Prayers of the People, OT28B

​Oh, Lord, our hearts are like blobs of melted wax.
We droop,
sticking wherever we fall,
in awkward postures
of sorrow
and humility,
hardened by our separation from the warmth
of your love
and your light.
Hear our cries for mercy!

If indeed our complaints are seen as rebellion,
then do not cover us with your hand
or stifle our groaning,
but listen to our suffering, O God.
Hear our cries for justice!

We cannot begin to understand the reasons
behind natural disasters
or terminal illness
or abandonment
or war,
and it overwhelms us as we take it in.
Do not hide your face from us in our desperation.
Do not cut us off.
Hear our cries for healing, O God,
for we are so in need of your redeeming grace!

Almighty God,
our Rock and our Fortress,
surround us with your loving care,
light up the darkness
and lead us to places of wholeness and of peace
that our fears will not overtake our joy
and enthusiasm for life.