Sunday, April 6, 2014
Offered by Joyce Shin, Associate Pastor

The prophet Jeremiah tells us, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart.” Let us pray:

God of heaven and earth, we seek you with all our heart. We know that because of you we exist; ground us in that knowledge, and let it make all the difference in how we live each day.

We seek to know you in the handiwork of your creation. We marvel at the things you have made, both great and small. Sharpen our senses, O God, so that through sight, smell, and sound, taste and touch, we might come to appreciate the earth in its fullness.

It is not only in the beauty of nature, its symmetries and design, that we seek knowledge of you, O God. We seek to know you, especially the plans you have for us, when our vision is obscured. When we look at the world around us, at the situations sometimes of our own making, and can see neither a clear path nor a horizon of hope, then too we seek you with all our heart.

Where violence rages, leaving wreckage all around and perverting any clear vision, lead people by a firm hand to security and restoration. We pray for Syrians . . . for Palestinians and Israelis . . . . for the community of Fort Hood.

Where injustice reigns, make the world its witness to bring it to light. We pray for women whose rights are not recognized in so many parts of the world. We pray for those who have never known any privilege whatsoever.

Where the vulnerable are left unprotected, reveal the work we are to undertake to keep them from harm and preserve their trust. We pray for children who are abused.

Where people are overcome by grief, provide the peace that they need. We pray for those who grieve the lost lives of passengers on the Malaysian Airlines flight and of those caught in the mudslide. We pray for our own grief in the loss of family members and dear friends.

Almighty God, wherever and whenever people perceive the powers of the world to be against them, let them know that you are for them.

Make yourself known to us, O God. Not once for all time, but each and every day. Though you have spent your love on us, we know that you are not spent. You are pouring yourself into the world. Let your love make its way into our hearts, O God, for we want to be disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, loving one another just as he loved the world.

For the sake of your Son, our Lord, we pray this and the prayer he taught us to pray, saying, Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church