We are confronted by an overdose of politics, and if we are not careful, we find we can become severely depressed or lose our religion, or both. Therefore we turn to God, asking for Him to uphold us in the midst of torrents of words which may or may not bear resemblance to promises made, which may or may not be possible to keep. May the wisdom of Jesus permeate us so that we live wisely in an often-foolhardy world. Let us with trusting confidence worship God.
Pastoral Prayer
Gracious, loving, and understanding God, we come before Thee confessing a major conundrum for many of us. Some of us deal with what seems to be a growing feeling of societal and world break-down by simply tuning out and others of us deal with it by tuning in too much. Very few of us are totally unaware of the troubles facing the world, and so we turn to Thee, hoping and praying for the wisdom and perseverance to withstand whatever comes our way. We particularly ask that Thou wouldst grant wisdom to people with major political power who feel compelled to use their power to combat forces of tyranny or chaos. May they act with caution where that is best or decisiveness where that is best. Above all, we ask Thee to be with them and to guide them.
We pray for people who have made mistakes they easily could have avoided, and are left to try to navigate their way through the obstacles of those mistakes. We pray for people who have ruined their health by addictions or poor nutrition or by the misuse of drugs. Help them to recover, and help those who are trying to assist them in their recovery. We pray for caretakers who spend long and sometimes frustrating hours attempting to bring comfort or healing to people who resist both. Lord God, life is very hard for many of us, and we ask Thee especially to bless those who feel its hardships the most intensely.
We thank Thee for one who came to us long ago as a prophet and sage in a land far away that was occupied by a powerful foreign army. We praise Thee for Thy spirit moving within the spirit of Jesus of Nazareth, and for the many illustrations of extraordinary wisdom he offered to a people in military and spiritual bondage. Help us also to absorb his wisdom, and to embody it in what we say, what we do, and how we live. Teach us who look for the highest of titles for Jesus also to respond to him as sage and teacher. We ask these things in his name, now praying as Jesus taught his disciples, saying, Our Father….