Living God, we praise you as creator and sustainer of all things.
You are mighty and you are merciful,
You are great, and you are good.
Amaze us again each day with your abundant power and grace,
which reaches far beyond our worst failings and destructive desires.
Lord, we long for your kingdom to come,
for righteousness and peace to reign throughout our world.
We lament the suffering and injustice that stains your creation:
disease, hunger, corruption, human trafficking, cycles of violence and despair.
We pray especially this morning for justice and hope in Iran, in Honduras, in Zimbabwe, in Iraq.
… [prayers for congregational concerns]
Lord, we also lift up the suffering we seldom dare to voice:
the darkness of depression, doubt, betrayal, temptation, apathy, anxiety.
These are fierce foes, but none is stronger than you.
Make that plain in our lives this week.
Lord, we praise you for the life of your servant John Calvin, which began 500 years ago this past Friday.
For his wise and vivid vision of your sovereignty and grace that continues to enrich and guide us, we give you thanks.
We echo the words of this prayer of his:
‘Grant that we may continue in the unity of faith, persevere against all the temptations of this world, and never deviate from the right course, whatever new troubles arise each day. … Let us not be seized with fear that would extinguish hope in our hearts, but may we learn to raise up our eyes and minds and all our thoughts to your great power, and to the eternal joy that has been obtained for us by the blood of your only Son, our Lord.’
We pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
Amen.
- prayer at Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church, July 12, 2009
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