Friday, July 8, 2016

Prayer for America in the midst of racially charged shootings


Lord, there has been a lot of praying without words in America this week. We reach for words, for the right things to say, for what we should do, yet we fail. Dismay grips our hearts as we see ugliness rising to the surface again—sin bubbling up from its hiding place, where it has lurked and festered and destroyed. We see beloved black men senselessly and shockingly killed in wide open places. We see vengeance lash out from a hiding place as police officers are shot down one by one. We recognize that what motivates these actions is nothing less than evil in our hearts, a wickedness that has been there since the garden. Lord, consecrate our hearts, revealing the hidden places, showing us where we harbor evil, resentment, blindness. Lord, consecrate our hands, that we may reach out to our neighbors in love and forgiveness, even when it is hard to do--even when we feel righteous in our stance. Lord, consecrate our feet, that we may do the right thing, acting in courage and hope, even when others don’t understand why we take our stand. Lord, today we pray against racism and call it what it is: sin, evil and a disgrace. We humbly and fervently cry out to you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.   

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