Friday's Prayer

My friend, Darren Hensley, is a man of prayerful words and offers this prayer today from my church:

Steadfast and Merciful God, 

Spring is a time when storms gather and blow quickly into our lives, followed by sunshine that reappears as the clouds dissipate. Signs of new life break forth everywhere. It is a time when we feel the primal energy of creation. 

O God, the seasons come and go and the winds of change come upon us.  They remind us to notice the fleeting quality and uniqueness of every passing moment. We acknowledge life’s unending rhythms. We learn to adapt and to move forward. Yet, this time, things feel different. 

Contending with the insistence of our need for protection by sheltering and isolating ourselves, we are also struggling with economic need as persons who have lost their incomes wrestle with the realities of feeding their families. We have more questions than answers as we face the tension of emerging from our homes and reopening our society while the grip of this pandemic endures. 

We long for predictability and assurance, but it is so hard to give up what we cannot control. There is sadness and anger and even despondency or denial for what has been taken—for those who have succumbed to this disease, for those whose livelihood has vanished, and for those who despair that the events of these past months will alter their lives forever.  

O God, our deepest longing is not for perfect autonomy, but for You—the true source of eternal life. We pray for patience and forgiveness for others and for ourselves. Help us to be aware of the many blessings that surround us, while acknowledging the cares we carry close to our hearts. For the good we receive from others comes as a conduit of Your gift to us for well‐being and wholeness. 

By the power of the Holy Spirit, let us summon the courage during these days to be honest and authentic. Let us know a willingness to be vulnerable and to embrace a living faith of depth and engagement. Let us be seen in our woundedness, just as Your Risen Son showed the disciples the wounds in His hands, side, and feet. 

All light leads to and is gathered in Your Son—and shared in grace and abundance and generosity to a world in need, a world so loved. 

For it is in Jesus’ holy and precious name we pray, Amen.