Sunday, July 14, 2013
Offered by Joyce Shin, Associate Pastor

Almighty God, out of nothing you created heaven and earth, the mountains, the seas, and every kind of creature. We are in awe of it all. Whenever we behold the beauty and scale, the intricacies and interconnectedness of your creation, we are put in our place and struck to say, “All things are possible with you.”

And yet, even more amazing than your creation, God, is your re-creation. This world, our lives, and our hearts are not as you would have them to be. We have fallen into situations partly of our own making and much beyond our control. Though we would like quick fixes, we know that true healing, repair, and re-creation take time and the hard work of reconciliation, forgiveness, and self-sacrifice.

We pray for your re-creation, especially in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Egypt, where politics and passions are so escalated that no matter what action might be taken, there is already too much at stake on all sides. We pray for truths to be revealed, forgiveness to be sought, and trust to be instilled. We pray for the beauty that only justice and mercy can bring about so that, when beheld, peoples everywhere may know, “All things are possible with you.”

We pray also for situations here at home, where fairness is at risk in our society, work places, schools, and courts. Where justice is tested, forgive us, God, when we fail the test. Do not let us fall into cynicism, but instead let us remember that ultimate justice lies in your power. 

O God, we know, that in our own lives and hearts, we need to rely on you to put things right. We confess that we live wrongly, sometimes not intentionally, but often because we live too messily. We fail to contain our desire to consume. We blur our sense of responsibility to others. We leave others to clean up the consequences of our actions. Forgive us, God. 

No matter the situation, we pray that you not leave us alone, to our own devices, to our own consequences. Whether it is to convict or to console us, speak your word to us, almighty God. Remind us of your commandments. Remind us of your promises. Tell us the story of the Samaritan who took upon himself the command to love our neighbors. Teach us what it means to be responsible not only for those close to us, but also for those who are strangers to us. 

We are open, Lord, to your lessons, to your direction, and we seek to know you as your son, who taught us to pray to you, saying, Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church