THOSE IN NEED
52. FOR THOSE WE LOVE
Almighty God, we entrust all who are dear to us [especially _____] to your never failing care and love, for this life and the life to come, knowing that you are doing for them better things than we can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
53. FOR THOSE WHO TRAVEL
O God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go: Preserve those who travel [especially _____]; surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
54. FOR THE ABSENT
O God, whose fatherly care reaches to the ends of the earth: We ask you graciously to behold and bless those we love who are now absent from us [especially _____]. Defend them from all dangers of soul and body, and grant that both they and we, drawing nearer to you, may be bound together by your love, in the communion of your Holy Spirit and in the fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
55. FOR THOSE WHO LIVE ALONE
Almighty God, whose Son had nowhere to lay his head: Grant that all those who live alone [especially ______] may not be lonely in their solitude, but that, following in his steps, they may find fulfillment in loving you and their neighbours; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
56. FOR THE ELDERLY
Look with mercy, O God our Father, on all whose increasing years bring them weakness, distress, or isolation [especially ______]. Provide for them homes of dignity and peace; give them understanding helpers, and the willingness to accept help; and as their strength diminishes, increase their faith and their assurance of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
57. FOR THOSE WITH CHRONIC DISEASE
Heavenly Father, sustainer of our life and source of our hope: Comfort and relieve all who endure long-term illness or persistent handicap [especially ______]. Give your grace to all who minister to their needs, that they may be strengthened in their weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through him who knows our weakness and has shared our sorrows, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
58. FOR A PERSON IN TROUBLE OR BEREAVEMENT
O merciful Father, you have taught us in your holy Word that you do not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men: Look with pity on the sorrows of your servant N. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy; nourish his soul with patience; comfort him with a sense of your goodness; lift up your countenance upon him; and give him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
59. FOR THE DISCOURAGED AND DOWNCAST
O God, almighty and merciful, you heal the broken-hearted, and turn the sadness of the sorrowful to joy: Let your fatherly goodness be upon all whom you have made. Remember in pity all those who are this day destitute, homeless, elderly, infirm, or forgotten. Bless the multitude of your poor. Lift up those who are cast down. Mightily befriend innocent sufferers, and sanctify to them the endurance of their wrongs. Cheer with hope all who are discouraged and downcast, and by your heavenly grace preserve from falling those whose poverty tempts them to sin. Though they be troubled on every side, suffer them not to be distressed; though they are perplexed, save them from despair. Grant this, O Lord, for the love of him who for our sakes became poor, your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
60. FOR PRISONERS
O God, you forgive when we deserve punishment, and in your wrath you remember mercy: We humbly ask you, of your goodness, to comfort all prisoners [and especially those who are condemned to die]. Give them a right understanding of themselves, and of your promises, that trusting wholly in your mercy, they may not place their confidence anywhere but in you. Relieve the distressed; deliver the innocent; bring the guilty to repentance; and as you alone bring light out of darkness, and good out of evil, grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit they may be set free from the chains of sin, and brought to newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
61. FOR THE RECOVERY OF A SICK PERSON
Almighty and immortal God, giver of life and health: We implore your mercy for your servant N., that by your blessing upon him and upon those who minister to him with your healing gifts, he may be restored to health of body and mind, according to your gracious will, and may give thanks to you in your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
62. FOR THOSE AFFLICTED WITH MENTAL SUFFERING
Almighty God, whose Son took upon himself the afflictions of your people: Regard with your tender compassion those suffering from anxiety, depression, or mental illness [especially _______]; bear their sorrows and their cares; supply all their needs; help them to put their whole trust and confidence in you; and restore them to strength of mind and cheerfulness of spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
63. FOR THOSE IN BONDAGE TO ADDICTION
O blessed Lord, you ministered to all who came to you: Look with compassion upon those who through addiction have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of your unfailing mercy; remove from them the fears that beset them; strengthen them in the work of their recovery; and to those who minister to them, give patient understanding and persevering love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
64. FOR THE UNREPENTANT
Merciful God, you desire not the death of sinners, but rather that they should turn to you and live; and through your only Son you have revealed yourself as the God who pardons iniquity. Have mercy on the unrepentant and those who do not believe [especially _____]. Awaken in them, by your Word and Holy Spirit, a deep sense of their sinfulness and peril. Take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of your Word. Grant them to know and feel that there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which they must be saved, but only the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so bring them home and number them among your children, that they may be yours for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.