Daily Prayer: 2024

when life seems dark and hope is far away

Today is the Winter Solstice - the longest night of the year. I post this meditation (written in 2001 by Rev. Diane Hendricks) every year as a reminder that things are not always as they seem. Darkness eventually gives way to light and night transitions to morning. And we can have hope in the darkest of times.

Longest Night Meditation

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Only it's not.

Not for everyone.

Not when there is an empty chair at the table.
Not when your body is ravaged with illness.
Not when the depression is too much to bear.
Not without her voice joining yours on the Christmas carols.
Not when you feel all alone even in a crowd.
Not when you are not sure you can even afford the rent or mortgage,
let alone the presents.
Not when they are trying their best to get the best of you.
Not when another Christmas party means he will come home drunk again.

It's the most wonderful time of the year?

No, it's not.

And trying to smile and say Merry Christmas is more than difficult.

It's pretty near impossible.

C.S. Lewis once wrote:

"No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning..."

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Only it's not.

Not after he has died.

Not after the doctor gave you the news.
Not after they told you they would be downsizing.
Not after... you fill in the blank.
Not after September 11.
Not when there is so much violence and destruction in the world.

In truth, it has never been the most wonderful time of the year. Certainly not in the days surrounding that first Christmas so long ago. The story of the birth of Jesus is not to be told with a jolly voice and a merry ho-ho-ho.
It is the story of a teenage girl, pregnant with a child that is not her husband's.

It is the story of a child born in a dirty animal stall.
It is the story of a family of refugees who had to flee their homeland so that their child would not be killed.
It is the story of one sent into the world in peace who was condemned to death.
It is the story of a light sent to shine in the darkness, which the world snuffed out.
It is the story of God's never-ending, self-giving mercy which was rejected and condemned.
In the great work the Messiah, Handel quotes the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming that Jesus was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." One great theologian reminds us that we cannot come to the manger without acknowledging that it lays in the shadow of the cross.

It is not the most wonderful time of the year.

Only it is! It is:
If we forget about the tinsel and the trees.
If we forget about the holly jolly tidings.
If we forget about the presents and the ornaments and the trappings.
And remember. Remember the story.
Mary was alone and afraid.
But God was with her and exalted her among women.
Joseph was disgraced.
But God revealed in Joseph's cause for disgrace God's plan to save the world.
The world was in darkness.
But God sent the light of life to shine.
The lowly were imprisoned.
But Jesus set them free.
The blind wandered aimlessly.
But Christ gave them eyes to see.
The lame were rejected.
But through the Holy One they were made to leap and dance.
The deaf were confined to the silence.
But the song of life unstopped their ears.
The sorrowful grieved.
But God wipes away our tears.
We were alone.
But in Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God is with us.
The people rejected God.
But God embraces us.
The world crucified Christ.
But God would not allow that to be the last word, and gave us the sure hope of the resurrection.
It is the most wonderful time of the year, not because you have to be cheery and happy and merry.

But because you don't.

You can have heavy spirits and shattered dreams. Broken hearts and deep wounds.

And still God comes to be with you.
To comfort you.
To redeem you.
To save you.
To restore you.
To empower you.
To strengthen you.
To grant you peace.
To be raised for you.
To hold you in the communion of saints with those whom you have loved and lost.
To store your tears in his bottle.
To offer you eternal life.
It is the most wonderful time of the year.
For Christ is born.
Love has come.
God is with us!
Thanks be to the Lord our God.

Amen

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A prayer of thanksgiving and commitment this Christmas

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a prayer to risk again

Dear Lord,

This morning I am hopeful but fearful.

Give me the courage to try again.

Help me to be patient as I take one step of faith today.

Bless me that I might not be controlled by past failures.

Help me to trust you and follow in your footsteps.

Guide me Holy Spirit as I seek to hear your still small voice.

I am your servant. Lead me in the way of love.

Amen.

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a prayer for sympathy and guidance

Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning.

Give attention to my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.

Thank you O Lord, for hearing me when I pray.

Thank you for being a pure Father, one with absolutely no evil.

Give me grace O Father to be humble, pure in heart and a truth teller.

Help me to be a forgiving person and one filled with honesty.

Praise be to Your name for Your steadfast love.

I worship You with much awe.

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness; make your way straight before me.

Cause me to be one with truth in my mouth; and not flattery on my lips.

Give me wisdom to live in a sinful world and to shine before others.

Help me to bless those who do not know You and bless me to love them.

Let all who take refuge in you rejoice and let them ever sing for joy.

Spread Your loving protection over all.

Let who love Your name exult in you and praise your name.

For You bless those you love and cover them with favor as with a shield.

Amen

... a prayer based on Psalm 5

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A prayer for protection and direction

Lord, Be Thou within me, to strengthen me; Without me, to keep me; Above me, to protect me; Beneath me, to uphold me; Before me, to direct me; Behind me, to keep me from straying; Round about me, to defend me. Blessed be Thou, O Lord, our Father, for ever and ever.

-Lancelot Andrewes (1555–1626)

Note:
Lancelot Andrewes was an important clergyman in the Church of England. He was a theological statesman and court preacher. His goal was to cause people to think about scripture and reawaken them. Andrewes was one of the translators for the King James version of the Bible.

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Prayer has POWER

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a prayer for peace

Heavenly Father,

Your good and gracious heart for Your people is the reason we are able to have peace.

While the world is in chaos, when violence is the norm and fighting is expected, we long for peace between all those created in Your image. When thank you for the peace Jesus brought between us and You. Glory to God in the Highest!

Show us ways to be at peace with others, give us hearts for loving and not fighting with those we disagree with, and give us an open spirit for peace to reign in our hearts at all times.

Amen.

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a confession of trust

Dearest Father,

My life is hard and my days are lonely.
Even so, I will trust you Lord.

Sickness has consumed my world and tears adorn my eyes.
Even so, I will trust you Lord.

Friends have left me and I feel forsaken.
Even so, I will trust you Lord.

Each day seems darker than the day before.
Even so, I will trust you Lord.

I will trust you Lord because you love me.

I will trust you because your heart is good.

I will trust you knowing that you are with me.

I will trust you because I love you Jesus.

Amen.

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a prayer to make a difference

Blessed Lord,

I confess that I too often overlook the people who need Your love and healing. Consumed with myself and my schedule, I don’t make time to listen for Your leading and to watch for opportunities to give Jesus to those around me.

Forgive me, Father.

In a world of lonely, frightened people, give me a heart that is broken for the things that break Yours. Give me compassion for a lost and dying world, for people You love. Give me an unquenchable love for Your gospel, for Your Son, for Your Word, for You. Use me to make an eternal difference in the lives of people all around me.

Amen

... from a prayer by Anne Graham Lotz

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open our hearts to your plan

Dear Father God,

Open our hearts to your plan for us so that we may live good lives.

You have given us family, friends and others who radiate your wisdom.

Open our hearts so that we may embrace their words of guidance.

Help us to be humble and loving towards all we may encounter.

That our eyes and our hearts might be open to embrace your ways.

We pray in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

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God may want to use you to answer your prayer

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant, and to the prayer of Thy servants, who desire to fear Thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, Thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.—Nehemiah 1:11.

WHEN Nehemiah began to pray I have no idea that he thought he himself was to be the instrument in God’s hand of building the walls of Jerusalem. But when a man gets into sympathy and harmony with God, then God prepares him for the work He has for him. No doubt he thought the Persian king might send one of his great warriors and accomplish the work with a great army of men; but after he had been praying for months, it may be, the thought flashed into his mind:

“Why should not I go to Jerusalem myself and build those walls?”

Prayer for the work will soon arouse your own sympathy and effort.

Source: Moody, D. L. 1900. The D. L. Moody Year Book: A Living Daily Message from the Words of D. L. Moody.

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a prayer to be content

Dear Father,

I am not content with my life.
I am in pain and hurt most of the time.

Help me to find grace in hardship.
Help me to lean into trust and love.

Empower me to not compare myself to others.
Empower me to be thankful for what I have.

Teach me to be a person who looks to you.
Teach me to see with my inner eyes of faith.

Bless me with courage, hope and endurance as I struggle.
Bless me to learn to be content with things out of my control.

I choose to live a life focused on love and peace.
I choose to be a person with a heart for you.

Amen.

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Prayer time to be alone with God

He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when evening was come, he was there alone.” (Matt. 14:23.)

THE man Christ Jesus felt the need of perfect solitude—Himself alone, entirely by Himself alone with Himself. We know how much intercourse with men draws us away from ourselves and exhausts our powers. The man Christ Jesus knew this, too, and felt the need of being by Himself again, of gathering all His powers, of realizing fully His high destiny, His human weakness, His entire dependence on the Father.

How much more does the child of God need this—himself, alone with spiritual realities, himself alone with God the Father. If ever there were one who could dispense with special seasons for solitude and fellowship, it was our Lord. But He could not do His work or maintain His fellowship in full power, without His quiet time.

Would God that every servant of His understood and practiced this blessed art, and that the Church knew how to train its children into some sense of this high and holy privilege, that every believer may and must have his time when he is indeed himself alone with God. Oh, the thought to have God all alone to myself, and to know that God has me all alone to Himself!

—Andrew Murray.

Lamertine speaks in one of his books of a secluded walk in his garden where his mother always spent a certain hour of the day, upon which nobody ever dreamed for a moment of intruding. It was the holy garden of the Lord to her. Poor souls that have no such Beulah land! Seek thy private chamber, Jesus says. It is in the solitude that we catch the mystic notes that issue from the soul of things.

A MEDITATION

My soul, practice being alone with Christ! It is written that when they were alone He expounded all things to His disciples. Do not wonder at the saying; it is true to thine experience. If thou wouldst understand thyself send the multiude away. Let them go out one by one till thou art left alone with Jesus. … Has thou ever pictured thyself the one remaining creature in the earth, the one remaining creature in all the starry worlds?

In such a universe thine every thought would be “God and I! God and I!” And yet He is as near to thee as that—as near as if in the boundless spaces there throbbed no heart but His and thine. Practice that solitude, O my soul! Practice the expulsion of the crowd! Practice the stillness of thine own heart! Practice the solemn refrain “God and I! God and I!” Let none interpose between thee and thy wrestling angel! Thou shalt be both condemned and pardoned when thou shalt meet Jesus alone!

—George Matheson.

Source: Cowman, Lettie B. 1925. Streams in the Desert. Los Angeles, CA: The Oriental Missionary Society.

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Be watchful

When we pray, we must be diligent to continue PRAYING even after a VICTORY! The battle is never over. It is an ongoing FIGHT against the powers of evil.

So never quit crying out. Never stop SEEKING the face of the LORD. Continue praying and believing and trusting!!

Our God is so FAITHFUL!

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the sacrifice of thanksgiving

O my God,

Let me, with thanksgiving, remember,
and confess to you your mercies on me.

Let my bones be drenched with your love,
and let them say to you, ‘Who is like you, O Lord?’

You have broken my bonds,
I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

And how you have broken them, I will declare;
and all who worship you, when they hear this, shall say,

“Blessed be the Lord, in heaven and in earth,
great and wonderful is His name.“

Amen.

... a prayer of Saint Augustine

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Waiting with Hope

"...because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79)

God of promises,
Sometimes we wait generations
for the dawn from on high;
sometimes only years.
We wait for justice and hope and light and kindness
to mingle in the tangle of our days.
And we age while we hope.

So may we age and hope with tenderness and truth.
Because you are tender and true
even though we sometimes wonder.

Amen.

(From Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community by Pádraig Ó Tuama)

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a prayer of reflection

Dear Lord,

Help us to take time to rest and relax.

Teach us to value meditation and time alone.

Bless us to think deeply and not just react to life events.

Open our eyes to what is important in the world.

Connect us to others and help us to build substantial relationships.

Together, lead us to bring peace in a world of turmoil.

Make us to be instruments of peace in our neck of the world.

To you we turn, praying for your will to be done in us.

Amen.

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A prayer for as you get older

I’m tired.

As I grow older

fatigue comes sooner.

This worn and weary frame

no longer functions

as it once did.

That I may continue to serve You

and live the rest of my days

to their full

is my prayer.

I know, Lord, that I must learn

to recognize limitations,

to choose among opportunities,

to eliminate excess baggage.

But that knowledge comes hard.

I am not wise;

I need to understand

much more than I now know

of the practical application

of Your Word

to these matters.

Forgive me Lord

for not learning sooner,

for wasted time

and dissipated energy

I now wish I had.

I see the importance

of these commodities

now that I am beginning

to run short of them.

I want to serve You

to the end,

not in a lackluster manner,

nor in weariness of flesh,

but vivaciously,

conserving and wisely using

all my remaining strength

for Your glory,

Amen.

Adams, Jay E. 1979. Prayers for Troubled Times. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

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a prayer for truth seeking

Heavenly Father,

We come to you today, Lord, for Your wisdom and discernment in a time when things are muddled and confusing. Father, we long for truth yet it seems impossible to find it.

But Your truth is what gives us a solid foundation, so week we must. Lord God, help us to see Your truth and not be blinded by other things that look or feel like truth.

For Your truth is power,

Your truth guides and protects,

and Your truth is what we need

to stand strong and stand sure.

Amen

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,

thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;

all praise we would render, O help us to see

'tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.

-Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise by Walter C. Smith

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prayer of the seven directions

Begin facing east - This is where the sun comes up, and so the direction of new beginnings, hope, promise, and potential. Pray that you may be open to receiving these gifts this day. Each turn is a quarter turn to your right.

Turn south - This is the direction of warmth, growth, fertility, also known as creativity and productivity. In addition, this direction represents faith, trust, and faithfulness in relationships. Pray for these things this day.

Turn west - This is the direction where the sun goes down. Thus, it is the direction of rest, of our dream lives, and of closure and endings that need to take place in order for there to be new beginnings. Pray for these things this day.

Turn north - This is the direction of the cold, of winds, of strength, courage, fortitude, might, single-mindedness, focus, clarity and purpose. Pray for these things this day.

Turn back to the east - and turn upward. For Native Americans this is the direction of Father Sky. Pray that your heart, mind, soul, and spirit will not forget to look upward this day, to the One who is so much greater than we are.

Turn downward - and touch our Mother, the earth. Pray that everything you do this day will be in honor and reverence of our Mother Earth.

Turn inward- Place your hand on your heart and pray that all that you do this day will be true to the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit who dwells within you.

Amen.

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A prayer to teach the next generation about God

From Generation to Generation

2 Timothy 3:15 ... and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Lord God, from the time we are children, we can read Your scriptures and learn to walk in Your ways. Your Word teaches us of Your character and Your love. We learn of how You came to earth as a baby in a manger, grew to manhood, and died on the cross for our sins. The Bible teaches us that we can be reconciled to You and enjoy the reward of heaven with You forever.

I thank You for Your Word. May I teach others what I have learned in its pages

Source: Hahn, Jennifer. 2012. Prayers and Promises for Christmas: Biblical Encouragement for the Holiday Season. Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour Books.

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No fear

LORD help us to always be mindful of Your Presence in ur lives. Help us to SEEK You daily. Help us to not be afraid but to place our TRUST in you in all things….

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A Lament for the Evil in the Word

Holy and righteous God,

Don't you see? Don't you care, Lord? Fools revile you, daring you to take action. Evil men flaunt their excesses, without conscience or concern. It grieves us; it angers us. Women, children, and the elderly are shown no mercy. When will it end, Lord? When will the day of j
ustice come?

We don't question your power; just your timetable. We don't question your plan; just its execution. Our hope is in you, Lord. There is no other God.

So until the day you put all things right, Lord, pour out your Spirit upon your people. Grant leaders wisdom, children comfort, and your church courage. Whether by our living or by our dying, we want to honor you.

When we're tempted to repay evil for evil, harm for harm, or hatred for hatred, grant us grace and restraint, O Lord.

When fears loom and doubts increase, show us Jesus' empty tomb and your occupied throne. You alone, O God, are worthy. We praise, bless, and adore you, in Jesus' name.

Amen.

(From Every Season Prayers by Scotty Smith)

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prayer for change in hard times

Dear Father,

My life is hard and I am not handling it well.

Help me to change my life.

Guide me as I follow your way of love.

Teach me to be wise with regard to friendships.

Give me strength to develop encouraging relationships.

Help me to be a blessing to those around me.

Open my heart that I might develop patience and humility.

And find life in hard times

In Jesus' name, amen.

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The meaning of praying for others

Lord, help me learn to pray better for others.

Let my prayers not be just with words, but with actions of compassion and attention, so that I also see their needs and pains.

In Jesus's Name

Amen

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prayer for spiritual growth

Look upon us Lord.

Let all the inner darkness vanish before the beams of your brightness.

Fill us with holy love and open to us the treasures of your wisdom.

Complete what you have begun and what your Spirit has awakened in us.

We seek your face - turn your face unto us and show us your glory.

Then shall our longing be satisfied and our peace shall be perfect.

Amen.

- adapted from an Augustinian prayer

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a prayer for peace

O God, Creator of the universe, who extends your paternal concern over every creature and guides the events of history to goals of salvation, we acknowledge your Fatherly love when you break the resistance of mankind and, in a world torn by strife and discord, you make us ready for reconciliation.

Renew for us the wonders of your MERCY; send forth your Spirit hat He may work in the intimacy of our hearts, that enemies may begin to dialogue, that adversaries may shake hands and peoples may encounter one another in harmony.

May all commit themselves to the sincere search for true peace which will extinguish all arguments, for charity which overcomes hatred, for pardon which disarms revenge.

- Pope John Paul II

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Pray the words of the Psalms - they point to Jesus

The Psalms all point to Jesus. When you hear the words of Psalm 22, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” you might think about your own experience. Depression, for example, feels like being forsaken. But you also remember that these were Jesus’ words on the cross. They point to the fact that when you read these liturgical prayers, you are not alone. David composed many of them, the Israelites sang them, the church has recited them, and they all point to Jesus.

What these psalms do is straighten the trajectory of our lives. Using the words he gives us, God gently turns our hearts toward him. Instead of everything bending back into ourselves, we are able to look straight, outside of ourselves, and fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). Keep this pattern in mind. It is the path of hope. The fact that all your thoughts turn back on yourself is oppressive. The self cannot carry the load. The way we were intended to function was to be able to look outward, toward God and other people. As you say the Psalms and remember that Jesus said them first, you will gradually find your focus changing.

Edward T. Welch

-----

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Prayers in times of change

God of Yesterday,

we knew you then: your promises; your words; your walking among us.

But yesterday is gone.

And so, today, we are in need of change.

Change

and change us.

Help us see life now

not through yesterday's stories but through today's.

Amen.

God of Endings,

What we thought would not end has ended.

And we find ourselves here wondering

where we are and how we got here

and where to go from here.

Be with us, here, at the end.

Help us place our feet on this ground,

help us lick our wounds,

help us look up and around.

Help us believe the story of today.

Because you know all

about the endings of today.

And you are not afraid.

Amen.

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a prayer for transformation

Dear Father,

Open my eyes to the ways that I need to change.

By the power of your Spirit, transform me.

Lead me on a path of discovery and challenge.

Give me the courage to make adjustments.

Fill me with love and compassion as I go.

Cause me to be a blessing to you and my friends.

I give you my heart afresh.

Help me to become more like you every day.

Amen.

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a prayer for restored faith

Dear God,

Life has been hard and I have lost my way.
It is hard to understand how these things have happened.

I have experienced such pain and heartache.
It seems that you are not there and not with me.

Help me to find my way back to you.
Open my heart and my eyes that I might sense your presence.

Bring hope into my heart and loving people to my side.
I am needy. I need you. Come into my life God.

Amen.

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We are on a journey but Christ is with us

In the Journey of Life

1 In the journey of life, with its struggle and strife,

And the perils that meet and o’ertake us,

We must trust and not fear, for the Saviour is near,

Who has pledg’d himself ne’er to forsake us.

Refrain:

Then despite ev’ry foe, let us cheerfully go,

Wherever our Saviour may need us;

He’ll protect us thro’ life, and when ended the strife,

To the mansions above he will lead us.

2 Tho’ the pathway be rough, and our strength not enough

For the journey that still lies before us,

We shall yet reach the end, for we’ve Christ for a Friend,

And a Father in heav’n to watch o’er us. [Refrain]

3 In the night, as the day, Christ our Guide knows the way,

By the hand he securely will hold us;

And when dangers affright, will defend with his might,

Or within his strong arms will enfold us. [Refrain]

4 When the journey is done, and the goal has been won,

And our Home has been reach’d to leave never;

Then with new pow’rs endued, and with old pow’rs renewed,

We will serve thee, blest Saviour, forever. [Refrain]

Public Domain

https://hymnary.org/text/in_the_journey_of_life_with_its

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Rejoice in HOPE

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a prayer of shelter and shadow

~ It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.

~ It is in the shadow of each other that the people live.

We know that sometimes we are alone, and sometimes we are in community.

Sometimes we are in shadow,

and sometimes we are surrounded by shelter.

Sometimes we feel like exiles -

in our land, in our languages and in our bodies.

And sometimes we feel surrounded by welcome.

As we seek to be human together, may we share the things that do not fade:

generosity, truth-telling, silence, respect and love.

And may the power we share be for the good of all.

We honor God, the source of this rich life.

And we honor each other, story-full and lovely.

Whether in our shadow or in our shelter, may we live well and fully with each other.

Amen.

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