I pray for the Dales every day. Will you join me in praying for these northern Yorkshire Dales?
Proudly called “God’s own county”, Yorkshire was once a place filled with folk whose faith in God inspired them to love their families, help their neighbours, serve their communities, work hard and appreciate the benefits of living in such a beautiful but challenging place.
It is tempting to think that with the closure of so many chapels and churches, the faith of past generations is gone and that God is no longer interested in what happens here. Some might even suggest that we have been left to sort it all out for ourselves. Much has changed here in my lifetime, that’s true. But I don’t believe for a minute that God no longer cares about this place or the lives of the people who live or work here, or those who come to visit. Neither do I think that faith in him has died and I know that people have not stopped caring about these Dales.
Personally, I pray for the Dales every day. I pray for all of you, that God will bless you, and he will prosper our dales communities, our businesses, our services and our hopes for the future. I pray for those who govern us both locally and nationally and I pray for the land, our fields and the natural world around us. And I know that many of you will do the same.
May I invite you then, to pray with me now, because we believe in a God who hears us and answers our prayers.
But may I also encourage you to get in contact with us, so that we might be able to get together to pray for this beautiful part of the world, which means so much to us and to God, and so that we may begin to see what his plans are for these dales, for today and for tomorrow.
Father God. We pray for these Northern Yorkshire Dales, for the people who live and work here, for those who come to relax, and those whose responsibility it is to serve this place. We pray to you because we believe that you hear our prayers, that you care, and that you have the power and a desire to change things for the better.
We pray, Father God, because though this is a place of great natural beauty, we know there are many challenges we face living here, some simply because we are human, but many too which are specific to this place and the times we live in.
We ask for your favour with the land and with the weather, for those who work the land and those who welcome visitors. We pray for those who deliver services here; in health care, in emergencies, for roads, transport and public resources. We ask for generosity in funding decisions and favour and understanding from the agencies and authorities who set and implement the rules that govern life in this place.
We thank you, Father, for the people who serve us through local projects, and local government. Those who go above and beyond what is simply expected, because of their commitment to our communities. We thank you for good neighbours and good relationships and ask that you will help us to resolve any issues that may arise between us with patience and grace.
We ask Lord, that you will prosper our businesses and places of work, especially in these times when the cost of living is rising fast, and in this place where our incomes are often low and expenses disproportionately high. We also ask for your intervention in the issues which are more significant here than in many other places and for which there seem to be no easy answers. For the lack of affordable housing and for the issues caused in communities where many properties are second homes or holiday lets. For the congestion and contention caused when our roads and villages fill with cars. For limited local services, sparse public transport, costly heating, restrictive regulations, and for the time and distance involved in accessing health care.
And we ask also, not only that you will intervene in these big issues that affect us all, but that you will intervene in our lives too. That you will remind us of how much you care, that you will lift us when life gets too heavy for us to bear, and that you will meet us, in the person of your son, Jesus, and in that meeting you will transform our lives and give us a living hope that can only be found in you.
Lord we lift these Dales to you, and ask for your blessing upon them and upon us.
Amen.
Please do get in touch, especially if you are keen to pray with others who love this part of Yorkshire and who want to see what God has in store for us next.
Be encouraged.