
The years breeze by faster and faster it seems, and increasingly in need of more and more prayers, in my humble opinion. This year’s prayers focus on power, in respect to my yearly theme…but in a way that flips some particular powers around to be constructive instead of destructive. I focused my solutions on the beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel.
For those whose spirits are broken and weighted by pain, loss, cruelty, sickness, lack of acceptance and depression, I pray that when your spirit is low, that you are reminded of Christ when he said that the Kingdom of God is within you, that there is no human power that can take that away. Even against the pressure of these challenges, I pray the light inside you dissipate the darkness because when we all shine our light from within, the darkness has no power.
For those who suffer loss, I pray that loving arms of friends and family can fill in and make whole all your shattered pieces and give you comfort, so the power of their love outweighs the loss.
For those who feel overpowered by others, whether it be personal or institutional, I pray that you embrace justice, goodness and walk humbly with God, and celebrate the personal power that belongs to you alone, and treat others with fairness and respect, even when you are not. The strength of integrity is the greatest power against those who would try to strip you of it.
For those children of the light who are fighting for justice and righteousness, I pray that your power for good is fed and driven by love and not hate. I pray that your numbers increase and that you never feel alone in your desire for justice, and that your fight brings hope for a brighter future.
For those who choose mercy over judgement, I pray that in turn, you receive the same kind of mercy. For Jesus reminds us that God desires mercy and not sacrifice. I pray you understand the ripples of power that flow out from every simple act of mercy and kindness.
For those whose hearts are true and clean, I pray that your light shines above the rest, and I also pray that for those of you who deceive the world by pretending to be ones who are true and clean but whose hearts are full of hidden hatred, judgement and fear, I pray you are exposed for the hypocrites you are.
For those of you who work for peace, history has shown us how powerful and necessary you are for the future, even in the face of present violence, those committed to future peace lead the way to our best future. I pray for perseverance of spirit.
For those of you who, in their fight for righteousness, are attacked and persecuted by the power of those whose purpose is greedy self fulfillment, I pray that you know the power of heaven has your back. Even Jesus’ power never wavered in front of an angry mob, his quiet confidence could not be shaken, and I pray yours won’t be either.
Finally, I pray that you all choose love as the source of your power, that it be rooted in truth, faith, justice, goodness and humility. Have a great year!