Lord,
There are times when we cry out and groan and echo the Psalmist:
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
Times when it can seem that we are unseen, unheard, unknown and forgotten. We pray for those who feel forgotten or unseen, may they know that they are remembered and seen by you. Shine your face upon them, and search our hearts to reveal those we hide our faces from. When we are turned inward with our own anxieties and fears, turn us to you in prayer, with every petition, and with thanksgiving that we might then be turned to be made bearers of your light in this world.
You need nothing from us, Lord, but our neighbors sure do. So make us bearers of your self-sacrificial love. Mark us with the humility of the cross, and make us bearers of your mercy, your grace, your forgiveness. Make us bearers of the truth that you are a stronghold in times of trouble, a stronghold for the weary. That you do not forget the cries of the afflicted, nor forsake those who seek you. And renew our hearts that we may again echo the Psalmist:
But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
AMEN.