A prayer when we have no words

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Pastoral Prayer for virtual worship at First Baptist Church Austin

January 10, 2021

written by Carrie Houston


 Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

A prayer when we have no words

 

This week, we saw the best and the worst of our country. Georgia’s first black Senator, a minister at Martin Luther King’s historic church and a Jewish son of an immigrant will join elected office alongside a Catholic president, the first black and Indian FEMALE vice president, and many other people of color, gender and sexuality. At the same time, a bitter mob of domestic terrorists attacked our country’s Capitol building, stoked by fears and lies. The corona virus continues to decimate our communities, with another record number of deaths set this week. 

 

How do we pray in times like these? How do we muster the words when we can’t get past our ever-fluctuating emotions? I believe that God so deeply knows us that God can sort through the longings of our hearts, even without us saying a word. Maybe that’s what you need to hear today, that you have the permission to just sit in silence, offering up your heart to God, without any words, knowing that God is God. 

 

 

Let’s pause for a moment of corporate silence, to offer ourselves to God in whatever way you need to right now. After our silence, I will speak what is on my heart in the hopes that it speaks to yours as well.

 

God, I am scared, 

I am worried,

I feel hopeless,

I feel powerless.

I am grieving. 

 

This week was fuel to the fire of stress, sadness, and fear that has been burning out of control and largely left unchecked for months. Where is our reprieve? When we will feel our burden’s lifted? Is this our new normal?

 

When we feel like giving up because everything feels too big for us to handle, show us a way out.

 

In the deepest depth of despair, put someone into our path that speaks to the truth and power of the radical love of Christ.  

 

Embolden us to extend our hand in fellowship to our neighbor rather than hiding it for selfish or grudgeful reasons. 

 

Give us the strength to follow in the footsteps of those bravely bringing about your justice.

 

Muster up in us the courage to care more about doing the right thing than what others may think of us. 

 

May our prayer this morning open our minds to being vulnerable with ourselves, so that we can seek the courage to do the right thing today, the truest thing, the righteous thing.

 

These are the longings of our hearts.  We lay them all at your feet, Lord Jesus. 

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