Thursday, August 17, 2023

We, your beloved, cherish our time with you. You love us and call us to treat others with dignity, love, and respect. We are not of this world, and we are not to like those of the world. We revere you, O God. May we bring honour and glory to you by respecting those in authority.

Thank you, Loving Yahweh, for keeping your oaths. Thank you for answering our prayers. Thank you for bringing your community together to work to bring about your will, peace, justice, righteousness, and to build up your people. We do not need to force what has been promised, but rather work with you to bring about the blessings.

Deal with us ever so gently as the winds blow and the waters surge. Our human bodies are fragile and cannot last except by your merciful love. Give us faith to believe you have already guaranteed our passage and presence into your glory.

Hallelujah, LORD, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We gather on the shore, in parks and places of worship, and at city halls; we all seek your healing, hope, and compassion. We find you here, in these sacred spaces. We receive food, shelter, and peace. But we also find scorn and judgement from those who think we should just get better and rise above our conditions.

We, your beloved, come to spend time with you, Loving Yahweh. In life, there are circumstances where our choices are “no win” situations, and we are helpless to those in power. Looking at the circumstances, we see pain, helplessness, and heartache. We turn to you; we see your light that takes us out of the darkness. You are in the mess, mixing everything together for goodness. Thank you for being with us in the pain.

We join in your mystery as we enter your sacred prayer space. Winds from the four directions know your name. They gather here, bowing low to worship you. Mountains and oceans submit to your will. They have no power except to fulfil that which you have entrusted to them. They do not boast except by doing your will.