Posts Tagged ‘fear’
July 4, 2021
On this 4th of July Lord help us pause and see how much we have to lose if we lose our democracy.
Move us away from the resentments, and divisions that enable the slow creep of autocracy.
May we recognize how much we use our shared freedoms of thought, expression, and association, and the vibrancy those lend to our communities.
Help us protect these for both ourselves and others, slowing the corrosive attacks on views that differ from our own, and challenging appeals to hate and fear.
For the growth of tyranny in its many forms will eventually threaten even those of us who enjoy quiet neighborhoods, regular schedules, good food, and adequate pay.
Without change, even we will some day awake and look at the wreckage and wonder, how did we go astray?
O Lord, do not abandon us to our sinful ways.
Awaken us, guide us, and help us to be better than we are.
Amen.
Tags:autocracy, country, division, fear, freedom, hate, peace, politics, Prayer, resentment, sin, tyranny, United States, USA
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February 14, 2021
Lord, lead us to peace
- peace in our hearts;
- peace our thoughts;
- peace in our homes;
- peace in our cities;
- peace in our capitols, federal and state;
- peace in our country;
- peace in our world.
We are so tired Lord, and we have struggled with our fears and our resentments for too long.
Show us the way O Lord, lead us to peace.
Amen
Tags:country, fear, peace, politics, Prayer, resentment, United States, USA
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December 27, 2020
Light of the world, shine in our hearts, that we might see and act with compassion.
Shine in our minds that we might love justice, and act wisely.
Dispel our fears, our anger, our resentments, our sorrows and despair.
Shine on our hands that we might reach out in love.
Shine on our feet that we might find the path of peace.
Guide us O Lord through the new year.
Amen
Tags:anger, compassion, country, despair, fear, guidance, hope, justice, light, love, moving forward, new year, peace, politics, Prayer, USA, wisdom
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December 20, 2020
The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood. John 1:5
Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. 2 Chronicles 20:16
Lord God of light, in your word we find hope,
In your presence we find joy,
In your guidance we find peace,
In your love we find rest.
Even in the darkest times, your light is there, if we are willing to look.
Help us to see it, embrace it, and share it. (John 1:9)
Amen
Tags:country, fear, God's love, hope, joy, light, love, peace, politics, Prayer, USA
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October 18, 2020
Today’s prayer is adapted from the Prayers and Thanksgivings in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer ##22 and 24.
Almighty God, to whom we must account for all of our powers and privileges, guide us as we elect our leaders and representatives.
Help us to accept our responsibilities to our fellow citizens, to move beyond self-interest, and to cast our votes for those who would promote the well-being of all people and administer our laws fairly.
Give us grace to forgive and courage to face our uncertain future together. Guide us past our fears and resentments and help us to act so that the rights of all might be protected and our nation enabled to fulfill your purposes.
We know that our individual choices aggregate to shape our country’s path. Help us find ways to care for one another and work together. Guide us that we might choose wisely, and build your kingdom, so we might be closer to it here on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen
Tags:citizens, courage, elections, faith, fear, fogiveness, grace, guidance, guide, laws, politics, Prayer, resentment, responsibility, United States, USA, votes, voting
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October 11, 2020
“Show us your ways O Lord . . . “ (Ps. 25 v. 4-5)
You have shown us a better way Lord. A way of
- compassion,
- love,
- mercy,
- forgiveness,
- generosity,
- patience,
- kindness, and
- self-control.
And you have shown us the way we should not go. A way of
- factions,
- hate,
- oppression,
- anger,
- fear,
- self-absorption,
- death, and
- destruction.
Forgive our missteps and misdirection, and guide us into the better way.
Amen
Tags:anger, compassion, country, factions, fear, finding our way, forgiveness, freedom, future, generosity, greed, guidance, guide, hate, kindness, love, mercy, misdirection, opression, patience, politics, Prayer, self-control, selfishness, United States, USA
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September 27, 2020
Free us Lord from our despair, that we might find hope.
Free us Lord from our quarreling, that we might find peace.
Free us Lord from our denials, that we might understand and live into our reality.
Free us from our prejudices, that we might find ways for all to thrive.
Free us from our fears, that we might trust in you.
Free us O Lord, from these shackles of our own making.
Guide us, and help us find our way forward.
Amen
Tags:country, despair, divisions, fear, future, guidance, hope, politics, Prayer, prejudice, trust, United States, USA
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August 30, 2020
Lead us O Lord, through the divisive rhetoric, appeals to fear, misinformation, and other deceits of our political times.
Help us to trust in you and follow your paths.
Awaken us O Lord, to the world as it is and to our own role in its suffering.
Help us to see the possibilities for peace and future prosperity for all.
Create with us O Lord, a democracy and a country where all might thrive.
Let us not be deceived or turned from your ways.
Amen
Tags:country, deceit, democracy, fear, God, lies, partisan politics, peace, politics, prosperity, trust, United States, USA
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July 26, 2020
Lord, give us the courage to move forward and not fall back –
- courage to work through our fears,
- courage to put aside the old patterns of exclusion and denial,
- courage to confront our hate and anger,
- courage to care for one another.
Give us the courage to challenge –
- mendacity,
- fake news,
- narratives of hate and fear,
- paranoia and conspiracy theories masquerading as facts.
Give us the courage to bridge our divides and work together to build a future better than our past –
- more just,
- more equitable,
- more merciful,
- more compassionate.
Guide us O Lord, teach us your paths, show us your ways, guide us in your truth and give us hope. (Ps. 25:4-5).
Amen
Tags:care, compassion, country, courage, facts, fear, hope, justice, mendacity, moving forward, politics, Prayer, truth, USA
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May 24, 2020
“. . . There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me. From the past will come the future; what it holds a mystery, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.” Hymn of Promise, v. 2, Natalie Sleeth, 1986.
Lord God who knows our future, strengthen our hope in the unseen. (Romans 8:24; 2 Corinthians 4:18)
Guide us through these difficult days towards life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
Help us to persevere that we might know, and share, and build on your love. (Romans 5:1-5)
Help us rise above hate and fear, disrupting factions and finding a better way. (Galations 5:19-26)
Move us forward, O Lord.
Amen
Tags:country, courage, fear, future, hope, love, moving forward, peace, perseverance, politics, Prayer, USA
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