Good & gracious God,
in the morning when we rise,
and in the night when we lay down,
and in all the moments in between,
You are there.
In the night while we sleep,
or toss and turn in anxiety,
even then, O Lord,
You are there.
You are waiting for us to turn to You.
You are waiting for us to look for You.
You are waiting for us to make time for You,
to pay attention to You,
to attend to our relationship with You.
Far too often, Lord, we find ourselves too busy.
You call us to be still.
We confess that this is difficult for us.
We prefer to be active.
We prefer to be busy.
We prefer to be surrounded by activity and noise.
Silence unsettles us.
Solitudes intimidates us.
Reflection rattles us.
So, we seek diversions and welcome distractions.
We fill our schedules to overflowing.
And yet . . . deep within us,
there is a hunger that grows and grows:
A hunger for silence.
A hunger for solitude.
A hunger for time to reflect.
A hunger for You, O God.
The busier we become, the more this hunger grows.
We feel it – an emptiness, a loneliness.
Grant us, O God, the strength of steadfast will to feed our hunger,
to step away, even when there are other demands on our time.
Shield us from the temptation to put off our prayers
and postpone our time for reflection.
Drive away the fears that make us shrink back from silence.
Teach us how to be still and know You.
These distractions are amongst our greatest temptations,
an enemy to keep us separated from You.
But You… You are greater than any sin we face.
You have won the battle at the cross.
You are the Lord, our Rock, and our salvation.
Though we stumble,
though we fall,
though we let the world get the best of us,
Remind us of Your steadfast presence.
Trials and responsibilities come at us each day,
even aggressions shake the earth underneath us.
They seek to tear us apart – from You and from each other.
But upon You, we stand firm.
You alone are solid ground,
the Savior of our souls.
Free us from the jaws of brokenness
and fill us with unshakeable hope,
for we give You the glory in our sufferings.
We stand firm in knowing suffering produces perseverance,
perseverance produces character,
and character produces hope.
This resolute hope does not put us to shame.
We bask in the abundant love
You have poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
And so O, Lord, we call upon You to rise up!
Cast out the enemies
and calm our hearts once more.
We seek nothing more than strong character
and undaunting courage.
No matter the challenge,
we will remain committed, standing firm in each moment.
Give us the Spirit of Christ,
to stand firm in Your will,
to walk the path You make before us.
It happens only by Your grace, O God.
In You alone can we find rest.
In the heart of Christ, our souls fly free.
May we persevere in prayer,
and remain grateful for Your mercy and love.
We ask all of these things because of Jesus. Amen and amen.
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