May All People Turn to God

Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion; 

     to you our vows will be fulfilled. 

You who answer prayer, 

     to you all people will come.

You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, 

     God our Savior, 

the hope of all the ends of the earth 

     and of the farthest seas…

(Psalm 65:1-2, 5)

It is my hope and prayer, good and gracious Lord,

that when the dust settles on this pandemic,

all of heaven and earth will praise you.

I pray that the urgency of the present crisis,

and the helplessness that all people feel,

will result in a worldwide turning of hearts

toward you.

For you ARE Lord.

Right now, not all people acknowledge that.

But I hope and pray that they will.

I hope and pray that the present crisis

will cause people everywhere 

to turn to you.

I long for the day when 

every knee will bow,

and every tongue will confess,

"Jesus Christ is Lord,"

to your glory.

We’re not there yet.

But I pray that we will be there,

sooner than later.

In this pandemic, show us your 

awesome and righteous deeds:

  Heal the sick.

  Renew the strength of those who are exhausted.

  Comfort those who mourn the loss of loved ones.

  Unite entire nations to work for the good.

  Fill our hearts with love and charity.

  Provide relief for the poor, the unemployed,

    and for hurting businesses.

  Enable the flow of critical supplies 

    to where they are needed.

  Surprise us, even, with miraculous deeds!

Show us your awesome and righteous deeds,

that the whole world will turn to you

in humility, repentance, praise, and faith.

Hasten the day, O Lord,

when every knee will bow,

when every tongue will confess,

"Jesus Christ is Lord."

For you are God our Savior,

and to you belongs ALL

glory, honor, dominion, and power,

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

During the season of Lent, I am “Praying with David,” using prayers from the psalms as inspiration for personal prayers.

Seek His Face -- Here, There, and Everywhere

Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.

(Psalm 27:7-8)

In the morning,

in the evening,

all throughout the day, O God,

I seek you.

Hear my voice when I call, Lord.

“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’

     Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Your face, Lord, I will seek,

for I know that when I seek you,

I will find you.

And when I find you,

I know that I will find

   compassion for my pain,

   mercy for my plight,

   forgiveness for my sins,

   peace for my fears,

   strength to face the day.

Your face, Lord I will seek,

so that I may 

   love you,

   worship you,

   obey you,

   serve you,

   glorify you.

And because I know 

that all my encounters with others 

are also encounters with you

(for as I have done so to the least of these,

so also I have done to you…),

then I will also seek your face

in everyone I encounter today:

Your face, Lord, will I seek in the poor.

Your face, Lord, will I seek in the anxious ones.

Your face, Lord, will I seek in the stranger on the street.

Your face, Lord, will I seek in the children riding their bikes.

Your face, Lord, will I seek in the laid-off worker.

Your face, Lord, will I seek in the the business owner 

          who just shut down.

Your face, Lord, will I seek in the truck driver 

          delivering crucial medical supplies… and TP

Your face, Lord, will I seek in the exhausted doctors and nurses.

I seek your face in them, 

that I might love them as your children.

For so you have sought me

and loved me.

Your face, Lord, I will seek,

so that I may love you

as you have loved me.

Amen.

During the season of Lent, I am “Praying with David,” using prayers from the psalms as inspiration for personal prayers.

Thank You, Lord, for Listening. And for Answering.

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; 

     turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. 

Show me the wonders of your great love, 

     you who save by your right hand 

     those who take refuge in you from their foes. 

Keep me as the apple of your eye; 

     hide me in the shadow of your wings.

(Psalm 17:6-8)

O Lord, my God,

you are Sovereign Lord over all the world,

and yet you know me by name.

What joy fills my heart

at the knowledge that

I am precious to you!

I know that not a word I pray,

  not a thought I have,

    not even an un-uttered inner groaning

fails to capture your attention.

Whatever I pray,

however I pray,

you will always answer.

Sometimes your answer is, “Yes.”

Sometimes your answer is, “No.”

Sometimes your answer is, “Trust me.”

But always, you answer me

according to your infinite wisdom

and your steadfast love.

Because you hear my prayers

and answer them,

I continue to cry out to you:

Show me your steadfast love,

protect me from harm,

shelter me in your loving arms.

Thank you, O Lord, for loving me.

Thank you for listening to the cries of my heart.

Thank you.

That is all. No answer required this time.

But still, I know you will.

Because that’s who you are.

Amen.

During the season of Lent, I am "Praying with David," using prayers found in the psalms as inspiration for personal prayers.

To the God Who Hears Our Cries

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
     Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
    to my cry for mercy...

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.

I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

(Psalm 130:1-2, 5-6)

Surely you hear the cries of your people, O Lord.

Surely you hear the cries of

  anguish,

    despair,

      longing,

        confusion,

          fear.

Surely you hear the cries of

  the unemployed,

    the lonely,

      the sick,

        the poor in our communities,

          the business owners.

Surely you hear the cries of

  overwhelmed leaders,

    exhausted medical personnel,

      school children and their teachers and administrators,

        frustrated shoppers among empty shelves,

          families forced into separation and isolation.

Out of the depths we cry to you, O Lord;

    Lord, hear our voice.

Let your ears be attentive

     to our cries for mercy.

We wait for you to answer us.

We wait for you to

  heal us,

  restore us,

  comfort us,

  strengthen us,

  fill us with your presence.

We wait, O God,

anticipating your goodness and mercy.

Because that’s who you are:

Gracious and compassionate, 

abounding in steadfast love.

We wait, as intently as the night-watch 

waits for the morning

with deep longing,

awaiting the first signs of dawn,

and the new day.

Out of the depths we cry out to you, O Lord.

Dispel the darkness, we pray.

Shine your light,

and bring us to a new day.

Amen.

During the season of Lent, I am "Praying with David," using prayers found in the psalms as inspiration for personal prayers.

Trusting God in the Chaos

I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right,
    and that in faithfulness you have humbled me.
Let your steadfast love become my comfort
    according to your promise to your servant.
Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
    for your law is my delight.

(Psalm 119:75-77)

We confess, O Lord, that the days 

are troubling for us.

We are at a loss as to why 

this world is in such chaos.

We have no answer to the questions 

of the suffering of innocents.

We are dizzy with

  confusion,

    fear,

      worry.

We are in deep waters,

and the current is overwhelming.

But we do know that you are good,

and you are righteous,

and in all things you are just,

and you are faithful and true.

In humility we confess that we cannot plumb 

the depths of your mind,

nor can we fathom 

the limits of your providence.

We do not know the answers 

to the questions of “Why?”

But we do know you;

and your judgments are right.

In all things, you are moving the world 

toward our final redemption.

In your steadfast love and mercy,

we experience life. 

Abundant life.

And so we turn our hearts toward you, O God.

Where else will we turn?

Where else can we turn?

In your mercy, draw near to us,

to comfort us.

  With your compassion, heal us,

  and strengthen us.

    Through your word, instruct us,

    that we might be faithful.

      By your grace, save us,

      for your glory.

We do not understand 

the chaos we are experiencing.

But we trust you, for you are faithful.

And we turn to you:

Save us, Lord, 

according to your steadfast love.

Lead us beside still waters,

and give us rest.

Amen.

During the season of Lent, I am "Praying with David," using prayers found in the psalms as inspiration for personal prayers.

Sacred Thirst

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; 

     I thirst for you, 

my whole being longs for you, 

    in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 

I have seen you in the sanctuary 

     and beheld your power and your glory. 

Because your love is better than life, 

     my lips will glorify you.

(Psalm 63:1-3)

Thank you, O Lord, for awakening in me

an unquenchable thirst.

If there is a silver lining in this pandemic

(and of course there is, 

because you are always working

all things 

for the good 

for those who love you),

then it is this:

It has turned countless hearts toward you.

And in these turbulent and troubling days,

my own heart is more and more urgent

in seeking you.

Earnestly I seek you, Lord;

     I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you,

     as in a dry and parched land 

     where there is no water.

You, Lord, have shown me your goodness

in more ways than I can count.

You, Lord, have graced me with your presence,

and given me glimpses of your glory.

Every day, if only I have eyes to notice.

Having tasted of your goodness and mercy,

I long for more and more.

I find this to be true:

     In you I find satisfaction 

     for the thirst of my soul.

But I also find this to be true:

     The more of you that feeds my soul,

     the more I want, the more I need.

Today, I turn my heart toward you.

Today, I seek you.

Today, I will cling to you.

Today, I will praise you,

that others may find the same satisfaction 

and the same thirst

of a heart turned toward you.

Thank you, O Lord, for awakening in me

an unquenchable thirst.

Amen.

During the season of Lent, I am "Praying with David", using prayers in the psalms as inspiration for personal prayers.

Faith That Declares, "Nevertheless"

But I will hope continually,
    and will praise thee yet more and more.

(Psalm 71:14)

I wonder, O Lord, what these days mean.

The earth is at a standstill,

our world has come to a screeching halt.

People are scared, and with good reason.

An invisible enemy has crippled us,

and the only thing we can do

is withdraw, separate, isolate, quarantine.

I wonder, O Lord, what these days mean.

Restaurants reduced to carry-out,

businesses shuttered,

entire cities closed down,

massive layoffs and sudden unemployment,

leaders struggling to find answers to questions

nobody ever thought would be asked.

Ever.

The pain is real for your children, Lord,

all over the world.

This virus is afflicting sickness and death

upon your people, Lord,

all over the world.

     Grief

     Fear

     Panic

     Despair

     Anguish

     Sleeplessness

     Doubt

These aren’t just words, O God.

These are what we’re feeling.

Right. Now.

I wonder, O Lord, what these days mean.

And yet, in spite of my questions,

and in spite of the troubling days

your people are living,

still I turn to you, and with all confidence

I say,

NEVERTHELESS!

Nevertheless, I will hope continually,

and I will praise you more and more.

For the midst of chaos, 

in the midst of trouble,

in the midst of sickness,

in the midst of grief,

in the midst of deep darkness,

is You.

You, O Lord, are my hope.

You strengthen me by your presence 

Right. Now.

There is no chaos out of which you cannot

create entire worlds.

There is no trouble which you cannot put to rest.

There is no sickness which you cannot heal.

There is no grief which you cannot comfort.

There is no darkness capable of extinguishing your light.

You, O Lord, are my hope.

And that is enough.

Though I may experience all forms

of misery and trouble,

NEVERTHELESS!

I will hope continually,

and I will praise you more and more.

Blessed be you, indeed, O God,

Father of my Lord, Jesus Christ,

who by the power of the Holy Spirit

comes to me

and fills me with hope.

I may always wonder, O Lord, what these days mean.

But this I will always know:

You are my God. And that is enough.

Because you are my God and my Hope,

praise will ever be on my lips.

Amen.

During the season of Lent, I am “Praying with David,” using prayers from the psalms as inspiration for personal prayers.