Praying for Women in Need
Helen Fisher and Helen Reynolds have both provided material for us to pray for women in need. We are grateful to them both. Helen Reynolds has left space to identify with specific needs that the women have eg childhood trauma, domestic abuse etc.
Helen Fisher became a Christian partly as a result of participating in an Alpha course at St Chad's. Sometime later, for several years as a church, we supported her in a Bible translation ministry in Jos. She also regularly visited women in the local prison. Here are her prayer requests for these women and an example of the way that reading/listening to the Bible together touched the hearts of these women.
Helen Reynolds has been a long-term member of St Chad's, who began training for ministry with the Church Army in Sheffield. Throughout the three years training, which she is about to complete, she has been working with women in need in Sheffield.
Pray for both Helens, who are continuing to serve God. Helen F has left Jos because of ill-health, and is now a speech and language therapist in Chesterfield. Helen R will be continuing her ministry among women in need in the city as a commissioned Church Army worker. Her commissioning service is on 20 July. Do pray for them both.
Prayer for women refugees
Compassionate God
You walked with Sarah,
mother of the chosen people,
as she sought refuge from famine in Egypt.
You walked with Ruth,
example of faithful love,
as she searched for welcome and security.
You walked with Miriam,
sister of Moses, prophet and leader,
as she left behind slavery and oppression.
You walked with Mary,
mother of your Son, Jesus,
as she fled violence and persecution
You walk with all women refugees,
seeking safe shelter,
as they long for home.
Walk with us,
open our hearts and arms,
to reach out in welcome and love.
Amen
Caroline Stanton/CAFOD
God, we cry to you for justice for women and girls.
Help us to dig out the roots of gender-based violence and discrimination.
Inspire us to break down the structures that silence and
disempower women.
Make us united in condemning abuse, in all its forms.
God, we cry to you for refuge for the survivors of violence.
May those in power recognise their responsibilities
to support survivors.
Show us how to amplify the voices of women and girls
speaking up for change.
Give us the courage to act against inequality.
God, we cry to you for change, for transformation.
Send us the strength to persist in activism when we face barriers.
Fill us with determination as we seek to renew our world.
May we see a day when every girl will be free to flourish and know life in all its fullness.
Christian Aid
Prayers from the charity Embrace the Middle East
Saviour God,
We are amazed that you chose to lay aside your glory and come to this dark world as a baby in an ordinary family. We thank you for your incredible love for mankind – the love that motivated you to live the perfect life that we could not, and to die on the cross in our place.
Our thoughts at this time are also with the mothers, babies and children in Gaza – many who are traumatised, who have lost loved ones, who have been displaced form their homes. May you bless and prosper the work of the NECC (Near Eastern Council of Churches) and we pray that they would be able to continue giving pregnant women and young children the care they desperately need and deserve. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Remembering mothers and babies in Gaza _Embrace the Middle East (embraceme.org)
Praying for the women in prison in Jos, Central Nigeria
Helen Fisher worked in Bible translation ministry in Jos. She also regularly visited women in the local prison. Here are her prayer requests for these women and an example of the way that reading/listening to the Bible together touched the hearts of these women.
Pray for them and for other women in prison in similar situations.
Jos Prison, Nigeria
Ruth and a fellow missionary. Ruth visits the ladies in the prison once a week to lead a Bible study and to pray with the ladies.
Prayers for the ladies in Jos prison, Nigeria
Pray:
- ..they will know God as their Father, to grow in trust and knowledge of him.
- ..they will have a deeper understanding of God’s love and grace, knowing he can meet all their needs, whatever their circumstances.
- ..for them and their families as they are separated one another, including in some cases, from their children.
- ..for God to protect them from illnesses such as malaria, typhoid and respiratory diseases. Prisons are not healthy places!
- ..their court cases will be held in a timely way and that they will be just and fair.
- ..for Ruth, (see above) a Nigerian missionary, who visits the ladies once a week to lead a Bible study and pray with them. May God bless and protect her and her family, to provide all their financial and other needs.
Here are the thoughts of the ladies in the prison from previous Bible studies, after hearing these stories read. Many of the women cannot read for themselves.
Rahab (Joshua 2 and 6)
What struck you or touched your heart in what we heard?
- Rahab was bold. She hid the men and she defied the King.
- Rahab trusted God and was patient.
- Joshua reminded the spies about their promise even though he wasn’t there when they gave their promise to Rahab.
- The spies were humans and they kept their promise - so how much more can we can trust that God will always keep his promises.
What do we learn about God?
- If we come to God and confess to him, he can use us despite what we did in the past.
- God can use anyone including those who people might dismiss or overlook.
What is God saying to you personally?
- God gave Rahab wisdom about him and about hiding the men. God can give me wisdom too.
- God used Rahab and she was a prostitute. God can use anyone. He can use me.
- God uses the least/ little people so if a child comes to me with a word from God, I should listen.
- I should concentrate on the future and not the past and God can use me.
John 4 – Jesus meets the Samaritan women at the well
What struck you or touched your heart in what we heard?
- What touched my heart was that Jesus had such an effect on the lady that she left her water jar at the well and ran to tell the villagers about him.
When we read the passage, we might overlook the fact that the lady left her water jar, because we get water from a tap and don’t need to go to the well. However, like the Samaritan woman, water from a well is the only source of water for the majority of Nigerians and so leaving your water behind at the well is of much significance.
Helen Fisher and Helen Reynolds have both provided material for us to pray for women in need. We are grateful to them both. Helen Reynolds has left space to identify with specific needs that the women have eg childhood trauma, domestic abuse etc.
Helen Fisher became a Christian partly as a result of participating in an Alpha course at St Chad's. Sometime later, for several years as a church, we supported her in a Bible translation ministry in Jos. She also regularly visited women in the local prison. Here are her prayer requests for these women and an example of the way that reading/listening to the Bible together touched the hearts of these women.
Helen Reynolds has been a long-term member of St Chad's, who began training for ministry with the Church Army in Sheffield. Throughout the three years training, which she is about to complete, she has been working with women in need in Sheffield.
Pray for both Helens, who are continuing to serve God. Helen F has left Jos because of ill-health, and is now a speech and language therapist in Chesterfield. Helen R will be continuing her ministry among women in need in the city as a commissioned Church Army worker. Her commissioning service is on 20 July. Do pray for them both.
Prayer for women refugees
Compassionate God
You walked with Sarah,
mother of the chosen people,
as she sought refuge from famine in Egypt.
You walked with Ruth,
example of faithful love,
as she searched for welcome and security.
You walked with Miriam,
sister of Moses, prophet and leader,
as she left behind slavery and oppression.
You walked with Mary,
mother of your Son, Jesus,
as she fled violence and persecution
You walk with all women refugees,
seeking safe shelter,
as they long for home.
Walk with us,
open our hearts and arms,
to reach out in welcome and love.
Amen
Caroline Stanton/CAFOD
God, we cry to you for justice for women and girls.
Help us to dig out the roots of gender-based violence and discrimination.
Inspire us to break down the structures that silence and
disempower women.
Make us united in condemning abuse, in all its forms.
God, we cry to you for refuge for the survivors of violence.
May those in power recognise their responsibilities
to support survivors.
Show us how to amplify the voices of women and girls
speaking up for change.
Give us the courage to act against inequality.
God, we cry to you for change, for transformation.
Send us the strength to persist in activism when we face barriers.
Fill us with determination as we seek to renew our world.
May we see a day when every girl will be free to flourish and know life in all its fullness.
Christian Aid
Prayers from the charity Embrace the Middle East
Saviour God,
We are amazed that you chose to lay aside your glory and come to this dark world as a baby in an ordinary family. We thank you for your incredible love for mankind – the love that motivated you to live the perfect life that we could not, and to die on the cross in our place.
Our thoughts at this time are also with the mothers, babies and children in Gaza – many who are traumatised, who have lost loved ones, who have been displaced form their homes. May you bless and prosper the work of the NECC (Near Eastern Council of Churches) and we pray that they would be able to continue giving pregnant women and young children the care they desperately need and deserve. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Remembering mothers and babies in Gaza _Embrace the Middle East (embraceme.org)
Praying for the women in prison in Jos, Central Nigeria
Helen Fisher worked in Bible translation ministry in Jos. She also regularly visited women in the local prison. Here are her prayer requests for these women and an example of the way that reading/listening to the Bible together touched the hearts of these women.
Pray for them and for other women in prison in similar situations.
Jos Prison, Nigeria
Ruth and a fellow missionary. Ruth visits the ladies in the prison once a week to lead a Bible study and to pray with the ladies.
Prayers for the ladies in Jos prison, Nigeria
Pray:
- ..they will know God as their Father, to grow in trust and knowledge of him.
- ..they will have a deeper understanding of God’s love and grace, knowing he can meet all their needs, whatever their circumstances.
- ..for them and their families as they are separated one another, including in some cases, from their children.
- ..for God to protect them from illnesses such as malaria, typhoid and respiratory diseases. Prisons are not healthy places!
- ..their court cases will be held in a timely way and that they will be just and fair.
- ..for Ruth, (see above) a Nigerian missionary, who visits the ladies once a week to lead a Bible study and pray with them. May God bless and protect her and her family, to provide all their financial and other needs.
Here are the thoughts of the ladies in the prison from previous Bible studies, after hearing these stories read. Many of the women cannot read for themselves.
Rahab (Joshua 2 and 6)
What struck you or touched your heart in what we heard?
- Rahab was bold. She hid the men and she defied the King.
- Rahab trusted God and was patient.
- Joshua reminded the spies about their promise even though he wasn’t there when they gave their promise to Rahab.
- The spies were humans and they kept their promise - so how much more can we can trust that God will always keep his promises.
What do we learn about God?
- If we come to God and confess to him, he can use us despite what we did in the past.
- God can use anyone including those who people might dismiss or overlook.
What is God saying to you personally?
- God gave Rahab wisdom about him and about hiding the men. God can give me wisdom too.
- God used Rahab and she was a prostitute. God can use anyone. He can use me.
- God uses the least/ little people so if a child comes to me with a word from God, I should listen.
- I should concentrate on the future and not the past and God can use me.
John 4 – Jesus meets the Samaritan women at the well
What struck you or touched your heart in what we heard?
- What touched my heart was that Jesus had such an effect on the lady that she left her water jar at the well and ran to tell the villagers about him.
When we read the passage, we might overlook the fact that the lady left her water jar, because we get water from a tap and don’t need to go to the well. However, like the Samaritan woman, water from a well is the only source of water for the majority of Nigerians and so leaving your water behind at the well is of much significance.