Prayers
Pastoral Prayer by Meghan Brown Saavedra
The Psalmist tells us that if God had not been on our side, we surely would have been swallowed up alive. So, with assurance let us pray for our community, our neighbors, both known and unknown, and for all of creation.
God our creator, you brought order out of the formless void, light out of darkness, earth out of the waters, hope out of despair. Continually, you offer us protection and escape from the raging waters.
O Lord, we pray for those who don’t always feel your divine and everlasting protection, who may not always feel like you are on their side. We pray for those who do feel swept away by the floodwaters, particularly those in this very community who have been affected by the rain and destruction this week.
We pray for those in the city of Atlanta and throughout the world who always feel drowned by the rising tides: of unexpected financial challenges, of increasing debt and decreasing job security, of anxiety, insecurity, and utter despair about the present and the future.
We also pray for those who can sink to no further depths, already having no earthly possessions to lose: no shelter to call home, no pantry to be ravaged, no firm foundation on which to build an ark. We ask for your comfort and hope, your relief and protection.
God, you gather us up and call us your people, claiming us all as your children, and sending us into the world to share the good news that you are for us and not against us. Empower us all, as your beloved community, to seek the goodwill of all people, in our churches and in our communities, knowing that our hope and strength come from you.
Oh Lord, on the cross your son bore the pain of the world. We pray for those who are submerged in self-doubt, isolating loneliness, physical and mental pain and suffering. Preserve all people with your steadfast presence and bring healing as a sign of your mercy and grace.
We offer our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who taught and invited us to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.