EDINBURGH NORTHWEST KIRK
JULY PRAYER DIARY
I lift up my eyes to the mountains
- where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
maker of heaven and earth.
(Psalm 121 : 1 - 2)
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Prayers for each week
Week beginning 6 July
● Pray for all affected by the recent earthquake in Venezuela; for aid agencies and Government help in a long recovery.
● Pray for continued progress in securing peace in the Middle East and for communities in Gaza and Lebanon affected by the conflict.
Week beginning 13 July
● Continue to pray for the British couple, Lindsay and Craig Foreman, and for their release from prison in Iran.
● Pray for the changing political landscape in the UK and for the new Prime Minister. Pray for wise decision making in the midst of many challenges.
Week beginning 20 July
● Pray for all those suffering from long term health issues in our church community.
● Pray for the Moderator, Rev Gordon Kennedy, and his ministry of encouragement to those serving their communities in Scotland and across the world.
Week beginning 27 July
● Pray for the Kirk Session and Teams in the ongoing ministry of Edinburgh North West Kirk.
● Pray for Julia and the local church ministers as they support each other in the mission of the Church.
Reflection
Excerpt from an interview with Archbishop Hicks of New York
Society often sends conflicting messages. Pope Leo, following his predecessors, and in particular, Pope Benedict XVI, have spoken about the challenge of relativism... How can the Church engage with an increasingly secular culture, and help people find meaning through the Truth, particularly in a city like New York?
I think sometimes we have a false humility, and because of the false humility, we refuse to share any of our faith outside of our own private prayer life or what we do in Mass, that our faith then gets put on a shelf and then we go live with our families and in our neighbourhoods and go to work and they're not connected at all. I think we have to get beyond that. I think our faith has to be integrated. None of us want to proselytize or beat other people up with a bat with our faith over their head, but we're called to be evangelizers and to help introduce Jesus Christ and salvation through Him to others. Therefore, we have to look for opportunities for prayer, even outside of Church with other groups. We must start, or continue to find opportunities for this.
I believe that the reason why we are seeing an increase in young adults re-engaging in the faith is they've seen some of the brokenness of the world, of what a world looks like when it is not connected to faith or to a moral tradition, or to some values or virtues that ground you and lead you, of a world that says 'Just do whatever you want, think whatever you want. Your happiness is your happiness, mine is mine.'
There has to be something more. Young people are looking for that right now, and they're finding that in the Church.
(https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2026-07/interview-archbishop-ronald-hicks-new-york-pallium.html)
If you have a prayer request or a favourite prayer which you would care to share in a future Prayer Diary, please e-mail office@cramondkirk.org.uk