Pray

"If anyone wants to serve me, they must follow me. So where I am, the one who wants to serve me will be there also. If anyone serves me, my father will honor them." John 12:26

Sometimes, when the water rises, there is nothing we can do but pray. It has been a real gift to serve along side of the people of the Diocese of North Dakota. The Red River has been cresting and folks have been sandbagging and preparing for the worst. Everyone has been faithful, diligent and hardworking. Their faithfulness and service is remarkable. I ask that folks pray especially for the people across North Dakota and Minnesota, for safety and protection. Bishop Michael Smith offers the following prayers to be used this Sunday. Please pray with us and for the safety and care of all.


-The following may be used with Form I of the Prayers of the People.



For all who battle floods in the Red River Valley and across North Dakota, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.



For those volunteers who have given valiantly of their time, strength, energy and resources in the service of their neighbors, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.



For those who have been evacuated and displaced from their homes, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.



For the strength and stability of protecting levees, dikes and sandbags, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.



Almighty God, our refuge and strength, we call upon you to deliver us from the disaster of floods. Give us your peace, we pray, and the courage to face the challenges before us. Just as your Son reached out to those in need, so may we your people, reach out in the name of Christ in this time of emergency. Whether we are safe and secure or whether our homes and possessions are imperiled, give us the grace to trust in your love. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen.