Prayers of the People, OT26B

​O God, our Fortress and our Rock,
your children are terrified!
The gut-wrenching fear
that silences the stories
that leave us shaking in our shoes
is threatening to tear us apart.
The politics of superiority
damage the psyche
and intimidate the child in us
who is longing to be safe.
We have donned our sackcloth --
our mourning clothes --
and shut ourselves away from the world
to hide the pain on our faces,
to cover our socially unacceptable tears.
Angry and aching,
we relive the attacks made on our physcial beings
and our character
even as we are dismissed as unimportant ...
non-essential ...
unworthy.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers!
Depressed and disturbed,
dismayed and disgusted,
exhausted and enraged,
we come to you in fervent hope
that you will erase the ugliness that rears its giant head
before us.
Hear our desperate prayers for healing
and wholeness,
for compassion
and justice
and peace of mind, body, and spirit.
Grant wisdom, O God,
to those in power,
that they might hear and be moved to act appropriately.
Grant discernment, Source of all Truth,
that all who seek your guidance
will be strengthened and encouraged
even in the darkest days,
to lift their voice
in the name of all that is holy
to preserve the lives of those who stand
in harm's way.
Rescue your people,
we pray,
from destructive ambition
and greed
and from self-identifying bias.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayers.