Praying, and waiting, for a different kind of world
The last week of May was not one any of us want to repeat.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in God’s word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
– Psalm 130:5-6 (NRSV)
Dear God,
It is so hard being in the place of waiting. We want to have this world look like your kingdom. We want the suffering, the injustice, and the racism that is taking over our planet to stop. We know that this is not the world you want for us. We know that you are calling us as Christians to help bring your kingdom into being, but the truth of the matter is that so many people are tired. They are frustrated. They are broken.
As much as the events of the past week have troubled me, the truth of the matter is that I simply do not have to deal with the reality of racism on a daily basis. Discrimination is not a situation I have to face every time I leave the house. This is an issue that I am able to turn off whenever I want to. Instead, I can look at racism as somewhat of an academic question. It is not my ever present danger.
Please give me the courage to stay engaged, but more importantly, please give strength to my sisters and brothers of color who have to live with that injustice each and every day. Please intervene in those places where your grace needs to shine. Help those whose eyes have been blinded to the reality of racism to become educated and may their hearts be changed. Give us a country that is not always tied into the system of oppression and violence that has been with us for so long.
This is not what the realm of God is supposed to look like. We are supposed to be your people living together in a wild and wondrous diversity. We are supposed to be serving you and seeking to eliminate the injustice in our world. This is what Christ calls us to do with our forgiveness. For those of us who have had an encounter with your risen son to be perpetrators of bigotry is a betrayal of everything that the gospel means.
Thank you for continuing to work in the middle of this brokenness. Thank you for being with your followers each and every day. Thank you for the places we have seen people coming together to hold the powerful to account, to build bridges, and to further the cause of justice. Give all of them the strength that they need. Give your grace to our world and change the heart of our society.
Our country is hurting right now. Please comfort the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Abery, and Breonna Taylor. Help us all to recognize the ways each of us contributes to, and is affected by, the evil of racism. Make it possible for everyone in this country to safely walk the streets whenever they want. Guide us and sustain us through this difficult time. Let us come out the other side better, stronger, and more reflective of your will for our lives.
Dear God, I am waiting for you, more than those who watch for the morning. I also know that there are others who have been waiting even longer. Help them and preserve them each and every day. Sustain them and change us. Amen.
(This reflection from my prayer journal was inspired by Marilyn Pagán-Banks’s UCC Still Speaking Devotional, Always Sophia, May 28, 2020)
