Hi for those of you who know now that canada had a shooting happening
and i don't think it was  something that maybe strikes with  this one
anyway i am posting a prayer my churche's denomonation president had
sent to the churches. hear is that prayer and remember canada in your
prayers please.
A Prayer for Canada October 24, 2014



Our Father in heaven, the events of this week have shaken our nation.
How shall we pray?



 We pray that your holy name will be honoured. It is not Your will
that anger, violence, prejudice and injustice should reign. Such
things by individuals and nations bring dishonor to your name.
Paradoxically we, the people created in your image, perpetrate these
things and yet we, the guilty, blame you for our actions.



 We, therefore, pray that Your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. That Your Kingdom come. We pray for the fulfillment of the
prophecy of Jeremiah more than 2500 years ago - that the time will
come when people really know You; a time when your law will be written
on our hearts; a time peace and justice will prevail. How we long to
see Your will on earth! Make us the agents of your peace. The prayer
of St. Francis is the echo of your heart:



 Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;

 Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

 Where there is injury, pardon;

 Where there is discord, harmony;

 Where there is error, truth;

 Where there is doubt, faith;

 Where there is despair, hope;

 Where there is darkness, light;

 And where there is sadness, joy.



 Father, make us agents of your peace!



 Give us this day the food we need. Lord, we need the elements of
life. We need your provision. For some, it is food for the table, for
others, it is food for the soul.



 The events of recent days have robbed many of peace of mind. The
troubles of troubled lives and troubled minds, of perpetrators who
have rejected their divine calling to be instruments of your peace,
have spilled over in tragic ways.



 We pray for the loved ones of the fallen soldiers: Cpl. Nathan
Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent. Thank you for them and
the many they represent, who by vocation have stood in harm's way for
all Canadians. Lord, may their deaths be a strong incentive to make
peace and to save lives. Thank you for the police and the armed forces
who seek to uphold justice and the rule of law.



 Give wisdom and courage to our leaders, the Prime Minister and
Parliament, to govern the affairs of the nation well. Help them to
choose the right path even when the way is difficult or not clear.
Help them to speak the words that our nation needs to hear.



 Those who perpetrate harm are in need. Exchange their hatred with
love for You and for others. May they heed the words of the Saviour,
Who said, 'Love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you.' May
they abandon the ideologies of violence and hatred. May they embrace
the mind and heart of the One Who came to serve rather than to be
served.



 As we pray for them, we pray for ourselves because the seeds of
hatred and vengeance embed themselves deeply and quickly. Make us a
nation of people guided by an extraordinary passion to love and serve
others.



 Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we forgive the wrongs others
have done to us. Father, we all need the grace of forgiveness, the
gift of being able to start again. Let justice prevail, for a nation
must be governed by rule of law. Teach us not to resent the sanctions
of the law and to accept our 'just desserts.'



 But Lord, we know that justice can be infused with anger and
violence. As we administer justice for all, may mercy season justice!
Then we will understand this way of praying and this way of living.
The message of the Cross of Jesus is this, 'While we were yet sinners
Christ died for us.' Thank you for the gift of forgiveness, that gives
life to the nation and sets us free to live again!



 Keep us from yielding to temptation and deliver us from evil. The
temptations are many. Today the temptation may be to yield to fear or
hatred or vengeance. But, with Your strength, Lord, we refuse to yield
to these or any other! Make us people of character, not ruled by
impulse, or appetite or provocation.



 But, Father, evil is real. And those who have embraced evil would
cause us harm. So we ask for deliverance, for protection, for
ourselves, for our loved ones, for our nation, for those who stand in
the gap, and even for those ensnared in the way of violence and evil.



 Jesus taught us to pray in this manner. So would we pray, not out of
ideology or creed, but from a simple heart cry of trust and hope in
You.



 Amen



 Pastor Phil Delsaut