2013 Week 31

¹I waited patiently for the Lord;

    he turned to me and heard my cry.

²He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

    out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

    and gave me a firm place to stand.

³He put a new song in my mouth,

    a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

    and put their trust in him.

⁴Blessed is the one

    who trusts in the Lord,

who does not look to the proud,

    to those who turn aside to false gods.[b]

⁵Many, Lord my God,

    are the wonders you have done,

    the things you planned for us.

None can compare with you;

    were I to speak and tell of your deeds,

    they would be too many to declare.

                                                Psalm 40:1-5 (NIV)

1. The Lord does hear our cries when we wait patiently upon Him.  Pray for us to respond obediently to His promptings and to have the desire to do His will.  Pray that when opportunity arises, we will be bold to speak of His faithfulness and salvation (v 10).  May all who seek Him, rejoice and be glad in Him.  May He continue to be exalted within our midst (v16).

2. Pray for the completion of the Building Project as it comes near to its final stages.  Pray for the Occupancy Committee which has been busy at work.  The Lord is raising up a whole generation of brothers and sisters to walk the next leg of the race.  Praise the Lord for the dedication of the members on the different teams in moving the project forward.  The Lord who sees our hearts will surely remember their love for Him and His church.  Pray for a break even on financial accounts on project completion.  Continue to pray for the leasing of the available space in the new building.  Pray for good cooperation with our construction company, so that the project will proceed smoothly and be completed on time.  Pray also for all the necessary permits to be obtained to allow smooth workflow and completion of the task at hand.

3. Pray for Pastoral staff, deacons, ESC core leaders team as they plan ahead for the fall and cast the vision as we step into a new phase of our church history.  Pray for a renewed desire to fulfill the Great commission to therefore go and make disciples of all nations.  Pray for continued dependence on Him and willingness to take up the Cross.  Pray for renewal and power from the Holy Spirit.  Continue to pray for Pastor Richard  and Pastor Allen as they lead and shepherd the flock amongst the ESC.  May their Lord give them much wisdom and guidance.

4. Pray for VBS Session 2 which runs for two weeks until August 16th.  Please pray for the children - for good fun and meaningful lessons; may they hear and respond to the Spirit as the gospel message is presented by the VBS counselors and staff.  Please pray for the counselors as they lead the children.

5. Pray for the Adult Sunday School class and teacher Jonathan Li.  As we learn more about the Holy Spirit, may we be prompted to rely more on Him and experience His presence in our lives.  Pray for diligence to study ahead the material or topic which is being presented each week.

6. Continue to pray for our missionaries both overseas and those on home assignment.  Praise the Lord for the many short-termers amongst us who were able to share about  their  recent or upcoming overseas and/or intern experiences.  May the Lord continue to guide and equip them for further missionary work down the road whether locally or globally.

7. Pray for ministry group leaders and the nominating committee as it seeks to encourage new or existing leaders to serve in the various capacities with the gifts that God had entrusted to them.  Continue also to pray for the various team members who lead the worship each Sunday.  Pray that as a result of their ministry, the congregation will be drawn closer to Him  and experience His presence and comfort in a deeper way.  Pray also for the message that is being delivered from the pulpit each week that as a result of His Word being preached, we will respond accordingly.  On the 3rd Sunday of each month, there will be intercessory prayer going on at the same time as the worship service.  The prayer takes place in the area behind the sanctuary, accessed by the door beside the sanctuary organ.  Come join us...


8. Continue to pray for spiritual renewal both personally and as a community.  It has been mentioned by many lately about the importance of drawing near to Him and seeking His face.  Pray that we will indeed learn to prioritize our time.  Loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength indeed requires assessing what is more important vs. the urgent matters that sometimes demand our attention.  Pray that we will have the discipline and faithfulness to make time for Him.