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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