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| Image by Bruce Guentner |
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A Greeting
Listen to the sound of my cry, my God,
for to you I pray.
(Psalm 5:2)
A Reading
Answer me quickly, O God; my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
(Psalm 143:7-8;10)
Music
Meditative Verse
Answer me, O God, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
(Psalm 69:16)
A Prayer Story
Following a brief illness, my dad passed away in August of 2014. During his hospital stay, my mom and I were able to visit and spend time with him every day. In the days following my dad's passing, there was great tension and distance with my siblings and me, and after the funeral each sibling went on their own path with no communication for a number of years. Looking back, I believe I understand, my siblings had unfinished business with my dad. I was able to put our differences aside, make peace with him and spend the last thirty days of his life with him. I prayed daily for God to give us healing and bring family unity to us. I wrote countless letters to my siblings, expressing my forgiveness of them, only to receive no response. I felt frustrated, angry. Why was God not listening to me? I was lonely, I missed my siblings, did God not realize this? On the morning of November 29, 2017 I awoke with the words "you be the change". Those words rattled around in my mind all day. How could I be the change? Then it came to me, I needed to be the one to apologize to my siblings. I believe it was God that spoke to me that night. I texted each sibling, asking it they would be available for a phone call that day. Everyone responded and was agreeable. It was the longest, most emotional day of my life. I cried in joy and fell to my knees to thank God. It was selfish of me to think that because I was ready to move on, others should be too. It was not just about my timing, or my siblings timing but God's timing. It was about me having faith that God had control of the situation. Forgiveness gives us love and love is our answer in this world. I realize I was never alone, God carried me through this storm and was always listening to me.
- Marcie Klassen, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Verse for the Day
Show us your steadfast love, O God,
and grant us your salvation.
(Psalm 85:7)
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In today’s story, Marcie Klassen describes a time when it felt as if God was not listening to her prayer. Having prayed long and hard for healing in her family, nothing seemed to be happening. Answer me quickly, O God, says the psalmist in today’s reading and often this is how we feel: if God would just answer our prayer, things would be all right. But answers to prayer often do not come in the form we expect. When we pray, we are conditioning our hearts to be listening to the way that God walks with us and is always working in us. We are more likely to be experiencing a transformation within, whether we are aware or can feel or sense it — or not. Even as we struggle, God is there. “Each tear that falls is holy, each breaking heart a throne,” sings Madison Cunningham in today's music. “For there is One who loves me, His heart, it breaks with mine.” Advent is all about believing as Marcie tells us, that God is listening always, whether we hear an answer or not, and that God’s love always brings new life in some way. “Forgiveness gives us love and love is our answer in this world,” writes Marcie. When she finally heard a way forward, she realized she was never alone, and that God was always listening all the time. “You be the change,” she hears. Can we imagine God saying this to us too? Not only in our personal struggles, but in our role in the climate and ecological crisis? In your prayer today, consider asking God what is the change God wants you to be at a time when every moment counts. What is the path of transformation that your prayer invites you to today?
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LC† Praying for Creation is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto,
supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
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