“… she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.” (Luke 2:37)

This verse speaks of Anna, a godly widow of exemplary devotion and is a great encouragement to us in this Advent season. Anna was an aged saint who committed her time to the Temple in worship and in prayer, most certainly imploring God often to fulfill the promise for Messiah. Her expectant waiting saw glorious closure when Joseph and Mary brought the Child to the Temple, and Anna was an eyewitness to “the redemption of Jerusalem” (v. 38) and of the entire world!

We too await the coming of Jesus, His second coming in glory and in power. And as we wait, we too pray as did Anna, expectantly and earnestly for our God’s fulfillment of His plan and purpose. And we wait not nor pray not in vain, for our God is faithful and true!

In these next few weeks, please bring the following intercessions to our Lord’s throne of grace through prayer:

• We praise God for this season of anticipation and waiting, and the joy that fills our hearts because of the peace we know in Jesus.
• We praise God for all of our students and continue to ask that the Lord call and draw new students to our Seminary and Bible College.
• We praise God for the Student Life Center and all of the labor that has gone into bringing the project to this point. As construction is initiated we seek the Lord’s favor over all the logistics, building schedule, and safety of the workers and contractors involved.
• We pray for the search for our next Director of Maintenance (buildings, grounds, and maintenance management).
• We pray for our students and their upcoming Final exams scheduled for December 11-13. May You grant memory and recall to our students, and that what is learned impacts not simply the mind, but especially the heart. And as our students and facility prepare for Christmas break, may they experience journey mercies as they travel, find peace and joy in the Christ of Christmas, and be refreshed and renewed by the Holy Spirit.
• We pray for the upcoming J-Term and Winter Bible Conference, January 6-11, featuring sessions on “Soul Care in the Congregation”, and “Youth, Family, and Intergenerational Ministry”. Might many partake of this learning opportunity and may all participants and facilitators find great blessing in this endeavor.
• We pray for the persecuted church and draw to mind the connection we have as part of the church universal through the blood of Christ. We remember specifically the church in Hong Kong that includes a large number of Lutheran congregations. May we continually uphold these brothers and sisters that their faith remains strong, that God be glorified, and their witness in the most difficult of circumstances brings conversion to those who persecute them.
• We pray for our fourth year seminary students who are at the present serving as interns in local congregations. We seek continued growth as servant pastors, and a molding and forming under the direction of the Holy Spirit to be the shepherds God has called them to be.
• We pray for Wayne Floan and his family as Wayne undergoes strong chemotherapy treatments at Mayo.

On behalf of the Intercessor team,
Pastor Kirk Flaa, Sioux Falls, SD