Dear Lord Jesus,
Today on this National Day of Prayer, please guide us to
open our hearts, to set aside our differences, to come together in prayer to
acknowledge the Lovingkindness of God.
The theme for this year’s prayer asks us to come together
with “one mind and one voice” to glorify God.
Often, we go about our day not realizing Who is providing us oxygen to
breathe, Who is giving us energy to work, learn or play, Who is giving us strength
to carry on – and, especially, not realizing that we are all given these gifts simultaneously. Please help us to recognize that when we set
our mind on gratitude for God’s Grace, we then let go of the need to find fault,
to outshine another, to use our strength against others – we realize that we
are not here to overtake others but to have gratitude for every opportunity and
to delight in others’ happiness.
In this past year, we have seen much tragedy across the
world – many hearts and souls ache with sadness and grief. Many of these tragedies included great loss –
the Malaysian plane, the mudslide in Washington State, the avalanche on Mount
Everest, the Korean Ferry Boat – the magnitude of which we cannot even fathom;
yet, there are family members and friends, who are dealing with the depths of
great loss. Let us realize the
interconnectedness of all our souls and extend heartfelt comfort.
Dear Lord, our beautiful planet Earth is going through
many changes and drastic measures in our current time – earthquakes, floods,
hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides, tsunamis and avalanches of greater and
greater magnitude. Please help us to
acknowledge and appreciate every living thing – the beauty of the flowers and
trees and plants that God has provided us, the rich earth that provides our
nourishment – too often, we see our land as something to conquer instead of
something to regard and respect. Please
help us to honor the earth and treat it properly.
God has given us such ability, strength, resilience and
love as humans – yet, too often we use those gifts as a means to overshadow
fellow human beings. Please help us each
day, Dear Lord, to rise above this need in order to see and feel the greater
need of all. Please help us take one
step closer to God, to live with Your understanding and love in order to extend
kindness and gentleness to others as You did.
Please help us to know the heartwarming feeling of giving of oneself on
behalf of another.
In Matthew 6:9-13, You gave us a prayer that encompasses
what we need to say – The Our Father. Please help us to truly ask that “Your Will be done on earth as it is in
heaven,” so that we may better ourselves and create a better planet and
place for everyone to live.
With gratitude and humility, we ask this in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
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