A Riff on the Lord’s Prayer for a Morning Like This

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Our Father,

Father to all of us and each of us,

Of those who violently stormed our nation’s capitol yesterday

And those who watched in horror from our homes,

Staring in disbelief in fear

While people broke windows and stormed hallways;

You are Lord above all of this and in all of this.

Hallowed be your name.

May your name be kept holy,

Not misconstrued on banners carried by extremists,

Not wielded as a sword we use against one another.

We bear your name in all we do,

At our dining tables,

In our bedrooms,

On the internet

And in our nation’s capitol.

May your name be kept holy.

May your Kingdom come soon,

And let us be reminded that how it is now

Is not how it will always be.

In your mercy, give us a glimpse of what is to come,

And give us eyes to see your Kingdom in even the smallest gestures of humanity,

Of love and peace and joy here on earth.

May your will be done

In our homes, our heart,

Our work, our words.

Give us today the food we need,

For our bodies, minds, and our souls.

Enough food to sustain our strength,

but not too much so we forget how it feels to be hungry.

Enough information so knowledge becomes wisdom,

But not too much so that it becomes pride.

Enough care for our souls that we will not run on fumes,

And indeed so much that we overflow into those who run on empty.

Forgive us our sins,

For we know not what we do.

Except sometimes we do know, and we do it anyway.

Forgive us then too, please God, in your mercy.

We have many to forgive today, God.

It’s hard enough to ask forgiveness,

Sometimes harder still to give it.

Give us humility to open our hand and let them breathe,

Instead of tightening a chokehold of getting even.

Forgive is a big word, a choice and not a feeling.

Even so, always and again, may your name be kept holy.

Don’t let us give way to temptation

By even entertaining the choices of darkness.

In the face of this, give our lungs a fresh breath,

For a breath gives us a moment,

A moment gives us margin,

And margin allows choices.

Rescue us from the evil one,

Who seeks to kill and destroy,

To divide and conquer.

You have given us but one rule: Love.

Yours is the kingdom, all of the power, and every drop of the glory.

Amen.

Tricia Lott Williford

Comments are closed

  1. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

  2. Thank you for always keeping your focus on Jesus and helping us do the same!

  3. Beautifully written! God bless!

  4. Amen!!!!

  5. Thanks for your heartfelt and sincere words!
    Our nation is in a state of chaos and we need love more now than ever! What a year this has been! We all need God!

  6. Many thanks. Much needed and deeply appreciated.

  7. Thank you so much! It expresses my thoughts in a way I cannot! I went immediately to Facebook and shared it!!!

  8. Yes and Amen! Thank you for writing and praying this.

  9. AMEN!

  10. Love this post! Thank you !

  11. Thank you for this.

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