Psalm 51 is one of the most spiritually sensitive prayers in the Bible. It speaks to and calls out aspects of our deepest selves. Perhaps you will hear echoes of it in our prayer.
Almighty God, from whom we come, to whom we go, in whose presence we live and move and have our being.
Three thousand years separate us from the unknown psalmist, but he knew us well. For he speaks our words, gives voice to our lives, our struggles, our inmost thoughts, our hopes and fears.
“You desire truth,” he said, God of Truth. So do we. We live in a world of competing versions of everything that matters. Politicians and influencers set before us a smorgasbord of stereotypes and caricatures and say, Pick one. What is true depends on whose spin we believe.
It makes cynics of us all. It does not lift our spirits or elevate our souls. It renders us untrusting and suspicious. It has made skepticism a necessary element in our citizenship.
We are weary of it. We long for clean hearts, a new life-giving spirit.
“Teach us wisdom,” O Lord. Being in awe before you, scripture teaches us, is the beginning of wisdom. We don’t even talk about wisdom anymore. We teach our children the value of education. We live in an information age. Knowledge is power. But wisdom is life. Teach us what it is so we will know it when we see it and in whom, whose words we should trust.
“Restore the joy.”
Restore the joy in our country. Joy that undercuts the pessimism, the bitterness that characterizes too much of our collective life.
There are moments, unsuspecting moments that remind us of what is missing. Lord, I don’t know whether Steph Curry is a Republican or a Democrat, a liberal or a conservative, but I know he can shoot lights out from beyond the arc when the game is on the line and that he wrapped himself in the American flag and exuded pure joy and when he did that I felt proud.
We shouldn’t have to wait four more years to celebrate what is good about our country.
Restore the joy in our marriages, in all our relationships. May we not settle for settling.
Restore the joy in our life in Christ. The joy of experiencing nature together, building ramps together, walking down pride street behind a banner celebrating bold love and boundless compassion. Forgive us when we take the joy out of our life in Christ. Restore to us a song: “Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, Lord of heaven.”
All these things — wisdom, a new spirit, joy, a big ask, we know – we ask in the name of the One we celebrate as the truth and wisdom of God, the joy of heaven to earth come down, even Jesus, who taught us to pray:
Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Amen.