Purpose and Calling: Intercede IV

[Read previous posts: Purpose and Calling: Intercede Intro; Purpose and Calling: Intercede II;  Purpose and Calling: Intercede III]

The following is the Pastoral Prayer I wrote following the Marshall Fire in Boulder County (nearly 1,100 homes destroyed)—and was used in the January 2, 2022 worship service at Grace Commons Church, Boulder:

Lord, you know suffering. You meet us in our pain.

For the many who have lost the places and the things they called home, we grieve.

Meet them in their suffering and loss.

Sustain them….Provide for their needs…Hold them close.

Calm their fears and give them a sense of safety in the midst of so much that has shifted for them. Grant them strength and energy for each moment as it comes.

Care for them as their Great Shepherd.

Give them rest in the midst of the chaos.

Be their source of hope…and peace.

Restore.

Show Yourself merciful. [PAUSE]

Lord, You exhort us to mourn with those who mourn…to weep with those who weep.

For those still displaced and unable to go home as yet…

For those whose homes still stand but whose neighborhood is devastated…

For those evacuated from local hospitals and care facilities…

Lord, hear their cries. Be their portion. Be enough. Bring wholeness.

For any and all for whom this process itself was traumatic…

For evacuees, first responders—police, fire, other support systems…those working at shelters, 9-1-1 dispatchers…

For those who watched…horrified…

Lord, remember their frailty. Meet them in their sense of helplessness. Be the lifter of their heads. Be their refuge and strength. Show Yourself. Show Yourself mighty. [PAUSE]

Lord, as the communities of Superior and Louisville and our county begin the long processes of assessment, clean-up, and rebuilding,

Provide. Expedite the financial and insurance processes. Remove barriers. Build necessary resilience.

As each of us cares for others, grant us uncommon love and patience. Multiply our generosity.

Bring wholeness. Bring unity. Magnify our love for one another.

Be the One Who Restores.

Use Grace Commons and other churches as instruments of your grace and mercy.

Even in our shock and sadness…our loss and grief…we rely on your promised faithfulness…

On your love that “stands firm forever” [PAUSE]

We pause now to lift our other concerns to you in silence…[PAUSE]

Lord, You know we’ve just come through Advent—waiting for Jesus to come—and Christmas—Jesus’ coming—Emmanuel—God WITH us. We so need a second Advent…here…now…today. We need You Jesus—to come…to come again. To be here…to bring Your Light to our darkness. To bring Your hope, your confidence, your joy and your Peace.

As we celebrate communion now, meet us in a fresh way this morning. Bind our wounds. Fill our hearts. Make Your Presence known. We ask for Your help BECAUSE of Your great mercy.

In Your GREAT and powerful NAME, Amen.

Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and leaders in a diversity of fields for over 30 years. She has also been Catalyst for Equipping at her 1,200 member church since 1999.

Photo (c) Shirley Giles Davis, all rights reserved. Artwork by Deborah Pascoe.