Sunday, September 27, 2015
Offered by Victoria G. Curtiss, Associate Pastor

Mystery of Mysteries, your wisdom surpasses the farthest reaches of our imagination. Your compassion comforts us when shadows lengthen and our busy days are hushed. Your mercy restores us when we stray. For all this, we give you thanks.

God of sympathy and tenderness, who surrounded Job when he was despondent and who sent Jesus to bind the wounds of the afflicted, we give you thanks that you take pity upon us and nurse us to wholeness when we are distressed and forlorn. We give you thanks that even when despair so easily overtakes us, you send your Spirit to comfort us in our fears and wipe away our tears.

Be with all who are in despair, whether because of mental or physical illness, loss, loneliness, lack of opportunities, or a sense of worthlessness. When the days are full of fretting, and nights prolong the anxiety over a new dawn of suffering, embrace people in your care and grant us your peace. We are thankful for your comforting presence during times that try our faith. Help all of us to hear the good news that transforms light out of darkness, so we may henceforth grow in our confidence and trust in you. As Job eventually did, so also we affirm that you can do all things; nothing can surpass your love for all creation.

We give you thanks for the countless mercies we take for granted: for movement, for strength, for our minds and our senses, for a safe place to live, for the beauty of the earth, for community, for the gift of faith itself. Help us, O God, to take heed of these gifts freely given and to never cease to praise you for the grace they reflect. Hear us now as we pray the prayer that Jesus taught: Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church