Sunday, January 23, 2011
Offered by Joyce Shin, Associate Pastor

The psalmist sings, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Let us look to God as we pray now for ourselves and for our world.

To whom else should we look for help, God, than to you? Out of nothing you created heaven and earth. You brought order out of chaos. Your power astounds us.

Your might alone, however, is not why we look to you for help. We rely upon you, Lord, because there is goodness in your power. As we look out at all you have made, we know you have deemed all of it good. And as we live our lives, we know that you are for us and not against us. You, O Lord, love what you have created and are faithful to your creation.

Remain faithful to us always, Lord, for without you, sooner or later, we will know trouble. The forces of our own making will pull apart the world you have made. There will be peoples who may never know the freedoms that make for a full life and generations who may never imagine a peace to be possible.

We are sorry, God, for our tendency to trust in powers that do not love your whole creation, that do not have the world’s well-being at heart. Not only do we rely on powers that are insufficient to carry out your goodwill, but we also support powers that claim to be good for us without being good for everyone.

Correct us, Lord. Let the words of your prophets and the example of Christ illuminate the world so that we can see more of what you have made, more of what you care for and love. Help us to overcome our self-centeredness, so that we might care as fiercely for others as we do for ourselves and what is ours.

Strengthen our resolve, O God, to advocate for people other than ourselves, to bring light into others’ lives. Fill us with a prophet’s courage, and give us fellow disciples with whom to walk steadily and faithfully all our days. Made in your image, we have the power to act as our hearts desire. So make us desire more than anything to be a blessing in the lives of others.

And when the needs of others overwhelm us, Lord, remind us that though the world’s needs are great, your power is greater. Remind us always to rely on you, to look to you for help. As your Son Jesus Christ, who relied wholly upon you, taught us, we pray: Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church