West Devon Methodist Circuit

Circuit Prayer Page

~ Take Time ..... for PRAYER ~

This is our monthly Prayer Diary for the whole of the Circuit. It would be good if we could all pray for each other on the same day, at whatever time suits you the best.  You will see that each day we are praying for the Churches, as listed on the plan, or office holders, as well as an aspect of community life. Perhaps you would like to add in your own local concerns, or share something that comes out of Sunday's worship which you would like to pray and reflect about.

  • Prayer is important to each faith community and to each of us as Christian people.
  • Prayer is taking time out to remember people and events which are of particular concern to us, or to our community. 
  • Prayer points us to God's concern for the world.

Prayer though is not always easy. Even the disciples were unsure as to how to pray and Jesus gave them and us, the Lord's Prayer, in which we think about and pray that God's kingdom of hope, justice and peace may be part of the life of the world. 

We pray in different ways during our own devotions and at times of public worship. Of course, there are many different ways that we can pray and churches are often working on new ways of praying, as well as sharing something of their prayer life as we think about the world around us. Some Christians go on prayer walks both to pray for their community and to think about God's world, others find prayer through music, or when reading the newspaper.

I was told once that when we pray to think about ACTS - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Four ways of prayer that still hold good for today. Perhaps in our prayer life we could find ways of praying this way perhaps once a day, once a week, or on whatever occasion we can.

Perhaps your Chapel holds a prayer meeting, if so, please use the opportunity to pray with others in the Circuit for the Chapels listed in the Prayer Diary. Perhaps you might like to set up a prayer meeting, or a prayer chain, or go on a prayer walk around your community, or between church buildings in the area as a prayer pilgrimage, or find other ways of developing the life of prayer. If you need any advice on how to set about this, then please contact your minister. 


~ THE COVENANT PRAYER ~

John Wesley's call to prayer

     Your will, not mine, be done in all things,
     wherever you may place me,
in all that I do
and in all that I may endure;
     when there is work for me
and when there is none;
when I am troubled
and when I am at peace.
Your will be done
when I am valued
      and when I am disregarded;
when I find fulfilment
and when it is lacking;
when I have all things,
and when I have nothing.
    I willingly offer
     all I have and am
      to serve you,
         as and where you choose.

        Glorious and blessèd God,
         Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
     you are mine and I am yours.
     May it be so for ever.
          Let this covenant now made on earth
               be fulfilled in heaven.  Amen.





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~ How to ... pray ~

There is no one way to pray ...... but we pray as part of our response to people, events and as part of our response to God.

Jesus pointed us to prayer as being something personal, but also as something that is part of the life of the church as a whole. To pray is to be alert to the world around us, as well as being alert to God.  Jesus often went to a quiet place by himself, not to escape from the world, but to listen to God, or to work on something that he needed to think about. Prayer is reflected in our activity, but we also need a quiet space sometimes where we can focus on God and on the situations that concern us.  The Quakers use of silence and the Julian prayer are examples of the quiet places, but we can also learn from the Charismatic movement with its emphasis on listening to God and praying through the Holy Spirit. Prayer adds to the rhythm of the day and to the rhythm of the year.

There is of course no manual for prayer, although there are many pointers to prayer. How we pray is personal to each of us and is in many ways dependent on our experience of life and faith. Prayer is important to us all as Christians and praying for others is part of our ministry to each other and to those around us.

It has been said that prayer is like breathing, giving life to Christians and to the Church. Prayer is a recognition of faith in God who has, through Jesus, brought prayer as part of our humanity and who has shared with us a way of prayer which challenges and changes, but which upholds and guides us.

~ John Wesley and the Covenant ~

Each year is different for us. We learn and grow; we face situations that challenge us and situations that give us great joy. John Wesley reminded his people of the importance of our ongoing relationship with God, with each other and with the world. September is the beginning of the Methodist New Year and the Covenant Service is sometimes used at this time of year as a reminder of our ongoing discipleship. 

The Covenant Prayer is a reminder of the way that God sometimes wants us to be active, whilst at other times to be quiet, but at all times to listen to God, to each other and to what is happening in the world.