The Lord is my shepherd
I shall want for nothing.
Good shepherd we pray for ourselves as your sheep. We pray for the Church, for our local church(es) here in ______ , and for your church around the world. May your people be given wise shepherding by their ministers and leaders. May the leaders be given wise shepherding by the people, and may all of us look for our leading and guidance to you; asking that you lead us, not in the easy way, but in the way that is right and good.
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall want for nothing.
Good shepherd of the sheep, we pray for the world we inhabit—the world which we have inherited and which we will pass on to successive generations. Teach us to look after it carefully and wisely, to share its gifts more fairly and to work together to ease its sufferings. As we enter this Christian Aid week, may we be faithful in prayer and in living so that all peoples may know an equal share of your bountiful giving. We pray too for those in this world who are excited by evil things and driven by personal and corporate greed. Turn such hearts, O God, and encourage the timid to speak out for what is wholesome and good.
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall want for nothing.
Good shepherd who cares for the sheep and surrounds them with love, we pray for our places of work, our colleagues, our friends and our neighbours. We remember before you the members of our families. In all the places and with all the people that fill our lives, give us the grace to do your will and be your witnesses to what it means to live lovingly. We do not ask for popularity at all costs, but the grace to show that following our shepherd is our first priority.
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall want for nothing.
Good shepherd, who tends the vulnerable and weak, we pray for those who must live depending on others for every need. We remember the people in our local nursing home (name), and for children and adults born with handicaps or injured to the point of immobility and those who care for them. We pray too for those who are outwardly whole but are bullied, or constantly despised, so that within themselves they are broken. We pray for those known to us who are ill, remembering before you especially…. Give us a greater reverence for one another, a greater willingness to uphold and encourage one another; we pray for healing and wholeness.
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall want for nothing.
Good shepherd of the sheep, we give you thanks that you came to set us free, to make us safe, to give us abundance of life. We praise you that in you we are able to live through good and ill with confidence. And so we ask that you hear our prayers, for we ask them in the name of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Amen.
—written by Rev Catherine Buchan and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.
