Good morning…
Amid the high winds of mixed emotions, I invite you to join me in prayer, between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, from the comfort of your home or in the quiet of our open Northside sanctuary. I, personally, will be welcoming people into the church from 12:00 to 1:00 pm, masked and social distanced, for the noon hour of our day-long prayer vigil, and I would love to experience the joy of seeing your smiling eyes. In person or in separate places, together we will intercede for our nation, seeking God’s peace, unity, and healing on this day which hosts the 59th Presidential Inauguration in our American history.
Yesterday a friend from church shared a passionate prayer in her morning devotional. I sense that my conversations with God throughout this important day will be filled with similar sentiments.
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A Prayer for Our Nation by Rev. Taesung Kang, New Hampshire District Superintendent of the United Methodist Church (with reference to 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11; Ephesians 1:15-23 MSG Translation)
Holy and living God,
In you “we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28)
In you we find our shelter and strength,
In you our hearts are being filled with joy each morning,
In you we sing praises with a new song,
In you we trust that your promises are the way.
During our time in between,
We wait with hope for you are the source of every hope,
We wait with patience for your timing is always perfect,
We wait with prayer for you are listening intently,
We wait with praise for you take all our anxieties as we cast them on you.
During this time, we pray especially for…
Those persons with uncertainty hindering their future,
Those who lost their jobs and are finding ways to meet their financial needs,
Those who lost their loved ones, and their funeral services are limited or postponed,
Those who are fighting against addiction and are unable to meet with their recovery groups,
Those who feel fear as hate crimes and incidents arise.
During this time, O God,
Enter into our sorrows, worries, addictions, financial burdens, fears, and injustices.
Fill us with your grace, hope, and joy abundantly.
Turn each home into a place of peace, unity, and love for each other.
Renew our hearts and minds to seek the knowledge of your mercy and love.
Help our souls to be united in incessant prayer.
Let us receive this prayer of Apostle Paul:
“I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing [God] personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is [God] is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life [God] has for [you], oh, the utter extravagance of [God’s] work in us who trust [the Lord]—endless energy, boundless strength!”
Let it be so. Amen.
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The Almighty God is powerfully at work in the space between you and me. Our God is the God of restoration. No human leader sits on a throne in our country, that’s why we cry out for God’s higher, healing power to guide us. The One who was sitting on the throne [ Jesus] said, “Look! I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted [faithful, reliable, and true]” (Revelation 21:5, EXB).
Between you and me, will we promise to look for the new, restorative things Christ is doing in our midst today and prayerfully trust the faithful, reliable One who sits on the throne of our everyday lives?
…Sue…
