By Barbara Howard of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, USA

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.

Take a moment to breathe deeply and be aware of silence. Be grateful for our community and hold those who are ill or suffering or grieving to the healing light of love.

God of all time and place,

We thank you for this sacred time spent in the holiness of your presence. We sense you permeating all space, even amid suffering and violence. We pray for awareness of your world in this moment. Help us to sense the pain of others and to be a healing presence for them. Just as our breath sustains life, we pray that your life in us shall create a new reality of peace.

You love us when we are least lovable—hold us when we are most afraid. Strengthen us when we are most fragile.

Just when we think we have climbed the last mountain, we turn to view the vista of all we have learned and understood. You whisper, “Look around. There’s a new path to greater understandings of my love and calling. Listen now for my presence.”

Creator, we may resist. We may stop. Still you nudge us with your compassionate, firm Spirit, and move us to see new terrain. You call us forward to those unknown places and open our hearts to that which we do not yet understand.

May our gratitude for your constancy open us to the wonder and pain of every life that touches our own. Stir in us a desire to respond to each opportunity to be an instrument for your love.

United in this moment may we respond to your call to move in faith—to struggle, to change, to venture—supported by your nurturing Spirit. Now, trusting in your promise, we offer ourselves as vulnerable disciples. Sustain us with growing awareness that you are the source of our strength. Deepen our resolve in this time of prayer, confident in the abiding grace and comfort of your Spirit. Amen.

Prayer Phrase

“For by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:8).

Spiritual Practice

The Jesus Prayer of Mercy

The Jesus Prayer is an ancient spiritual practice from Orthodox Christianity. It is a way of connecting with the gracious Spirit of Christ as we ask to receive his mercy. The prayer comes from the scripture of the blind man calling Jesus to heal him. Silently enter prayer and let your breath become slow and even. Greet God and then take up the prayer phrase: Lord, Jesus Christ (as you breathe in) … have mercy on me (as you breathe out). Prayerfully repeat these words for several minutes (or forty times). Breathe the presence of Christ into your mind, heart, and body. Be transformed as you receive the compassionate, peaceful heart of Jesus.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.