Once again, we humbly come before you...but Father, this time it is different and I know you let us lament, to cry out, to question and I am so thankful. But Father, in these unique times, I am coming before you with such a range of emotions.
These days I find myself cycling through periods of confusion with all that is going on, with biased and distorted data and where we tend to turn opinion into fact. I then move on to frustration with the lack of answers, the lack of listening and understanding and most certainly the lack of progress, then I end up just simply disappointed. Oh Father, I can be so disappointed. Disappointed in the circumstances of life, disappointed with our government, disappointed with people and I can be so disappointed with myself. And Father, as I work through this cycle it seems as if I simply start the cycle over. Oh how we, how I need your grace.
Father, recently I have had this thought of something called the perfect storm and as I recall the perfect storm is when 2 or more fronts converge and become something overwhelming. Father, in this time it seems as if we are living in a perfect storm facing the fronts of a pandemic, an economic crisis, and most sadly even a crisis of equality, discrimination and issues of social justice and it seems that in our imperfect ways during this perfect storm we are doing nothing but creating sides – division is everywhere. Yet Father God, I still say thank you, thank you that in our imperfections you sent us a perfect savior to walk with us in this perfect storm.
Lord, it reminds me of King Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2 Chronicles. When he was faced with a perfect storm he cried out to you, “we do not know what to do” which is how I feel a lot of the time. But there is more and it is the important part – he cried out ‘we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’ Oh Father, what comfort that brings. Forgive us, forgive me for my imperfect actions, for my imperfect inaction, for taking my eyes off of you.
And the most amazing thing about Jehoshaphat’s prayer, is that you respond. You tell Jehoshaphat, you tell us, to stand firm, to see the salvation of the Lord that is on us, you tell us to not be afraid or dismayed, you tell us that no matter the storm you are with us. Father God, Lord Almighty, the Great I Am, thank you many times over.
At the end of the passage the people begin to sing out saying Give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love endures forever and that is my prayer for us today. That we might keep our eyes on you, that we might stand firm in trying times, that we fear not and that we never lose the great and eternal hope that we have in you. Father, there are so many times when I do not know what to do, but this I know, we have a God we can trust and we have a God that loves us. Father, as we move forward, I pray for your guidance, I pray for the right steps to take, I pray for your protection. Father, this morning I pray for relief and healing for those sick, those suffering, those lonely and left out, I pray for an end to systemic racism, brutality and violence and I pray we all come out of this perfect storm and into the perfectly loving arms of Jesus Christ.
And Father, I also pray that Churches and Pastors and people everywhere would move forward proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel, that loving our neighbors, that loving those different from us, that loving those we disagree with would be our path forward, that we as your children will move forward with grace and compassion and kindness. Father, start with me...
Abba Father, we believe, help our unbelief, we love you so much and pray all these things in the perfectly loving and heroic name of Jesus Christ. Amen and Amen!
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