“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14

through prayer we can move – together – a step or two closer to healing

Once in a while I publish excerpts from Rebekah’s work. She is a remarkable preacher, and her messages are invariably both inspirational and challenging.

But today I want to share her “pastoral prayer” from June 30th: titled, simply, “Freedom Week Prayer.” The words are particularly appropriate for this moment in our history as a nation. Not just because of July 4 but because of 2024’s uniquely fraught social and political climate.

Here is the transcript. Also a video so that you can hear. Please listen and/or read in an attitude of prayer. If we all, the more than 7,000 good people who follow this blog, join hearts with both prayer and intention, I believe we can move – together – a step or two closer to healing.

– DEREK

Pastoral Prayer June 30, 2024

“Lord of Heaven and Earth, all the heavens and the whole world, thank you. This is Freedom Week for our nation. We don’t thank you enough for the freedom you provide to us: The freedom we enjoy which has been provided by the great sacrifices of those who came before.

• We have the freedom to travel, and we do like to travel whether to the beach, the mountains, to other states or to the other side of the world.
• We are grateful for the true freedom which is the envy of much of the world. So thank you that we are free to worship; free to speak; free to disagree – most of the time, when we remember our manners; we’re free to vote, and to enjoy the privilege to vote; renew our trust in how we do it. 
• We are grateful that we have freedom to think, or not to think; we are free to talk about what we may be thinking. May our speech to one another be less condemning, and more receiving in order for Your truth to be heard, understood and claimed. 
• We are grateful for the freedom we have to express our faith, our faith in You. 
• We are grateful for the opportunities we have to protect the freedom of those who have no power; freedom to say that that there should not be any hungry people in this country or in any country nor enslaved people, nor trafficked people in this land of the free. We may not know how, but we are grateful for the freedom to try to do something about it.

“We acknowledge, Lord, that we forget your calling to love and to serve – even those we do not particularly like. And to love the unlikable with Your kind of love. As we celebrate our nation with all our foibles, we ask for you to remind us to love you with all of our heart, our soul, our strength and especially our minds right now. May we not denigrate ourselves with name calling, and labeling, and fearful rhetoric. 

“Your strength, your power, your love has never vacated the premises. Adjust our focus in a way that your power can be heard, your love experienced, your hope provided, and keep us moving forward.

“Keep us mindful of the world; Your kind of peace is so needed right now, and it’s rarely understood. It’s needed in the midst of war and the insanity it creates, the grief it creates, and the foundation of hate that it builds. We pray for the great minds that see avenues of possibilities for reason and peace, and we pray for receptive minds and hearts. Make us instruments of your peace, Lord.

“And we know that you have blessed us as a nation; so bless us still. We offer this prayer… and ourselves… to you. We pray it in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray your prayer: Our Father who art in Heaven…“

Rebekah Maul, Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church