Through the Valley

Yea, though I walk through the valley 

          of the shadow of death,

     I will fear no evil;

for thou art with me;

     thy rod, and thy staff – 

     they comfort me.

(Psalm 23:4, KJV)

Today, O Lord, I pray for those who are

walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

This plague has forced separation upon us.

This pandemic has closed us off from the world 

and from each other.

When loved ones die, O God,

who can come alongside those who grieve?

When loved ones are alone 

  in nursing homes 

  and hospitals 

  and therapy centers,

who can come alongside them 

in their suffering?

Today, O Lord, I pray for those who are

walking through the valley of the shadow of death,

for those who are in the darkness

of the sorrowful mingling of grief and loneliness.

For we can only be a vocal presence at best,

calling them, trying to comfort them.

And that’s something. Something good, even.

But they need more.

They deserve more.

Have mercy, O Lord.

Pour out your compassion and love upon them.

For you are with them

as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death;

you are with them

in the darkness of lonely grief.

Comfort them, I pray.

Fill them with your peace.

Heal the wounds in their hearts 

with the balm of your steadfast love.

Let them know 

that the Good Shepherd is watching over them,

calling them by name,

seeking those lost in grief,

gathering them in his bosom,

and gently carrying them through the darkness.

Today, O Lord, I pray for those who are

walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

Amen.

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

I Went to Church, But It Wasn't the Same

How lovely is your dwelling place, 

     Lord Almighty! 

My soul yearns, even faints, 

     for the courts of the Lord; 

my heart and my flesh cry out 

     for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home, 

    and the swallow a nest for herself, 

where she may have her young

     a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, 

     my King and my God. 

Blessed are those who dwell in your house; 

     they are ever praising you.

(Psalm 84:1-4)

I went to church, O Lord.

But it wasn’t the same.

The pews were empty, 

the sanctuary an echo chamber.

I know, we’re supposed to be 

  sequestered

    quarantined

      socially distant.

It’s for our good, for the health of your people.

It is right for us to stay away from each other.

It’s right, 

but it certainly doesn’t feel right.

We need each other, O God.

Your people – your church – we need each other.

Nevertheless, I went to church,

and I prayed,

and I sang,

and I preached. 

But it wasn’t the same.

I miss your people, O God.

I miss my people, my flock.

I know, the sanctuary isn’t my church.

But it becomes my church

when your people gather together

  to worship

    to pray

      to to sing

        to break bread

          to love one another.

My soul yearns, even faints,

     for the courts of the Lord.

Because it’s in the courts of the Lord

where I experience church

with my people, my flock.

I cherish my people enough

to make them stay away

until this virus passes.

But I miss their fellowship,

their friendship,

their encouragement,

their presence.

Blest be the tie that binds

our hearts in Christian love

the fellowship of kindred minds

is like to that above.

Hasten the day, O Lord,

when your people can gather together

once again

  to worship

    to sing

      to pray

        to break bread

          to love one another.

While we are absent 

one from another, O Lord,

please come to us,

abide with us,

fill us with your presence.

If we cannot dwell together

in your house,

please come into our hearts

and dwell with us.

I am confident of this, precious Lord:

I will rejoice in the day

when I can gather with your people – 

with my people, my flock – 

  and worship

    and pray

      and sing

        and break bread

          and love one another.

Blessed are those who dwell

in your house, O Lord.

Amen.

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

I Love You, Lord

I love you, Lord, my strength.

(Psalm 18:1)

"I love you, Lord."

I speak those words from my heart, O God.

When I awaken, and when I sleep,

and every hour in between,

I love you.

I love you, Lord,

because you have first loved me.

You have loved me faithfully,

  and unconditionally,

  and lavishly,

  and graciously,

  and eternally.

You, Lord – 

  who have given me life, abundant life;

  who have walked with me through trials;

  who have delivered me from trouble;

  who have blessed me with family;

  who have provided for me;

  who have been with me always – 

you, Lord, I love.

I love you, Lord,

because you have first loved me.

You gave your Son

to me

and to the whole world.

In him you have given me

eternal life.

I love you, Lord,

and to you I give my life.

"Take my life, and let it be 

consecrated, Lord, to thee."

Take me, use me, I pray.

Make me an instrument of your

  healing,

    grace,

      mercy,

        justice,

          steadfast love,

        compassion,

      comfort,

    hope,

  peace.

I love you, Lord, my strength.

Amen.

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

God Is Good. Let's Tell the World.

May God be gracious to us and bless us 

     and make his face shine on us

Selah

so that your ways may be known on earth, 

     your salvation among all nations. 

May the peoples praise you, God; 

     may all the peoples praise you. 

(Psalm 67:1-3)

We speak of these days as a crisis, O God.

And, well, it is true, 

for the burdens and troubles 

of the people of the world is, indeed, very great.

We are living in anxious times,

filled with worry, and even fear.

Bless us, O Lord. 

Bless even us, and deliver us, we pray.

But why should we always dwell upon

the troubles and worries?

Can we not also have hope?

Can we not also see these times

as an opportunity to make known your glory?

For as dark as the days may be, O God,

your light always shines brighter.

As great as our troubles may be,

your goodness is far more abundant.

Selah

As we experience your blessings and mercy

during the pandemic –

and we surely will, for you are so good – 

then we will bear witness to your loving kindness.

Blessed, to be a blessing,

as the saying goes.

Let it apply to us.

Bless us, indeed – that is our prayer.

But bless us, so that we can make known 

your goodness and faithfulness.

Bless us, and send us as your ambassadors,

your Kingdom representatives.

Use us, O God, as instruments

by which you: 

  

  heal the broken hearts,

    calm the anxious spirit,

      comfort those who mourn,

        assure the lonely of your presence,

      offer relief to the poor,

    encourage those who are downcast,

  deliver hope to those who despair.

Bless us, O Lord.

Bless us, so that we may make known

your salvation and your grace

unto all the world.

Selah

For this we know: 

"How are they to call on one in whom

they have not believed? And how are they

to believe in one of whom they have

never heard? And how are they to hear

without someone to proclaim him? And how 

are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?

As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of

those who bring good news!’”*

Let it be us, O God.

Let it be us – your people, your Church – 

who have the beautiful feet which

bring good news 

into this crisis.

We will shine your light, O Lord,

and make known your goodness and mercy.

Your steadfast love compels us.

May the peoples praise you, God;

may ALL the peoples praise you.

Amen.

And Amen.

* Romans 10:14-16a

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

When You Can't Pray, God Hears You Anyway

O Lord, all my longing is known to you; 

     my sighing is not hidden from you.

(Psalm 38:9, NRSV)

Sometimes I can’t find the words to pray, O God.

My heart is heavy, weighed down.

The emotions and feelings swirl in dizzying chaos.

I’m sad – our world has been turned upside down.

I’m afraid – this is a really big deal. 

   (I know, you tell me not to be afraid. But this stuff is scary).

I’m anxious – no one has ever faced this before.

I’m angry – people are hoarding toilet paper. TOILET PAPER!

I’m worried – 

  for my wife and children, 

    for my parents and in-laws,

      for my siblings and extended family, 

         for my church,

            for my community,

         for the newly jobless,

      for strained and closed businesses,

    for the nations of the world,

  and even for me.

I’m restless – what can I do?

I’m on edge – what’s going to happen next?

I have all these things swirling around

in my heart and my mind, O God.

And I can’t put them into words.

But then, I realize that you already know.

O Lord, all my longing is known to you;

     my sighing is not hidden from you.

You know the deepest thoughts of my heart – 

the ones I hide from everyone else,

even the ones I have never been able to admit to myself.

When I can’t find the words to pray, it’s okay,

because your Spirit intercedes

with sighs too deep for words.

When my sighs and groans are all I can offer you,

you hear me still.

And you know.

Thank you, Lord, for listening to my heart

even when I don’t know what to say.

Thank you, Lord, for answering the prayers

that I don’t even know how to lift up.

Thank you, Lord, for knowing me through and through,

and for loving me eternally.

Amen.

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

Praise Is Always Appropriate

We praise you, God, 

     we praise you, for your Name is near; 

     people tell of your wonderful deeds.

(Psalm 75:1)

It is good and right, O Lord,

that praise should flow from our hearts

and over our lips

every day.

For you are good beyond measure,

your blessings falling upon us faster than we can count.

Praise is not reserved

only for those times when life is good;

for even in times of trouble,

your goodness far exceeds our trials.

We awoke this day with the rising of the sun – 

   which, by the way, is amazing to witness,

   a gift you paint for us every day on the horizon.

And you have breathed into us the breath of life,

and given us this day – 

   also, as a beautiful gift.

Indeed, there is beauty everywhere;

open our eyes, that we may behold your goodness.

We praise you, O God,

     we praise you, for your Name is near.

There may be fearful things in our lives:

    sickness

            economic cHaos

      jobs put on p-a-u-s-e

  more sickness (it is a pandemic, after all)

     social ------ distancing

isolation

loneliness

But your love casts out fear.

In our distancing, our isolation, our loneliness,

you have come near,

to dwell with us.

In your Presence there is peace.

We praise you, O God,

     we praise you, for your Name is near;

     people tell of your wonderful deeds.

Let it be said of us, O God,

that we are among those 

who tell of your wonderful deeds.

For our world can use good news today.

As we experience your goodness,

open our mouths to sing your praise;

and inspire us in the depths of our hearts

to show your grace and compassion and mercy,

so that even more people

will tell of your wonderful deeds.

We praise you, O God, we praise you.

Amen.

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