatment and caring support they need and find spiritual peace and wholeness too.
“Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would your own father …..Treat older women as you would your mother….Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her.” 1Timothy 5:1-3 (New Living Bible translation)
One in five people living in the UK are pensioners. Over one million are aged 85 or over. In 2006 the average disposable weekly income for those mainly reliant on their state pension was £138. Over one million older people spent Christmas day alone.
Lord, we pray that older people throughout the world will increasingly be regarded with respect, treated with dignity and protected from neglect and harm. Please comfort those who live in difficult circumstances and grant them the help they need today. In Jesus name. Amen.
Ask God to give wisdom to those responsible nationally and locally for the statutory provision of care for older people. Pray that each of the agencies and professionals involved in the community, hospitals and residential care homes will cooperate to meet the increasing needs of our aging population.
Pray for anyone who exploits and abuses vulnerable older people to be exposed and prevented from causing any further distress and suffering. Remember carers and staff looking after those with challenging mental health illnesses and ask God to help them to be patient and kind even when they feel stressed and anxious.
Heavenly Father please strengthen and encourage older people in the poorest parts of the world who often have to survive on one dollar a day. We pray especially for those who are struggling to bring up grandchildren affected by AIDS and other killer diseases; that they will receive practical help. Amen
Since 1990 some two million human embryos have been created for research purposes and then destroyed. Since the 1967 abortion act over six million babies have lost their lives. UK law permits abortion of healthy babies up to 24 weeks. Babies suspected of having a disability can be aborted up to birth.
Pray for Christians organisations in partnership with the All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group, to be increasingly effective as they present a united voice to the media, Government and other strategic agencies in the defence of the unborn, the sanctity of life and other important ethical concerns.
Father please give wisdom and grace to Christians working in medical, health and caring services, within the scientific and research community and in education who face ethical challenges in their daily responsibilities. Please help them to apply their faith to these clinical, practical and academic problems they face day by day. Amen.
Pray for more Christians to join the research and clinical ethics’ committees of organisations such as British medical Association, the Medical Research Council, and similar groups attached to NHS Trusts and other bodies. Ask God to give them special wisdom and insight so they can contribute effectively to debates on important issues.
Pray for staff in secondary schools and further education institutions who teach subjects that involve medical ethics. Ask God to specially help Christians who do not feel adequately trained in this to find the resources that deal with these difficult issues from a Biblical point of view.
