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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

Today’s Reflection

THIS YEAR all of March falls in the season of Lent, the season when we spend extra time in prayer as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. In your prayer time this month, add these people to those you normally pray for.

Praying for others is called intercessory prayer because you intercede or ask something on behalf of someone else. Sometimes when we pray for others, we pray about specific needs we know they have. Other times, when we don’t know their needs, we may simply ask God to bless them.

Prayer focus for March 10: Someone who’s hard to like.


Pockets March-April 2018

From Lenten Prayer Calendar in Pockets: For Kids Who Love God, March 2018. Copyright © 2018 by The Upper Room. All rights reserved. Used by permission. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.

Today’s Question

Pray for someone who is hard to like. Share your thoughts.

Today’s Scripture

For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Ephesians 2:10, NRSV

This Week: Pray for persons who are experiencing new beginnings. Submit your prayer to The Upper Room Living Prayer Center or share it in the comment section.

Did You Know?

In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers. Call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center website.

This week we remember: John of God (March 8).

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Sponsored by Upper Room Ministries ®. Copyright © 2018 | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA

11 Comments

  • Jill Posted March 10, 2018 5:39 am

    The prayer support which is such an integral part of the sharing that goes on here is beautiful and blessed by Our Father. I appreciate your words to me and those lifted to Him on behalf of my family. My sister’s name is Becky. And since you know my immediate family’s names…you, must know my wonderful furry friend’s name – Roger.
    Played tennis again with my team last evening, and I must say, it is quite wonderful. I was hesitant to believe I would be pain free the next day – but Monday morning and this morning I feel fine and am so grateful. It gives me hope that this coming summer I will be able to play quite often, with no repercussions from my PsA. How long it will last – only God knows, but I am going to enjoy it for as long as possible.
    Mom had a “non-bad” day yesterday. Not as good as the previous two days, but not a negative day. Making dinner for her and dad tonight – will take it over there and eat with them. Hoping to get to church tomorrow. Will go and sit with mom while dad goes to church. Once he gets home – I should be able to get to my church a few minutes late, but need to go. I have missed the last 3 weeks.

  • Julie Posted March 10, 2018 7:29 am

    Jill, thank you for sharing the names of those close to you. I am praying for them by name and I feel closer to them and you and experience my prayers more deeply.
    I suppose this reflection could be taken as a challenge to pray for the “husband.” But given the degree of pain and betrayal, he is not simply a person that is hard to like. He is destructive and abusive and cruel.
    He came home last night after I went to bed. This mornng I found a grocery list of things he expects me to buy for him. Not happening until I get an apology and an explanation and some concessions. He has not said a word to me. Thank you all so much for your kind words. I needed them so very much.
    Blessings and prayers for each of my UR family members and their shared concerns
    Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions. Dalai Lama

    • Connie Posted March 10, 2018 9:15 am

      And thus, the meaning of “Hell on Earth”. May you find your “Heaven” in other ways…..the love of God, your friends here, and the promise of Spring.

  • Connie Posted March 10, 2018 9:22 am

    Yes, this is my “Achilles Heel”- praying for people I dislike (not very many). I will try harder.
    Glad Jill is enjoying life and things are looking up. She is such a great daughter and I feel like “one of the family”.
    Have a wonderful weekend, my friends.

  • robert moeller Posted March 10, 2018 6:49 pm

    Thankful for a safe trip to and from the train show where I helped man the booth of the Central Vermont Railway Historical Society. I echo Jill’s comment about the sharing and intercessory prayer that goes on here.
    Jesus asks us, commands us, not just to pray for those who love us, but to pray for our enemies. Somewhere in there is Julie’s husband as best we know.
    Without a doubt there is something very broken in that relationship. I ask God’s guidance and wisdom so that Julie and her husband can do what is right in God’s eyes. An eye for an eye is the past, God makes all things new. Do what Jesus would do. If there is no positive change, ask what God would have you do.

    Prayers for Larry, Gloria, Becky, Jill and Roger, Connie an Robin, Andrea and Lowell, Chloe and Paige, Betsy and Grace, Lou, her children and Mom, Joan, Carol, Rusty and K, April, Mary, her forthcoming new job, and parents, and dear Marcy. The Lord grant you your needs, sustain you, and guide you. In God’s hand you are safe. Do not be afraid! The Lord is with you.

    Joe, the difficult tenant now gone from the apartment above Anneliese, is who I pray for. He has diabetes, had open heart surgery, drinks a lot of alcohol, and harms his partner. Lord may he turn to You and know Your peace.

  • Mary Ng Shwu Ling Posted March 10, 2018 7:14 pm

    Glad that you have a safe trip to and from the train show, Robert,

    Very grateful for the joy of praying for others and others praying for me.

    Have a restful sabbath everyone!

    • robert moeller Posted March 11, 2018 5:59 am

      Thank you, Mary!

      Thankful for church today and a new week ahead. Prayers that your new teaching position will be a good one. Thankful for the progress your Mum and Dad are making.

      Many blessings!

      • Mary Ng Shwu Ling Posted March 11, 2018 9:07 am

        I have enough of the teaching position from the experience of my previous job. My class is like a dumping ground. One day, they placed 4 notorious students a teacher cannot handle into my class, another day, a suicidal studentt was placed in my class for a few days, in the morning, i prepared lesson for my class, in the afternoon they said i had to take another class. It is so frustrating, i do not want to be trapped in this situation ever again, so i have moved on to a simple job. Why do i need a complicated job?

        Thanks for understanding and praying, Robert!

  • Lou Posted March 10, 2018 7:20 pm

    Yes Robert- we should strive to live a life that reflects the way of the Lord- what would Jesus do- if we only could all live that way – there would be peace on earth.
    I pray for my ex husband – I feel he has truly lost his way- he used to be such a good and honest man- now he continues to refuse to do what he agreed to do and he rarely sees his wonderful children- it is his loss- we raised truly wonderful children and now he is removed from their lives – minimal contact with them. It saddens me for him and for them. I pray for him -I can’t say that I entirely have come to forgiveness – I am working on that – but I do pray for him. Somehow my heart still loves him even though I do not like the person he has become- but he is lost and I pray for him.
    I pray today for peace for everyone who comes to the UR- God bless you all in your pain, loneliness, worry, fear and fatigue – God is near.

    • robert moeller Posted March 11, 2018 5:53 am

      The relationship between the sexes, men and women, wives and husbands, boyfriends and girfriends is so vital and yet there are so many difficulties. No relationship is perfect, there are challenges even staying close to God. For 23 years I was married, one morning I found my wife dead on the family room couch. Now 21 years later I believe I never should have tried to find another spouse. Without children it might have been possible, but with them, in my particular situation, it is highly improbable. The saying it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all is true for me. I still care for, hope for the best, and support Anneliese as best I can, but it can’t be in the kind of relationship I had with Soo Ok,
      the mother of my children.

      I pray for God’s wisdom and guidance for each couple. It is very much needed.
      To be fair knowing both sides of the relationship is also essential. Then decisions, conclusions can be made.

    • Connie Posted March 11, 2018 9:40 am

      Lou, you are such a good person.

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