Ohana Prayer 238 – Mark 8

11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 

12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.”

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 

32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” 

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 

36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 

37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 

38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Blessings and give thanks to the God, out Heavenly Father, for You are majestic! When we awake daily, we can offer up our body, mind, and soul to the throne of grace. You are the fountain of our joy and blessings, everlasting King. For our sorrows, suspicion, sin, and despair disappear under Your shining.

Your throne is well in the highest, yet, You can examine the bitterness in our hearts, our stubborn and closed minds, and our physical hunger in meticulous details. Also, You provide our daily physical and spiritual needs.

Dear Jesus, You are our bread of life and we will not be hungry, trusting you will not thirst! Facing this dark pandemic, You are the light of life. When we face disparities and hopelessness, You are the way, the life, the truth that none can go the Heavenly Father but only through You. Teach us to lay aside our wanting and selfishness to take up the cross and follow You. Willing to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the Gospel which is much better only to live through our earthly lives bearing no fruit.

Come, Holy Spirit! Come and awake us, rekindle our ambers and be alive! No longer bounded by evil and sin, corruption and impurities of mind, of negative things we do with our hands, pretentiousness of outward Christian living but have no inner spiritual power, and worship only with our lips and not our hearts. Lead us now to build our lives upon Christ’s, have a merciful and humble heart, and to help those who are helpless and forgotten in the society, and sowing the seed of peace in the world.

Pray in the holy name of Jesus. Amen.