God of Hagar, El Roi, you who see us.

Who are we that you are mindful of us? In the vast reaches of this world, what is humanity that you care for us – that you watch over us? We ask that you would be behold us again. That when we call to you that you see us.

There is so much that good – that is sacred – about this world. You are the one who has given us all that we have, and we can’t help but give it all back to you in thanksgiving. Today, we sit with our neighbors in their joy. For even the smallest moments of grace that have the biggest impact on our lives. When grace feels like the strength of community, when grace is the warmth of a friend on a bad day, when grace is spontaneous moments of laughter between new friends, when grace feels like the expectation of marriage and the building of a new life.

But Loving Lord, we ask that you keep close to us even when we perceive you as distant. We ask that our perception of how the things “really are” might not harden our hearts to how it “might be.” We bring before you all of those who need their minds and hearts opened to new life. We pray for those who carry grief – those who know love that has passed on through loss. We pray for those experiencing the tumult and the frustration of financial uncertainty.

We pray for our nation: for those who have lost their homes in California, for those who wait in long lines for a chance to obtain their papers, for those who continue to grieve in Louisiana. El Roi, help us see. 

We pray for our elected representatives and those whose decisions impact so many lives. May their power never be for their own privilege but for those who are outcast and forlorn. We pray for Eric, our Mayor; for Kathy, our Governor; and for Donald, our President. And give us strong backs to hold them accountable.

We tether our prayers to you, using the steady words that your Son taught us to pray…