Based on Psalm 46

Psalm 46 is a corporate psalm. I encourage you to read it before you pray this prayer. You are invited, then, to pray while alone knowing that you are also praying with the whole faith community. Let our voices be a beautiful concert in his ears!

Let us pray.

Lord, you are indeed our refuge and our strength; not just mine alone. You are strength and refuge for people of all times and in all places, who put their trust in you. You are The One and only holy and magnificent God of all creation.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Good Shepherd, we know deep in our hearts that you are trustworthy, and we do not need to be afraid of anything that comes in this life. We have read your word pictures in the psalms of your mighty power when the earth seems to shake from its very foundations wreaking havoc on the seismograph needle. We can imagine the lava pouring out, smell the bubbling geysers in Yellowstone, and walking through crunchy volcanic ash.

                We bring to you now our individual experiences with nature’s power.

Help us to remember that you have all of creation under your control and we need not fear. Help us to recall that you are in control of all the challenges our world and our community faces. Give us the confidence to pray with the Psalmist of our trust in you though the mountains fall into the seas.

Lord, hear our prayers.

We imagine with the Psalmist your city on a hill, the place of worship for the ancient Hebrews. Today you inhabit the hearts of your children. As we think on your presence within, we can almost sense the streams of living water flowing through our community of faith. We may not always feel this way Lord, in fact some of us may not feel this at all. Please give us patience to wait and trust that the morning will indeed dawn.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Jesus, it often seems that our nation and others are constantly in an uproar about something. We can find ourselves shuddering at the news. Give us hope Lord. Speak your truth loudly into our hearts when despair threatens to overtake us. We cry out to you.

Lord hear our prayers.

Be our refuge, Lord. Be our refuge.

Lord, hear our prayers.

The Psalmist acts as if the cessation of wars is imminent. May it be so, Lord. May it be so. The vision of peace offered is so healing Lord. Break the bows and shatter the spears in our country. Make us each persons of peace.

Lord, hear our prayers.

It is so easy to read your message to “be still and to know that you are God” but so hard to live into. We ask you to calm our inner beings. We cannot be still and know without you. May you still our hearts transform each and every one in our faith community and those in other places so that we become your people of peace and take our refuge in you alone.

Lord, hear our prayers. Amen