God's Love Prayers
Prayer to an Evolutionary God
You accept us--at times of self-doubt
Thank you, God of all,
Co-creator of our world,
For allowing us to be imperfectly made:
Because it makes us, if we are wise, forgiving.
Do you accept us as we are?
We condemn people too quickly:
We judge them for flawed thinking, disguised egotism,
Unworthy acquisitiveness, or skewed opinions.
But we can forgive them once we accept our own shadow,
And realize how well we ourselves fit
Into the ranks of a less than perfect human race.
You, Holy God, accept each of us,
Prophets tell us, just as we are:
Provided our moral judgments of others
Are reciprocally generous and compassionate.
Imperfection fits this evolving reality,
For the universe thrives on diversity,
Including random failure,
One of the very preconditions for the unfolding advances.
May it be so.
- William Cleary
Sublime Beauty
Dear God, please reveal to us
your sublime beauty
that is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere
so that we will never again
feel frightened.
My divine love, my love,
Please let us touch
your face.
- St. Francis of Assisi
A Prayer for Resting in God's Love
God of Goodness, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me.
I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me.
If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there.
Teach me today to love you more.
Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child.
- Author Unknown
Advent Reflection
In one sense we are always traveling, and traveling as if we did not know where we are going.
In another sense we have already arrived.
We cannot arrive at the perfect possession of God in this life, and that is why we are traveling and we travel in darkness. But we already possess God by grace, and therefore, in that sense, we have arrived and are dwelling in the light.
But oh! How far have I to go to find You in Whom I have already arrived!
- Thomas Merton, "Dialogues with Silence"
Your Love
Bless us with Love, O Merciful God;
That we may Love as you Love!
That we may show patience, tolerance,
Kindness, caring and love to all!
Give me knowledge; O giver of Knowledge,
That I may be one with my Universe and Mother Earth!
O Compassionate One, grant compassion unto us;
That we may help all fellow souls in need!
Bless us with your Love O God.
Bless us with your Love.
In The Name of Love
In the Name of Love, we have come.
In the Name of Love, we are here.
And, in the Name of Love we will go.
Knowing in our Hearts and in our Souls
that what we have experienced is truly Divine.
- Dennis Yount (Died of AIDS in the early 1990s)
Special People
We thank you, O God,
For those people who are channels of your love in our lives:
For those who gave us birth,
And, in the weakness of our infancy,
Sheltered, nurtured, and treasured us.
For those who taught us to walk,
To talk and to explore tastes, smells, sounds,
And affirmed our strengths,
And the friends young and old
Who share our tears and laughter.
We thank you, Lord,
For the people of strong faith
Who stretch out minds and enlarge our capacity
To explore and understand your ways.
For those at every stage of our journey
Who teach us trust by trusting us,
Who enable us to love others
Through the experience of being loved.
We thank you for those very sincere people
Who have demonstrated the joys and disciplines
Of the kingdom of God,
And especially people who taught us to love you,
Rather than to be afraid of you.
God of love, God of Jesus,
For these healing experiences of growth and loving,
And for the knowledge that the best is yet to come,
We praise your holy name:
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
By Bruce D. Prewer (year 1983). Australian Prayers, Lutheran Publishing House, Adelaide, Australia (p. 112)
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