Hilton Church Prayer Diary May 2003 “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Genesis 18 v. 14 Thursday 1st May Scottish Parliamentary Elections and Local Government elections in Scotland, Wales and England. Pray for the right leaders for communities and for Scotland, and that there would be those who seek to honour God as well as to serve the people. Friday 2nd May Pray for Debbie, mum of 4, youngest 2 months, who has cancer and is very ill. Pray for the correct treatment for her and for God's peace and surrounding for Steve and the whole family. Saturday 3rd May Pray today for Alec Mackay, very frail, and remember Marion Ann as she cares for him. Pray too for Barbara Adams who has been quite poorly recently. Sunday 4th May Give thanks for all the children at Hilton and pray for those who work so faithfully in Crèche, Kingdom Kids, Sunday Club and Teenscene. Pray that our children will grow up not just knowing about God, but knowing Him for themselves through Jesus. Monday 5th May Pray for those known to you who struggle with the lack of a relationship: a parent who has died or left; no husband or wife to share with; or those longing for children of their own. Give thanks that God is “Father to the Fatherless”, Jesus is described as the most intimate lover; and God has promised that “more are the children of a desolate woman than of her who has a lover…” (c.f. Ps 68 v,5; Song of Songs; Isaiah 54 v. 1) Tuesday 6th May Could we please pray for the Inverness Presbytery meeting today; that together throughout all our congregations and parishes we may catch something of a vision and burden for reaching out to lost and broken humanity on our doorstep. Wednesday 7th May Remember the homegroups, that they will grow & faith will deepen & be nurtured through them. Thursday 8th May Give thanks for the great time enjoyed by those who were as SU camps this Easter. Pray that those who made a Christian commitment will find courage to tell others at home and school and that they will grow in their faith. Friday 9th May The first training session for the Befriending Scheme takes place this evening. Pray there will be sufficient Befrienders to meet local needs which are many and varied. Saturday 10th May The Toddlers parents are having a night out! Pray for good conversations and relationships to deepen as a result. Sunday 11th May Give thanks for our minister, Duncan, and Shona and their commitment to the church and parish. Pray for them in their many responsibilities and uphold them before the Lord very specially today. Pray for protection for them in their work and for the who family - Eilidh, Rory and Peter. Monday 12th May Continue to pray for the people of Iraq and for the setting up of new leadership in that country. Pray for people in the Barnabas Fund and Release International who work with the persecuted church in Iraq and many other countries. Tuesday 13th May “TNT” (Tea, News and Teaching) - a day-time Bible study continues today. Pray that those who can't make it to evening housegroups and who crave fellowship will find their way to this group. Wednesday 14th May This is exam season for many young people. Pray particularly for those you know who need certain results to secure college or university places. Pray for others who may be overly stressed or others who are completely disinterested in the exams. Thursday 15th May Give thanks for Colin Carmichael who is the SU staff worker for our area. Give thanks that he has a flat at last. Pray for his protection and safety as he travels the Highlands. Pray for his encouragement for SU volunteers in and out of schools. Friday 16th May Hector Morrison, Moderator of the Inverness Presbytery, Pat Arthur & Duncan will be attending the General Assembly, Sat 17 May- Friday 24 May. Pray for simple, Holy Spirit-filled decisions, for the "Church without walls" commission, that we will be an inclusive church......... Saturday 17th May “Bouncy Castles and Bacon Butties” - a morning for Dads and Under 5s takes place at church today. Sunday 18th May Amanda Budge, one of our elders, leads an SU group in the school she works in: pray for week-by-week clarity in teaching the truth about Jesus and for her life to be a transparent witness in school as a whole. Monday 19th May A recent book entitled “If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat” has encouraged many to put faith in God in new ways. Pray for anyone known to you who needs to “Get out of the boat” - be it trusting Jesus fully for the first time, taking the plunge in a new form of ministry or taking on a new challenge at work or elsewhere. Tuesday 20th May Christians at Work Give thanks that God calls us to many different walks of life and for those He brings us into contact there. Pray that our witness will be effective at work and that those who mock or torment or seek to trip us up will be those who see Jesus in us. Pray for those you know who are under pressure at work. Wednesday 21st May Rich Olyott, youth worker, spends a lot of time in and around Hilton and Cauldeen primaries. Pray that his presence there will make a difference to the lives of staff and pupils. Thursday 22nd May The Guild meets fortnightly on Thursdays. Give thanks for the friendship and fellowship enjoyed by many here and pray for each member to meet with God day-by-day and at meetings week-by-week. Friday 23rd May Remember Colm and Moira, our Family Support Workers, as they continue to develop links with schools and community through the Befriending scheme, Toddlers, Breakfast Club, a new “Parents Together” discussion time at Hilton school and other projects. Pray that their work will bear real and lasting fruit in people's lives. Saturday 24th May Pray for Highland Theological College, a project contributing in a significant way to the spiritual revitalising of our generation, in the present "Alexander Murray Challenge" to secure the college's long-term financial viability & to increase student numbers. Pray that the money needed will come in. Sunday 25th May Remember today those in our congregation who are often away on Sundays due to preaching engagements elsewhere: Hector Morrison, Jamie Grant, Richard Gibbons, Iain MacRitchie. Pray that in their pressured lives, they may be in step with the Spirit as they are called to share God's word in many different situations. Monday 26th May Remember the families of those you prayed for yesterday! Their support from the home end is vital and mostly goes unseen and often unappreciated by others! Tuesday 27th May Pray specifically about a news item that has caught your attention today. It may be something local, national or international. Wednesday 28th May “Jehovah Jireh - my Provider…” Give thanks that God has promised to supply all our needs. Pray for those who struggle to keep within their budget for whatever reason. Give thanks for the generosity of God's people. Thursday 29th May Plans are afoot for some children's/family activities in the month of July as well as a Holiday Club in October. Pray for the planning and preparation of these, that things will be well organised in time!! Friday 30th May Give thanks for the gift of time - the years God has given us here on earth. Pray that we will not take it for granted, nor wish time away, but use it well and be able to make right priorities for our lives. Saturday 31st May Take time today to read a Psalm - perhaps Psalm 8 or 103 or 150 -and to praise God for who He is.