Scripture Reading:
Psalm 16:5-11, Titus 2:1-5
Reflections of the Heart:
Our elders have seen things we couldn’t even imagine and survived things we could never comprehend facing. They are filled with wisdom and experience that our society needs. Take some time to pray for the senior adults in your life. Let us not forget them.
Scriptural Prayer:
Gracious Father, we thank You for our senior adults. Thank You for blessing each day of their lives. Thank You for blessing them with an abundance of Your wisdom and knowledge. Thank You for providing for their spiritual, emotional, financial and physical needs. Loving Father, we praise Your Name. We praise You because You are good. We will celebrate Your lovely Name with music. We know Your greatness and that You, our Lord, are greater than any other god. Your Name, O Lord, endures forever; Your fame is known to every generation. You are righteous in everything that You do; You are filled with kindness. You are close to all who call upon You in truth. You grant the desires of those who fear You; You hear their cries for help and rescue them. We praise You, Lord; may everyone on earth bless Your holy Name forever and ever.
Eternal Father, we confess that the older men in the Body of Christ will exercise self-control, are worthy of respect and live wisely. They have strong faith and are filled with love and patience. We declare that our senior women are honorable and righteous. They are not slanderous or heavy drinkers. Instead, we confess that they will teach others what is good; they will train the younger women in the Body of Christ to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. We decree that our senior men are models of God’s strength and faithfulness and they will teach our young men to respect authority, provide for their wives and children, live wisely, lead with compassion and fairness, and love their wives like Christ loves the church. We declare that our senior adults will continue to flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. Even in old age, they will still produce fruit and remain vital and green.
Holy Spirit, we know that some of our senior adults are lonely; please help us to reach out to them and surround them with the love of the Father. Impress upon their family members to come and visit them and spend quality time with them. Please help us to identify those seniors who have isolated themselves and show us how to effectively meet their needs. Lord, our seniors have worked hard all of their lives and some of them have seen their retirement funds depleted. Please open up new revenue streams so that they will not have to struggle or go without financially. Father, protect our seniors from those who would try to prey upon them with get-rich-quick schemes, unnecessary mediation, predatory loans or any other schemes to steal from them. Increase our seniors’ discernment and wisdom when they make decisions, especially where their health and finances are concerned. Remind our younger generations to regard our seniors with honor and respect.
Write down the names of the seniors that you know. Now, write down ways that you can enrich or bless their lives:
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Merciful Father, forgive us as a nation for disregarding and disrespecting our senior adults. Forgive us for viewing seniors as feeble and disposable. Forgive those seniors who don’t depend completely upon You, but look at their circumstances. Forgive those who have allowed life to cause them to grow bitter and angry. Forgive those who do not check on or intentionally do not spend time with their older relatives. Lord, forgive me for (list any sins that you have committed). Holy Spirit, remind our seniors of those they need to forgive and help them to be quick to forgive. As for me, Holy Spirit, bring to my remembrance those I need to forgive. (Take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal names or faces of people that you may need to forgive. As He reveals them, say, “I forgive name of person(s).” Now, trust the Lord to heal any wounds in your soul caused by unforgiveness.)
Holy Spirit, remind our senior adults not to yield to temptation but deliver them from the evil one.
Sovereign Lord, there is no one like You! You are great, and Your Name is full of power. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? That title belongs to You alone! All glory majesty, power and authority are Yours before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture References for the Written Text: Psalm 135:1,3,5,13, Psalm 145:17,19,21, Titus 2:2-5, Ephesians 5:25, Psalm 92:12,14, Proverbs 3:5, Matthew 6:13, Jeremiah 10:6-7