Our Father in heaven, in this month of December, we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, who brings shalom to the whole world. He is the founder and the perfecter of our faith, who has taught us how to love, and receive love. Father, fill our hearts with Your steadfast love, help us to be patient with one another, upholding each other in prayer, unceasingly. Brothers and Sisters, let us join our hearts together and pray.

We are so thankful for Your constant presence and provision. We look to You with a fresh sense of gratitude for all blessings in our lives - for indeed we are blessed beyond measure!  

We acknowledge that You are a God who is holy. Sin and darkness cannot dwell in Your presence. Forgive us for our sins brought upon by ourselves and for letting You down many times by our sinful thoughts & actions and by failing to put our trust in You. Instead, we often allow fear & anxiety to grip us and to force us to make foolish decisions. Remove everything in our lives that is not pleasing in Your sight. Create in us a clean heart and restore a right spirit within us.

You are our constant help in times of trouble. (Psalms 46:1). We ask for Your grace and mercy to surround those affected in one way or another by the pandemic. We seek Your healing for those stricken with the virus. Deliver them from death’s grip and restore their body and strength. Protect and preserve those who are working at the frontline, give them the strength and physical immunity during this time that they may perform their task unharmed. Grant those in authority in every country, wisdom to deal with the current crisis. During this time of great need, pour out Your saving grace and turn people’s hearts and minds back to You in repentance and faith.

We also commit those who are sick due to other medical conditions.

- Elder Keh Whoo’s father

- Sister Tracy’s father

- Aunty Choo Geck’s mother

- Aunty Betty’s husband, and many others. We place them in Your healing hands. Be merciful to them and let Your presence and power be manifested in their lives and bodies. We commit them to Your love and care.

Lord, thank You for being our Great Almighty God – who sees all and knows all things. You know all of us and no one slips out of Your loving hands. We lift up Jenny Hoo and others whom You loved – our brothers and sisters who are having a hard time in the hospital or in the nursing home and their caregivers. May they turn their eyes upon Jesus, and find both strength and peace.

We pray for our brothers and sisters whose bodies have been worn out from the work arrangements due to this pandemic. Strengthen our tired bodies and help us to grow in our desire to seek You and be transformed into Christlikeness.

May Christmas not be only an event but a continual process of extending the love of Christ to our neighbours. We commit our youths who are producing the drama, the choir, SAFE, orchestra, emcees, producer, IT crew and Befrienders to You. May they be equipped and to serve with joy. As our evangelism committee perseveres in reaching out to the Toh Yi community, we pray for all Glorians to give generously, to step out and invite their non-believing friends and relatives to share God’s love.  

We commit to You, our Youth Camp held from 26th - 29th of this month. Pray for families that can open their homes to host the campers, give protection over the youths and Youth Camp committee members.

Thank You for assuring us that we are not alone - for You go before us & guard us from behind (Isaiah 52:12). Walk with us & make our footsteps firm. You are our Rock and Fortress (Psalm 18:2). Strengthen our faith in times of need as we continue to find hope & strength in Your abiding presence. In Jesus most precious name, Amen.

Episode 5 Devotion (Rev Forest Koh) and Prayer (Kelly New)

We are encouraged in Rom. 12:12 to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation and be constant in prayer. Let us come humbly before our Holy God.

Our dear Heavenly Father, You are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness. Just as a father has compassion on his children, You, O LORD, have compassion on those who fear You. Your lovingkindness is from everlasting to everlasting, and Your righteousness to children’s children.

We confess that we often grieve Your heart by our lack of trust in You. Although we know in our hearts that You are the Sovereign LORD, yet we frantically try to run our own lives and only come to You in humility when we have totally lost control. And while we know well that You are the God who will provide, we busy ourselves as if we can meet our own needs. And we often allow fear and anxiety to rule our hearts even though we know that our lives are safe in Your hands. You know who we are. You know our frame, and You are mindful that we are but dust. Thank You that You have not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is Your lovingkindness towards those who fear You.

O God, those of us who know You as Father has experienced first hand Your wonderful love for us. We also desire for our loved ones, those who are nonbelievers, to also come to know You personally. We pray for our family members to come to a saving relationship with You.

This pandemic has caused families to be separated. We entrust our family members who are living outside of Singapore that You will keep them safe and in good health. We pray with our brother Poudi who longs to be reunited with his wife (Hatis) and his children (Obed and Bethany) who are now in Manipur, India that they can meet together while they wait upon Your perfect time.

We join with Elder Keh Whoo and fellow leaders to pray for divine protection over Your church, and for those who serve You to be kept pure and undefiled for Your holy use; that we may constantly seek to walk in righteousness and integrity; to be free from all forms of pride and hypocrisy, and to walk in godliness and humility before You!

Just as Jesus purged the temple of all that was unclean and unacceptable – purge each of us who are temples of the Holy Spirit, of sin and anything that is not pleasing and acceptable in your sight!  We pray for strength and courage to come to You in repentance and with contrite hearts to seek Your forgiveness…being mindful of Your Word in Proverbs 28:13 that says, “He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” Make our lives to be a living sacrifice, separated and holy unto you – so that you may be glorified always in our lives and service

We bless Your Holy Name, O Heavenly Father, for You are a God who pardons all our iniquities and heals all our diseases. Thank You for hearing our prayers offered up in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Episode Devotion by Pr Dr. Jeremy Chew and Pastoral Prayer by Pr Nancy Lim.

Submit your prayer requests at https://glorypresbyterian.net/library/churchwideprayer every 2nd and 4th Wednesday by noon of each month.

Let us pray. 

Almighty God, we come to you in prayer, knowing that prayer is powerful, because You are a powerful God who hears prayers and answers them in Your power, wisdom and sovereignty. When you say yes, who can say no to you? When you say no, who can refute that? When you seek to do something, it is always accomplished!  When you decide to act, who can stop you? O Lord You do as You please with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.

Oh Lord, you tell us to pray and never lose heart. Yet we do not want to go to you in prayer, for it will mean that we have to admit to ourselves that we are not in control or have power over our lives and situations. But yet we come to You now in our brokenness and powerlessness to pray to You 

O Lord we are powerless when those we love reject you and gospel that we seek to share with them. When they rather wait than make a decision to give their lives over to the God who loves them. Lord we look on powerlessly but  Lord you are powerful and merciful. We pray for our parents, children, siblings, relatives, friends and colleagues who do not know you. We pray for Jek Aun’s parents, for Stella Goh’s parents in law. For the husband of Sister Leng, that you may guide those who are sharing the gospel with them. Send Your truth, light and Your holy Spirit into the hearts of those who live in darkness.

Lord we are powerless when suffering hits too close to home and we feel like  things are crashing and we are suffocating in misery.  Lord we are powerless but You are powerful.

So we want to commit into your loving hands those who are sick, feeling unwell and undergoing cancer treatments in this time, including Johnny Lou, brother of Dorothy; and Sister Hanna, mother of Ribka, grant them physical healing and relieve the physical pain. Grant energy for each day and joy for each moment. We pray for the mother in law of Esther Goh that she may be comforted in her old age despite the poor hearing and eyesight. Be with the father and brother of Esther Leong who has tested positive for COVID-19. That strength and healing will come swiftly and that her mother may come to see Your power and care in this trying season and come to trust in You as her Lord and Savior. 

Be with all caretakers and family members as looking after those unwell can be physically and emotionally tiring, may they find in you rest and physical sustenance sufficient for each day. 

We pray for the family of our Field Education Student from Singapore Bible College Poudi, May you grant health and safety of his wife Hatis and two children Obed and Bethany who are in Manipur, India. And as they wait for Your perfect timing, that you may grant that they may be physically reunited soon.

Thank you for walking with Sister Jeanie in her last moments here on earth and welcoming her to her eternal home with open arms, bringing to completion the work you started in her in Jesus Christ. May you bring your comfort to her grieving family, and all who have lost loved ones in these few months, that all may turn to You for the hope the Lord who has victory and power over sin and death. 

We thank You for your peace that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, given to those who come to you in prayer.

Help us in our varying encounters with suffering this day to experience Your perfect heavenly peace which transcends all understanding. Quiet our spirits and calm the turmoil of our souls. Settle the storms within us and give us the strength to weather the suffering caused by the trials around us. As we cry out to You, help us look to Christ who came to suffer on the cross for us. Let us rest in the embrace of the Prince of Peace who in His power has overcome this world.

And it is in the power and might of the name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ we pray, Amen

Pr Evan (Prayer) and Pr Isaac Chang (Devotion)

Our God invites us in Hebrews chapter 4:16 to come boldly to His throne of grace so that we will receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

We come before you on behalf of those who look to you in their illness... 

Bro. Louis Cheok’s mother (Mdm. Ang)

Sharon’s dad (uncle Andrew)

Janet Ng’s son (Aaron)

Elder Lau 

Sister Jeannie 

Bro. Nicholas

...and many others.  You know who they are and what they are going through right now.  Be their comforter and strength!  Deliver every one of them from their afflictions and surround them with your healing grace & loving presence!

We join with sister Kia Lan and others to pray for the home and family. You created the home as a place of refuge, where one can find safety, comfort, acceptance, understanding, forgiveness, unconditional love and support.

We lift up to you, Samantha Kate Loh, grant her the peace and assurance of your loving presence each time she sits for her examination. We pray for her sister, Sarah - knowing that she has worked hard and tried her best.  Teach her to commit all her future efforts to you and bless all her endeavours to bring glory to your great Name!

Father in heaven, we ask for your grace and mercy to surround those who are afflicted by the coronavirus as well as those who are suffering from other medical conditions.  We place all of them into your healing hands. Be merciful to them and let your presence and power be manifested in their lives and bodies.

We commit into your care and protection the weak and the vulnerable, especially the young children from eleven years and below - that they too may be safely vaccinated and protected against the deadly virus.  We commit to you those who are bereaved – as they grieve, may they find peace and comfort from your Word and from your abiding presence.  During this time of great need, may the hearts of people made drawn closer to you.

We pray for those who are out of work and those experiencing financial hardships due to the pandemic. You know the fears and the anxieties that they are going through during this difficult season. Help them not become so focused on their circumstances that they forget Your blessings.  Increase their faith and provide a way out for them.

Thank you, Lord for hearing our prayers - for we offer this prayer along with our supplication & thanksgiving in the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen!

GOD ANSWERS PRAYER SONG (sung by Rev Goh)

Did you ever talk to God above?

Tell Him that you need a friend to love

Pray in Jesus' name believing

That God answers prayer

Have you told Him all your cares and woes?

Every tiny little fear He knows

You can know He'll always hear 

And He will answer prayer

You can whisper in a crowd to Him,

You can cry when you're alone to Him.

You don't have to pray out loud to Him

He knows your thoughts

On a lofty mountain peak, He's there,

In the meadow by a stream, He's there.

Anywhere on earth you go

He's been there from the start

Find the answer in His word it's true

You'll be strong because He walks with you

By His faithfulness, He'll change you, too

God answers prayer

Devotion: Rev Goh Yong Kuang and Pastoral Prayer: Pr. Dr. Jeremy Chew

THEME

The Bible exhorts us to “carry each other's burdens.” (Galatians 6:2)

Praying is one way we can help lift each other’s burden.  Thank God that we are not alone in our journey, for we have the encouragement and support of others who walk and pray with us and for us!

PRAYER REQUESTS for Episode 1

1)  For those who look to God for strength and healing of the body due to sickness.

-  Brother Mr Tan (father of Elder Keh Whoo)

-  Brother Mr Hsu (father of sister Tracy)

-  Sister Mdm Ang (mother of brother Louis Cheok)

-  Brother Aaron (son of sister Janet Ng)

-  Sister Jeannie Lim

-  Sister Betty Wee

-  Brother Hai Chin

-  Brother Peter Lau

-  Brother Vincent Wee

-  Brother Jack Lau

2)  For protection and preservation of God’s children during the pandemic.

Sister Choo Geck

-  Bring the youths back to Him and protect them from physical harm and other distractions.

-  Encourage and bless the leaders and teachers as they persevere in guiding the youths.

Devotion : Rev Goh Yong Kuang

Pastoral Prayer : Rev Henry Hong

The purpose of the Churchwide Prayer is to gather people for prayer and to connect people with God and one another through prayer.

The focus is on the priority of praying together and for one another – which was a priority for the early church (Acts 1:14, 2:42, 4:23-24).

Adding to the existing approach currently practiced by individuals and families in their own homes, respective groups, and fellowships – Churchwide Prayer is a new and bold attempt at breaking the physical barriers and restrictions imposed upon us by the pandemic and other factors by means of a fortnightly podcasts which will be launched on 9 OCTOBER, 7AM.

To join and pray along, follow and listen on SPOTIFY at our Glory Presbyterian Churchwide Prayer podcasts or simply visit our website at https://www.glorypresbyterian.net/library/churchwideprayer/

Submit your prayers! Get ready for the launch! Meantime, keep praying!