National Day of Prayer

May 1, 2014

Rev. Brett Opalinski

On this day in our country, when we intentionally come before you together, we lift these prayers up to you God: 

We pray for our people: God, as Americans we have many things. We are blessed with many freedoms, we often have a great spirit of courage and self-sacrifice. We have a sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We have resources that the majority of people in the world don’t have. Yet, we pray that all of this may never lead to pride, selfishness or a sense that we are blessed above others. Give us the humility of Christ. Help us to serve, to use our blessings as a blessing for someone else.  Raise us up to something great, a people fashioned after your own heart.

We pray for our children: God we remember how Jesus said children would show us the way into your Kingdom. Help us to be true to our Children here in America. Far too many go to bed hungry, far too many feel lonely and unloved, far too many are victims of abuse and violence, far too many grow up faster than they should. Give us a sense that all children are “our” children. We give you thanks for schools, teachers, administrators, parents and mentors that work day in and day out to guide and lead these children. May all children have access to high quality education. We give you thanks for loving homes and families and pray that all children will experience this kind of love. We pray too for those children who have no home, no parents, those waiting in shelters. May we claim them, and all children, as our own.

We pray for our businesses: We thank you God for freedoms to buy and sell and to earn an honest wage. We thank you for business leaders who have shown us how to make a living and build a just society. We pray that profits may never be our bottom line.  Help our businesses and our consumers to be good stewards of your resources.  Remind us always that creation is never simply raw material for us to use … it is your own artwork! We pray for our workers who toil day in and day out and especially for those who earn barely enough to survive … those who must work two and three jobs.  Help us to be faithful business leaders and responsible consumers.

We pray for our media: Thank you God for the freedom to report and to hear various points of views. Thank you for those who work tirelessly to make sure people are informed and have a deeper understanding. We pray that our media will not be too one sided in any direction, but rather will seek understanding and practice civility. Help all of us to speak the truth in love. May our desire for information be grounded in truth, grace, and understanding and not in divisiveness, fear, sensationalism, or witty half-truths.

We pray for those who protect us: Thank you God for those whose service comes through military, law enforcement or emergency response. We thank you for that spirit that inspires these to protect the weak and defenseless, to give even life itself on behalf of others, to go into places of danger to rescue a stranger. We honor this courage and this selfless way. We pray also for that time you have promised when there will be no violence, no wars, no crimes, no hate, and no fear. Hasten that day, even as we honor those who protect us while we wait.

We pray for our government: We pray God for our President, Vice-President, leaders in Congress, our governors, state and local officials, and all others who serve in the government. We pray for strength for the hard days, courage for the difficult decisions, wisdom to look beyond easy answers or sound bites. Give our leaders a cause greater than political party. Help us to hold our officials accountable to both truth and justice. Yet, help us also to express our viewpoints with respect, courtesy, compassion, and a willingness to see the humanity in our leaders. Help them and us to be prophetic when we must and conciliatory when we can. 

We pray for our Churches and Faith Communities: Blessed God, may our faith continue to inspire us to live as people made in your image, and to see others in the same way. We thank you for churches and faith communities that connect life and spirit and challenge us to live with your heart. We thank you for the families formed, the lives served and blessed, the communities that have been changed, and the gentle way of Jesus shown in compassionate living. We pray too for people whose faith traditions are different from our own. May we live with generous hearts in the midst of diversity, may we honor places of agreement, and respectfully understand our disagreements. Help us to hold fast to that which we know to be true, but always give us the humility to learn and grow and broaden our minds. Above all, help each one of us to live with your heart, God.

So now Christ Jesus, on this National Day of Prayer, give us grateful hearts, but also humble hearts, give us wisdom and vision, but also compassion, give us the strong foundation of faith, but help us to respect that which is mystery. Above all, though, help each one of us to live with your own heart. Thank you for our country, for our community, and for one another. We are yours God. We are yours.

Amen.