God, you know our hearts’ joys and sorrows

even before words form in our minds to describe them.

You stand with us through the hard stuff;

you struggle with us in our distress;

you dance with us in our delights.

We lift prayers to you,

and with one another, that in our speaking

we might hear those concerns,

the distress, and those delights in new ways;

ways that help us to understand one another

and reach out to each other in tenderness and respect;

and to understand our world, your creation,

and ourselves more clearly.

Teach us, as we pray.

Open us, as we pray.

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

We pray for our children and our families (pause).

We pray for the scary places in our lives,

the places that cause us worry (pause).

We pray for the leaders of our world (pause).

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

We pray for the mysteries we cannot answer,

the puzzles we cannot decipher:

the relationships that failed,

the plans that fell through, the dreams that faded.

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

We pray for all the unknowns

that spur us to ask whether we will have enough,

or be enough, for challenges to come (pause).

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

And, finally, we rest ourselves in you,

releasing burdens too heavy, or those unnecessary,

taking on instead the yoke of Christ.

In your great grace and love, we rest.

For the gift of that home in your heart,

we thank you and we praise you. AMEN.