July Prayer

Monday July 6 2020

Eternal God,
In this strangest of years,
As we have watched winter bloom to spring, unfold to summer
From behind our windows and doors,
Speak to us, God of promise and hope,
That in Your shaping hands,
You hold all time:
The quick and slow,
The full and empty,
The wasted and well-spent.

Present God,
In this strangest of years,
As we have heard the voices of loved ones from afar,
And communicated with many,
But not face-to-face;
Speak to us God of promise and hope,
That with Your gentlest, calmest voice,
We may find Your reassurance
That in good time, we will meet again,
With those from whom we have been separate.

Understanding God,
In this strangest of years,
As we have seen our plans crumble, or go on hold,
And we have found it hard to focus,
And concentrate, and be resilient in our thinking,
Untangle our minds;
That we might piece together steadily
Our way ahead, one step, one day, one hour, one moment,
Beside our thoughtful God Whose paths
Already lie beneath our feet, prepared to lead us on.

Loving God,
In this strangest of years,
Take us by Your hand and with Your smile,
Forgive, encourage and set free each child of Yours,
Each Church, community and land,
That healed by grace, emboldened by Your love,
We may with daring faith,
Resolve our hearts to face the future,
Confident that our future, now as always,
Invites our discovery, and our trust in You.

Amen.