Prayer for the Week: In this season of vacations, we pray for true rest among those whose labors never appear to end. O God of the weak and weary, we recognize how there are too many in our world who do not know what it means to have a break. Abuse, slavery and human trafficking keep a group of human beings, young and old, working every day of every week. You created us to be free, but you also created us to know rest – rest for the body, mind and spirit. May our working hours be given to those who know no rest at the hands of those who do not have the capacity for compassion. Let us do the work of Moses, helping you to liberate the oppressed. We also pray for single parents who work multiple jobs while trying to provide security and joy for their children. Too many of them do not know rest, and there is no time for exhaustion. For those who continue to push themselves to provide the basics for their families, we pray that as the church, we may find ways of providing space and resources for rest – short sabbaths of renewal. We pray for those who work constantly because they have lost themselves in their work. O Gracious God, let us preach and model the importance of balance in life. We were created to honor you with lives that genuinely love you, neighbor and self. Assist those of us who need to find ourselves by first loving ourselves. It is only then that they can love you and neighbor as well. As you modeled for us the importance of rest, may we seek it for ourselves and for all those whose circumstances or perceptions make no room for rest. Amen.
