When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was great calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” –Mark 4:35-40
O God, our world is full of storms that cause us to wish for stillness and great calm. We worry. We are fearful of the unique storms that crash waves into our lives, whether an unwanted diagnosis, an unexpected expense, an unkind act. We are fearful as we watch larger storms engulf other people in countries we have not visited. We join our voices to offer our prayers to these communities and to ourselves.
Lord, in your mercy, grant us peace.
Help those who are separating or divorcing cross over to the other side.
Help all pregnant women and all women who wish to be pregnant cross over to the other side.
Help the addicted and the hungry cross over to the other side.
Help those who improve our neighborhoods cross over to the other side.
Help those who grieve cross over to the other side.
Help those who are unemployed, imprisoned, or victimized cross over to the other side.
Lord, in your mercy, grant them peace.
Help schools in the Middle East and North Africa cross over to the other side of conflicts that deprive 13 million children of an education.
Lord, in your mercy, grant us peace.
Help the millions of people fleeing Syria cross over to the other side to places like Iceland, where private citizens have opened their homes, and to Germany, where the government has set asylum policies that welcome them.
Lord, in your mercy, grant us peace.
Lead us all to deeper faith as we allow you to lead us to the other side. Amen.
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