November Prayers | Praying amidst Grief

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
— Psalm 34:18

Dear friends. As we process the horrific war in the Middle East, the lives of innocent children, women and men lost, we must allow space for lament. Let us listen to the varied voices of grief and let us stand alongside them in the hope for an end to this violence and for a lasting peace. Let us also make space for the multitude of griefs we and our neighbors carry.

For this Grief Stricken Day

God, we are heartbroken in the face of

so much evil, so much grief.

Comfort us in our sorrow.

Blessed are we who allow ourselves to feel it—

the impossibility

of what was possible a second ago—

the light decision,

the casual stroll,

the easy exchange and ordinary duty,

a decent choice or a banal one,

the sweep of hours on a day that was like any other,

until it wasn’t.

This is the place where nothing makes sense.

This is the place where tears flow in earnest now.

Blessed are we who allow our hearts to break,

for it will take some time

for brittle unreality to release us from its grip,

for the long and slow dissolve

until we fully see

what never should have been.

Blessed are we who ask you, God,

that grief find its way to move among us

and be felt together, that comfort may flow

in bonds of affection

unbroken by this fresh tragedy.

Though grief and tragedy and pain

try to convince us otherwise,

remind us that we are not alone.

God, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Spirit, have mercy.

Amen.

The Telos Group seeks “to form communities of American peacemakers across lines of difference, and equip them to help reconcile seemingly intractable conflicts at home and abroad.” They are an important resource when learning more about the Middle East.

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