The waiting is the hardest part. – Tom Petty
Our world changed suddenly and now we wait
in our doubt,
in our grief,
in our loneliness
in our impatience,
in our fear.
Open our hearts O Lord that we might find hope, and comfort each other.
Give us the courage to speak up, reach out, and together build a stronger, more just, more compassionate world.
Help us as we begin to move forward, O Lord.
Amen
This prayer is by the Right Rev. Richard Bott of The United Church in Canada and being shared through various churches.
“In this time of COVID-19, we pray:
When we aren’t sure, God, help us be calm; when information comes from all sides, correct and not, help us to discern; when fear makes it hard to breathe, and anxiety seems to be the order of the day, slow us down, God; help us to reach out with our hearts, when we can’t touch with our hands; help us to be socially connected, when we have to be socially distant; help us to love as perfectly as we can, knowing that ‘perfect love casts out all fear.’
For the doctors, we pray, for the nurses, we pray, for the technicians and the janitors and the aides and the caregivers, we pray, for the researchers and theorists, the epidemiologists and investigators, for those who are sick, and those who are grieving, we pray, for all who are affected, all around the world…we pray for safety, for health for wholeness.
May we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked and house those without homes; may we walk with those who feel they are alone, and may we do all that we can to heal the sick—in spite of the epidemic, in spite of the fear.
Help us, O God, that we might help each other. In the love of the Creator, in the name of the Healer, in the life of the Holy Spirit that is in all and with all, we pray. May it be so.”
Amen
[On politics] “Most people just want somebody who can articulate their hatreds . . .” (David Brooks, 2011)
It is easy to fear the other –
And yet you call on us
Help us O Lord, to heed your call as we live our lives together.
Amen.
They will neither harm or destroy on all my holy mountain for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord . . . Isaiah 11:9
Keep before us a vision of your peace O Lord.
Save us from violence, discord, and confusion;
from fear, intolerance, and terror;
from factions, tribalism, and hyper-partisanship;
from lies, deceit, and mendacity;
from pride and arrogance and every evil way.
Help us pursue your peace O Lord.
“. . . where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.” 2 Co. 3:17
“Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
Lord, on this 4th of July, grant us freedom from our fears:
Fear of moving forward.
Fear that feeds cynicism and despair.
Fear that flashes into anger and hate.
Fear that is reflected in our selfishness.
Fear that fuels our partisan divides.
Fear that crushes hope.
Lead us from fear toward love and compassion, caring and community, for there we will find you (1 John 4:8). In you there is no fear (1 John 4:18). Free from fear, we can find the way to a better future: one country, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Amen.
“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” O Holy Night (a Christmas carol)
Lord your birth reminds us that amidst the anxiety, fear, anger, and disappointment of our political life, there is hope. We have the opportunity to change our ways, to seek truth, to offer compassion, to pursue justice, to speak with kindness and civility even where we don’t agree. One person can shine a light into the darkness and together we create new patterns and a better future for all. Show us your ways O Lord, teach us your paths, and strengthen us for the year ahead.
Amen
“I am a firm believer in people. If given truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts. ” Abraham Lincoln
Lord, we can be a hardheaded, stiff-necked people, resistant to your word. (Ex. 32:9, Heb. 3:8)
We are often a fearful people, easily swayed by those who would manipulate and divide.
We can be a selfish people, obsessed with material comfort.
We are often an angry people, more willing to blame others than to accept our own accountability in creating a world where so many suffer.
Help us O Lord. Give us the courage to face real facts and look for long term solutions.
Give us the compassion to share our material wealth with those who have little or none.
Teach us to forgive, and to look at the plank in our own eye before pointing out the splinter in others. (Lk. 6:42)
Help us to listen, with open hearts and minds, to the cries of those around us.
Help us to be worthy of the trust and hopes of those who came before us.
Lead us forward O Lord.
Amen.
A reader sent in the following background summary and prayer, posted on the Senate website at the end of last year. The prayer at the end is one we can all pray as legislative discussions begin again over health care reform.
“Throughout the years, the United States Senate has honored the historic separation of Church and State, but not the separation of God and State. The first Senate, meeting in New York City on April 25, 1789, elected the Right Reverend Samuel Provost, the Episcopal Bishop of New York, as its first Chaplain. During the past two hundred and seven years, all sessions of the Senate have been opened with prayer, strongly affirming the Senate’s faith in God as Sovereign Lord of our Nation. The role of the Chaplain as spiritual advisor and counselor has expanded over the years from a part-time position to a full-time job as one of the Officers of the Senate. The Office of the Chaplain is nonpartisan, nonpolitical, and nonsectarian.
Duties of the Senate Chaplain
In addition to opening the Senate each day in prayer, Chaplain Black’s duties include counseling and spiritual care for the Senators, their families and their staffs, a combined constituency of six thousand people. Chaplain Black’s days are filled with meeting Senators about spiritual and moral issues, assisting Senators’ staffs with research on theological and biblical questions, teaching Senate Bible study groups, encouraging such groups as the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast, and facilitating discussion and reflection small groups among Senators and staff.
In order to stay informed of the needs of the Senate community, Chaplain Black maintains a program with a volunteer liaison in each office to assist him. A member of his staff directs this program.
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the following prayer
Let us pray.
God of justice, bring wholeness to our world. Keep fear, ignorance, and pride from limiting Your work in our Nation.
Give the Members of Congress the insight to understand the actions they should take during these challenging times. Quicken their hearts and purify their minds. Broaden their concerns and strengthen their commitments. Lord, lead them through this season of challenge to a deeper experience with You, enabling them to feel You in their midst, as they grapple with the problems of our time.
We pray in Your Holy Name. Amen.”
Do not call conspiracy everything these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. Is. 8:12
Lord, in our fast and noisy world it can be hard to discern which way to go. Many of the loudest voices feed our fears. We fear enemies both real and imagined. We fear change. We fear a future we can neither predict nor control. To calm our fears we demand immediate and simplistic fixes, forgoing the effort to understand the complex realities before us. We turn away from wisdom. Full of fear, we close our doors and fail to reach out to help others in our communities. We turn away from love. Fearing what we cannot understand, we focus on the close reality of our possessions. We fail to hear your call; we fail to seek your presence.
Yet you O Lord are with us always, ready to strengthen us and help us. (Is. 41:10) Help us to move away from our fears and hear your voice. Let us learn to say with the psalmist, “I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” Ps. 34:4 Help us to try new directions, to face our fears and speak against the voices that would mislead us. Help us to trust in you, and guide us O Lord.
Amen
Prayers For Our Country 