My Psalm 171 “Redeemed from Falling” June 14, 2016 Flag Day
Sovereign Lord, Creator of the Universe,
Redeemer of all who call on Your Holy Name,
Have mercy on us.
You who created us from before the beginning of time,
You who numbered the stars and know them by name,
You who intimately know the hairs on our heads,
The thoughts of our minds,
The depravity of our souls,
The mission you set before us,
Have mercy on us.
You who knew from the beginning of time
The number of our days,
In spite of our feeble efforts to extend life,
To think we are so in control of our destiny,
That we pridefully think we are in charge,
Have mercy on us.
Heavenly Father, Abba Father,
You who love us so well,
You created our need to worship You
Even when other life idols get in the way,
Forgive us for diluting your message
With earthly pleasures, temporal things.
Have mercy on us.
Teach us even today to redeem our time,
Our moments of life You give us
For higher purpose than mere pursuits
Of happiness, entertainment, pleasure,
The “me first”, the good rather than the best,
Focusing on ourselves and the desires of our hearts,
Have mercy on us.
In anxious moments, we cry out:
“Oh, my God!”
Either in blasphemy
When we don’t know
What else to say,
Or in cries desperation,
Instead of in reverent prayer,
Acknowledging Your Presence,
That You are in charge of the entire universe
And every moment of our lives.
Hear our prayer this day:
“Oh, my God!”
Have mercy on us.
In our all too feeble attempts
To understand reality
From others’ points of view,
When words fail us,
When we see through a glass dimly,
When the awful is too awful to comprehend,
Have mercy on us.
When we face uncertainty,
When the questions are bigger than the answers,
When we fear for our safety in this life
Forgetting that You have made our paths clear,
Teach us in this teachable moment
That mortality is a brief gift,
A mere downpayment of Your provision
If we but listen to You speaking,
Calling us to You.
Have mercy on us.
To those who grieve this day,
Who utter cries of disbelief,
Who confront the certainty of death,
Who know deep despair,
Who are heartsick
Who are tempted to rail against Your sovereignty,
Have mercy on us.
To those who think You,
Lord of Lords,
Father of us all,
Never could understand our grief,
Remind us of the Cross.
Remind us Your Son died
So that we might have life.
Yes, You know the grief
Of seeing Your precious Son persecuted,
Rejected, disdained, belittled, misunderstood.
Even the Son of God, our Precious Redeemer,
Was hated, reviled, dismissed, taunted,
Yes, killed
According to Your purpose,
Because You love us enough to intervene
In this earthly place
Then and now.
Have mercy on us.
When we fail to notice
Those who are poor,
Those who suffer,
Those who need our love,
Forgive us.
When we who know Your mercy
Your forgiveness, Your blessing
Fail to share that Love with others,
When our hypocrisy sends our words of hate
For those You love
Have mercy on us.
When we utter, “I’ll pray for you,”
And let business and mundane matters interfere,
When we don’t act against injustice
Because it’s uncomfortable
And we don’t want to go there.
In our sinful nature,
When we measure our acceptance in mere lip-service
Or not at all:
The homosexual,
The refugee,
The sex-slave,
The political rival,
The racist,
The blinded bigot,
The immigrant,
The elderly,
The foster-child,
The friendless,
The homeless,
Yes, the one bent on terrorism, even him or her,
What you called “the least among us,”
Indict us, Lord, then change and forgive us.
Have mercy on us.
When we forget that You love us more
Than we can possibly comprehend,
And fail to see Your Hand in the situation,
Let us see You once again bring good out of tragedy.
Let us notice the acts of kindness,
The best in humanity which jumps to the forefront
Even in times such as these,
Renewing our minds,
Refreshing our spirits,
Reminding us yet again,
That love triumphs over hate,
That confidence and determination
Diminish fear and uncertainty,
That in eternal perspective
We long even more for The Prince of Peace
To be among us,
In our random acts of kindness,
In renewed energy toward understanding,
In legislation and pure common sense You’ve provided,
In revival, renewal, commitment, attention to correct the wrongs
And provide for changed attitudes and lovingkindness,
We thank you for Your mercy. Amen.
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