Pressing the Reset

Sometimes the shortest prayers are the most powerful prayers. Try praying:

May God bless you.

Lord have mercy.

God be with you.

Thank You Lord and so on.

Photos by lil artsy on Pexels.com

Are there times in your life when you wish you could take whatever you said back? Hiccup, sneeze, bite down and spit out all the toxic words you vowed never to say. It’s an accumulation of rubbish that you never imagined emanating from your lips. It’s as if you’ve fallen off the track and landed on someone else’s doorstep. You searched for an accountability partner. But that person had so much baggage to unpack due to years of neglecting their own issues. Maybe you found the right person. You sneezed and you heard someone say, “May God bless you!” You responded, “Thank God! You prayed for me!”

May our prayers for one another be a journey toward peace, hope, and love for one another starting with the first scene and response. May God Bless you.

Amen! As God wills. In God’s Name.

A Prayer for 2023

Almighty God, Holy Guardian of Life, Love, Hope, and Peace

Holy One, thank you for the gift of your presence in 2022, and throughout the years. 

Looking back, we are conscious of many memories.  We celebrated birthdays, and we wept and memorialized those who transitioned. There were times when illnesses recycled throughout our families, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, as we wrestled with the Covid Virus. We gave thanks for healings, and the end of pain and suffering. Many learned to pray more than once and to patiently wait for Your answers. We have a storehouse of remarkable treasures and lessons learned in 2022.

We are reminded of the frailty of our lives and the importance of caring for one another through the simple practice of wearing a mask, sanitizing our hands, and exercising long distance affection. We thank You God, for Your steadfast response to our needs. We held onto a sacred time to park and pray at 1:11 pm. We were fully present with God as many of us prayed for those who are sick, shut in, shut out, and away from opportunities for healthy living. 

As we move forward to 2023, Merciful God, create in us a clean heart and a renewed spirit. We pray:

For all in need of healing and deliverance from sickness, challenges, and heavy burdens. 

For all God’s servants. For all who are vulnerable and lack resources for healthy living.

For all who are in the midst of warfare and dangerous environmental challenges.

For all who are resistant to God’s message of peace, love, justice, righteousness, and mercy. 

For all who need body, mind, and spiritual fuel for life’s journeys. 

For all who need strength, grace, mercy, peace, joy, safety, and a refuge from danger.

Merciful God give us each day our daily Bread, a fuel that supplies our specific needs.

Loving God, we are thankful for Your unconditional love and attention. O God, we find strength in our relationship with You.

In 2023, continue to fill us with Your love and compassion for one another. Nurture a desire for truth, liberty, justice, peace, and charity. Create in us a clean heart and a renewed spirit.  

May all desire to practice a common love, peace, mercy, and respect for one another. 

Gracious God, help us to fulfill Your Call as neighbors.

“To Love the Eternal One your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. And “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Loving God, may we understand and proclaim Your universal Call and Commitment to love God and to love one another as spoken by the Savior.  As God wills. Amen.