O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
Psalm 63:1-4, NRSV
In this season of Advent, we wait with expectation for the arrival of our Lord, lifting up our hands in search of relief for our parched lives that only God can give.
We thirst for you, O Lord.
Creation thirsts for you as our environment is threatened by natural disasters and human negligence. From Australia we hear news that this year has brought more damage to the Great Barrier Reef than any previous year on record. In Costa Rica, Tropical Storm Otto has caused the deaths of at least 12 people and has left millions of dollars in damage in its wake. Massive landslides have followed unusually heavy rains in Liguria, Italy, destroying homes and towns throughout the region. Bring hope and healing to our world, we pray.
We thirst for you, O Lord.
Our relationships thirst for you as fear and mistrust grow among different religious, cultural, and ethnic groups around the world. This week a mosque in California, US, received threatening hate mail; a car bomb in Mogadishu, Somalia, killed or injured at least 27 people; and 11 people were injured on the Ohio State University campus in Ohio, US, by an attacker who used his car and a knife to inflict pain and terror. Bring hope and healing to our common humanity, we pray.
We thirst for you, O Lord.
Our bodies thirst for you as disease and injury claim our energy, our hope, and our lives. In Melbourne, Australia, dozens of people have been affected by “thunderstorm asthma,” a rare phenomenon caused by strong storms blowing high concentrations of pollen into the air. New outbreaks of a deadly strain of bird flu have been spreading in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland, and the Netherlands. A train crash in the Semnan province of Iran resulted in the deaths of more than 35 people, and 76 passengers, including members of a Brazilian soccer club, died in a plane crash in Columbia. Bring hope and healing to our fragile lives, we pray.
We thirst for you, O Lord.
Our communities thirst for you as financial and political uncertainties grow. Concerns about the stability of currency in India and Zimbabwe have increased anxiety at local, national, and international levels. Political unrest and division continue in the US as a new government administration organizes and prepares to take power. Contentious political elections in France and Austria lend feelings of doubt and insecurity in those countries and abroad. Bring hope and healing to our nations, we pray.
We thirst for you, O Lord.
Our spirits thirst for you as our inhumanity towards others is exposed. Claims of torture in Turkish prisons have come to light after the failure of a recent coup. Scandals among leaders in South Korea, Uganda, and Afghanistan breed distrust and damage the bonds of humanity that we share. Thousands of Syrian civilians fleeing Assad’s army now have nowhere to seek medical treatment now that the last hospital in eastern Aleppo has been destroyed. Bring hope and healing to our human brokenness, we pray.
We thirst for you, O Lord.
God of glory and love, power and compassion, our souls thirst for you as we struggle to find hope in the dry and weary land of this world. Have mercy on us as we cry out to you. Stretch out your arms to meet us as we seek you, and enfold us in your loving embrace. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, and usher in that day when every voice will bless you and call on your name.
Amen.
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