Psalm 143: Hear Our Prayer O Lord
Hear our prayer, O Lord -
not because of who we are
but because of who You are.
Living God, listening God, righteous One –
put us right with You.
Put us right with one another.
Hear our prayer, O Lord -
for we are run into the ground
by all that chases us.
We are crushed and exhausted.
We are thirsty, so thirsty for You.
Hear our prayer, O Lord –
we have heard great things of You.
We have seen the wonders you have made.
But now, right now, our strength fails
and our hope shudders.
We have worked hard, so hard,
too often disappointed and dragged down.
Hear our prayer, O Lord.
Save us from our enemies.
Save us from ourselves!
Now, right now, we stretch out our hands to You.
We run into your safe keeping.
We lift up to you, one by one,
all our tiredness, all our efforts, all our hopes and dreams,
all our disappointments and frustrations,
every way that anyone has let us down.
Teach us your ways, for You are our God.
Set our steps on a level path, Gracious Spirit.
In You we put our trust.
Hear our prayer, O Lord.
not because of who we are
but because of who You are.
Living God, listening God, righteous One –
put us right with You.
Put us right with one another.
Hear our prayer, O Lord -
for we are run into the ground
by all that chases us.
We are crushed and exhausted.
We are thirsty, so thirsty for You.
Hear our prayer, O Lord –
we have heard great things of You.
We have seen the wonders you have made.
But now, right now, our strength fails
and our hope shudders.
We have worked hard, so hard,
too often disappointed and dragged down.
Hear our prayer, O Lord.
Save us from our enemies.
Save us from ourselves!
Now, right now, we stretch out our hands to You.
We run into your safe keeping.
We lift up to you, one by one,
all our tiredness, all our efforts, all our hopes and dreams,
all our disappointments and frustrations,
every way that anyone has let us down.
Teach us your ways, for You are our God.
Set our steps on a level path, Gracious Spirit.
In You we put our trust.
Hear our prayer, O Lord.
Photo: Waikouaiti Beach sunset, near Dunedin, by Ian Thompson
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Psalm 143: A Psalm for Easter Saturday
Father, hear our prayer this black day. Bring life out of death, we beg you. Your servant is gone, and our souls faint with grief. His enemies surrounded him, beat him, crushed the life out of him. He cried out, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” We call to you with a terrible thirst, our hearts dry and desolate. He cried out, “I am thirsty.” No one is innocent, except for him, but he died under the sins of all of us, crying, “Father, forgive them.” We remember all he did and all he said and we put out trust in you. He cried out, “It is finished.” O for good news! O for a new day! O that we might hear of your loving power in the morning! He said he would lead us into life. He said that love would conquer death; your Son, your servant. |
Photo: in the church at the Sisters of Nazareth, in Israel.
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