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“My New Year's Prayer”
I love this world! It is mostly filled with lovely, warm, generous and friendly people who care deeply and reach out with compassion to those who hurt. Oh, I know there are lots of twisted, warped, wounded people who seek to harm others. They mostly live in the shadows, sneaking out to strike innocent folk. And there are lots of folk who think nothing of harming our planet when such harm benefits them in some way. Yet I love this world and its people. I learned this love from the Creator. It is also the world and people for whom Christ died. So, as a Christian, it is a pleasure to work shoulder to shoulder with people of all faiths to stand against the forces of evil that would hurt what God has made and pronounced good.
This year, instead of making a list of New Year's resolutions, I'm saying my prayers for the world in 2010. I'd like to invite you to join me in these prayers. Naturally, I pray as a Christian of good will toward people of all or no faiths.
Lord, bless us with the enthusiasm we need to be contagious ambassadors of Christ. Help us spread his values to our friends, neighbors and family and invite them to follow him.
Lord, give your devotees increased hunger for social righteousness. Make us lovers of truth, righteousness, fair play, justice and peace. Help us do our best to relieve pain, suffering, hunger and poverty among our neighbors.
Lord, grant us biblical knowledge, wisdom, serenity, spiritual depth, contentment and peace that passes understanding.
Lord give us songs to help us worship you. Reassure us that we need not have perfect pitch, but merely perfect love for you and a desire to make a joyful noise.
Lord, awaken the volunteer in each of us to help make this a better world. Give us willing hands, compassionate hearts, eyes to see, ears to hear, sensibilities to know where you need our efforts.
Lord, stimulate our spiritual imaginations. Encourage random acts of mercy, friendship and humor.
Lord, give us intellectual disciple. Cause us to pause…and think!
Lord, enable us to live out of our larger and not our lesser selves.
I'll probably make a few New Year's resolutions before we finish the holiday seasons. After all, there are lots of things I need to take personal responsibility for and fix myself. However, at the moment, I'm relishing the practice of telling God a few things for him to do. I'm good at this. Happy New Year!
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