“You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” – John Bunyan.
O Lord, the God of all mankind, enthroned in the heavens, the God who reigns supremely over all kingdoms and over all the nations of the earth! You are the self-sufficient and self-existent being, immutable and unchanging, a rock who is utterly trustworthy. Your greatness is irresistible, your wisdom is unsearchable, and your beauty is unequalled. You hold all power and might in your hand, and you offer your signet ring to whomever you will, according to your divine purposes.
You are in absolute control over all affairs of life, the transcendent God who is also imminent; the God who covers himself in darkness and darkness itself hides and becomes as light before you; the God who dwells in light unapproachable; the infinite One that cannot be contained – nothing perturbs you.
As high and lofty as you are, you have drawn near to us as we draw nigh to you, and you have brought us into an everlasting friendship! Friends of God, how possible? We stand in awe of your majesty and praise you because you always work in favour of your people, your chosen ones whom you have redeemed by your might and by your right arm. While the storms rage and the enemies supplant, we rest in your friendship as you have become our defender.
But why does evil seem to prevail? How come disaster has become natural? How long will the enemy triumph and our eyes grow dim in sorrow over the increasing rebellion of the wicked? How long, O Lord, will you allow your name to be mocked? How long will fear, anxiety and depression subsume your image bearers? Please take your hand from the fold of your garment and cause your wonders to be known once again. Let your righteousness and steadfast love extend over your creation. Would that the Lord rend the heavens and amaze us by your mighty sovereignty; heal and bind our brokenness and let us experience life instead of death.
O God, we toil under the sword of judgment; plagues and famine consume us; things that we cannot see with our naked eyes hold us to ransom and almost halt all human activities and flourishing. Our souls are bowed down to the dust, and our bodies are pressed to the earth, but we stand in your presence and cry to you from our distress for salvation. We are your people who are called by your name, please extend mercy to us since you are not ashamed to be called our God.
Our eyes are on you as we long for the consummation of the kingdom of your dear Son, who is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. We desperately ache for that day when your enemies become your footstool, and the King of kings befittingly sits on the throne of his father, David, and reign supremely, including over the last enemy, death. From that heavenly temple, please radiate on us the ever-shining glory of the Lion of Judah as we eagerly anticipate his coming when we shall see him face to face and our lowly bodies will be transformed as his glorious body. Until then, please keep us faithful.
Amen.
*Inspired by Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 20.