A Pastor's Prayer in the Wake of the Death of George Floyd

Heavenly Father, 

You are the King of truth and justice.  You are the God of grace and mercy.  You are the Lord of love, joy and peace.

I cry out to You in sadness over the condition of my heart and our world.  I grieve before You over what my eyes have seen and my ears have heard.  I mourn the weakness and sin still evident in my heart.  I grieve the fear, violence, and hatred of our world.

How long O Lord?

How long must we endure death? How long will justice and truth be held captive? How long will it be hidden from our minds?  How long will it be hijacked by our biases and prejudice?  How long will we refuse to listen to each other? How long will violence mark our ways?

How quick we are to judge.  How naturally we draw conclusions without all the facts.  How easily we judge based on outer appearance.

I mourn the fact that we feel in our heart a growing distrust of institutions that exist to serve us. I mourn the fact that we have to live in fear and defense against the response of others to our skin color, culture, language, or political affiliation. I mourn that I can’t read the news without concern that there is some sort of spin.  I mourn my suspicion of those I do not know. I mourn over injustice, fear, and hate. I am saddened by the violence and apathy they create. I mourn the loss of human life.

Forgive us for our hatred.  Forgive us for our ill feelings toward people that we allow to grow in us, refusing to lay them on the altar before you.  Forgive us for our judging eyes that have no depth.  Forgive us for blocking our ears to your judgments.  Forgive us for judging based on appearance.  Forgive us for not listening to each other’s grievances.  Forgive us for our lack of compassion. Forgive us for stealing, killing and destroying. We are in the wrong.  Please forgive us.

I long for the day when mankind no longer judges a man by the color of his skin or the uniform he wears.  I long for the day when I will be able to wake up with no fear and no hurt. Please Lord, give us this day.

We are powerless against such prejudice and injustice, violence and apathy, O Lord.  But we are not without hope.  We have one hope and only one.  And if this is the only hope that we have, then we are blessed.  For Who better to hope in then the One who faced injustice and overcame it.  Who better to hope in then the one Who is the top authority, but was rejected and brutalized, yet stood firm in love.  Jesus Christ experienced injustice at the hands of foreigners and at the hands of His own people, but overcame it.  Jesus Christ experienced hate and mocking, but overcame it.  Jesus Christ experienced what it is like to be judged based on lies and falsehood, but was not undone.

Jesus Christ, You are our only hope and we praise the Father for You.  You are for us and not against us.  You turned the other cheek when we purposed to kill You, and You asked that we be forgiven.  You did not judge us by our outer appearance, but looked straight into our hearts and saw exactly who we are. You poured out Your life in love for us, that we might have life in You.  We thank You and love You, because You have loved us with an everlasting love.

We, in faith and trust, turn our hearts and minds to You now asking that You would continue the work of transformation of us. You are the hope of the world and You are in us who have received You by faith.  Let us deliver You to this world in purity and love.

Please Father, we ask that You would transform Your church day by day.  We ask that You would make us a beacon of hope for a world crushed under the weight of death and hate.  Bind Your church together. Purify us from lies and partiality.  Make us a people of truth and goodness. Open our ears to hear the plight of our neighbor and respond in love. Do this in all our land.  Do this especially in Minneapolis today.  Bless Oak Hill Church and Ebenezer Church in that city.  Let them be filled with Your vision, Your love, and Your wisdom.  Help those pastors to shepherd their sheep according to the will of the Good Shepherd.  May they be a fountain of hope for all those who are stuck in hurt, anger, hate, lies, and death.

We pray for the churches here in our own city.  We pray for Bethany Church, Epiphany Church, and 59th Street Church.  We pray for Times Square Church, Brooklyn Tabernacle Church, Salem Church, and Gateway Church.  We ask that You would purge us of our prejudices and lies.  We pray that You would fill us with the love of Christ for our neighbor, who ever they may be.  We pray that we would shine forth as lamp stands of light and goodness for all who are battered by fear and anger.  Refine us God, that the fire of the Lord might burn for the whole city to see.

You are our hope.  We praise You and love You.  We pour out our hearts to You today, for it is for You alone that we wait.

Place Your hand of mercy upon the family of George Floyd today. Strengthen their hearts by Your love. Place Your hand of mercy upon Derek Chauvin and his family as well. Soften his heart, for You alone know what is in it.  Please transform Him. Bring truth and justice to our land.

Spare us from this violence of riots.  Let us have opportunity to speak to one another in peace.  Let us hear one another.  Let us respond in love.  Let hurts be healed.  Give wisdom to our public officials so that peace and order may exist in our country.  Protect men and women and children regardless of their race or positions.  Protect authorities sworn to serve the community and protect community members whom they serve. 

Before Your people, I declare that there is no other name by which we may be saved from all that we face, but the name of Jesus Christ.  In Him I trust.  To Him I pray. May we all lift up holy hands to You in lament, request, praise and thanksgiving.  Our eyes are on you, Lord.  I pray this all in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.