The word why appears often in the Psalms –
In a week when the news has reported so many stories of pain – especially the suffering and death of children – I echo the words of Psalm 42, “…God, our rock, why have you forgotten us?”
PRAYER: O Kind and Gentle God, you are the One who promises to be our God in all situations and circumstances. As we read about the bodies of children being pulled from the mud in Columbia; as we read about children who have gone missing in many cities in our country; as we read about children being kidnapped in Central America and trafficked; as we read about the children in South Sudan who are starving because of drought; as we read about children being gassed in Syria – as we read these stories, something within us cries out, “Why?”
O Kind and Gentle God, you are the One who promises to be our God, but what about the children? Why are so many suffering and dying? We ache for parents who grieve this day; we ache for the parents and the siblings of those who are missing; we ache – and from the depth of our sorrow – we cry out, “Why?”
As the author of the Psalm claims, you are the rock, yet the ground under our feet can feel unsteady. Allow for our Why to be a call upon the Christian community. We do not seek simple answers but to respond to the complexity of life with your love, Kind and Gentle God. Let us never be content with a question, even when it emerges from our feelings of sorrow. Let it be our prayer that seeks your Spirit – your Spirit of healing and empowerment, your Spirit of hope and life anew.
O Kind and Gentle God, you are the One who promises to be our God in all situations and circumstances. Let our faith see your love and healing at work even in the most painful and destructive moments. Let our faith see you and believe that change is possible. Amen.
MAKE IT TONIGHT
FOR THE LAST
2 thoughts on “Ecclesiological Etchings: 04-05-17”
Thank you for sharing this prayer . . .
There are times when the Spirit seems to suggest I need to delay what I was going to send and prepare something a little different.