Praying Psalm 25

To you, Lord, we lift up our souls. We turn to you with praise and adoration, with thanks for your steadfast love and faithfulness. We are overwhelmed by the ways that you reach out to us, desiring us to turn to you. We are overwhelmed, by your presence during times of silence, by your presence in scripture and in listening. We are startled by your presence when we gather with others. We are overwhelmed when you offer through another person the smile, the handshake, the hug that we didn’t even know that we needed. We are amazed when you speak through another’s words the words that we need to hear. Thank you. We thank you.

To you, Lord, we lift up our souls. We turn to you with confusion and frustration. We have tried to follow your path, to walk in your truth, and yet…we have failed. We want to love you with every part of our being, but fear and pride get in the way. We vow to spend more time with you, and let busyness and the interests of others get in the way. We want to give more financially, but God—it’s hard—what if there isn’t enough? We want to speak the neighbor, to love neighbor—but I don’t know what to say—and what if they reject me? Worst of all, Lord, there are neighbors we never even notice. People you love, but that we walk past, drive by, and never see. We lift to our failures.

To you, Lord, we lift up our souls, because we have nowhere else to turn. Other paths lead to emptiness. Other ways lead to destruction. We have tried other ways…and in brokenness, pain, and finally humility, we turn to you, we surrender. Teach us your way. Lead us in your paths.

To you, Lord, we lift up our souls, trusting in the abundance of your love and care. We lift up the worries of this day:

A broken economy, with no consensus on how to correct this situation. The pain of job losses, the fears of who will be next. We name to you those who suffer financially.

Our worries over broken relationships—relationships that are strained. We name to you those persons who we long to reach out to more deeply and faithfully.

Our fears for those who suffer. We name to you those who are sick, those who are hospitalized, those who need your loving care and healing.

To you, Lord, we lift up our souls, trusting in your faithfulness, trusting in your steadfast love. To you, Lord, we live and pray the words your son taught: Our Father, who art in heaven…