By Pastor of Discipleship Josh Stringer

As we come to our time of prayer, with mercy on our minds, we have much to pray about. It’s good to turn to the Lord and cry for mercy. With regards to the death of George Floyd and all that is happening in Minneapolis, I spoke with my friend – our friend – Steven Lee and asked him how we could be praying. Many of you will remember Steven. He was a pastor here at College Church for several years and is now pastoring at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Here’s what he said:

“Pray for justice and for the church to shine forth the superior worth of Christ; to minister comfort and the peace of Christ in sadness, grief, pain and fear. For our African American community in their anger, sadness; for first responders, our police and fire fighters as they serve; and for God’s justice to reign in it all. And for him, personally, for wisdom how to shepherd well, to proclaim the truth of God’s Word clearly, and to minister the eternal and life-giving hope of Christ.”

As we pray, I’ll be using Psalm 121 as a guide:

Father, we lift up our eyes to the hills looking for help. From where does it come? Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Father, we give you praise for your active work in us, through us, and in all of your Creation. We worship you as the Creator. You are infinitely greater than all other sources of help and power. Our Creator God – we come to you in our time of need and in our distress.

We confess our own weakness. That’s why we ask for help. We confess that when we look at the hills around us, we become angry, frustrated, anxious, fearful, confused. We look within ourselves for strength and answers, or to other sources of authority. We know that ultimately they will come up temporary at best, and empty at worst. Father, we know that you hear us when we pray and we confess these things to you in our weakness and frailty with open hearts and we cry for mercy.

We ask that you would cause us to be reminded of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, as he cried for mercy on the cross. And it’s because of what he accomplished on the cross that we have indeed received mercy. I pray for anyone listening and watching this morning who hasn’t trusted in Jesus as their Savior, would you mercifully bring new life through saving faith this morning in that person’s heart? For those who have trusted in Christ, we ask for mercy, not to remove condemnation (for we know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ!) but mercy from the brokenness we witness around us and the sin that still clings to us from within. In your love, grace, and mercy, bring us closer to Christlikeness, uniting all things in him.

In this, we join with our brothers and sisters in Minneapolis as they gather for worship this morning, we pray for Pastor Steven Lee and other pastors as they preach, that the gospel would be preached in word and deed, across racial lines, across class lines, that the superiority of Jesus would be on display. That beyond the hills, you, Father, the maker of heaven and earth would bring help. That the feet of your people would not be moved – help them to stand firm on the gospel.

We pray for our African American brothers and sisters this morning. Would you meet them in their sadness, grief, anger, and fear? Where earthly justice has failed them so many times, would you draw each heart and mind to your justice and holiness. Where we, their neighbors, have many times failed to love well, would you be their keeper, as the Psalm says? For you are our shade on the right hand. Please, Father, protect each life.

For those of us in the surrounding community, particularly those of us who are white, help us to be loving, good listeners – quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Help us to mourn with those who mourn. Stir in us the love of Christ to actively embrace our black neighbors, friends, family members - brothers and sisters. Soften hard hearts. Bring repentance where the sin of racist action and inaction has abounded. Cause your Church, which made up of all people groups and skin colors, together, to rise up to display and proclaim the unifying, peace-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ in which there is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Father, your Word calls us to trust in you in keeping us from evil and in the keeping of our lives. And so, in your sovereign care of your world, we beg you to bring the peace of Jesus. Through all that has been going on, from the fear and anxiety, angst and anger and loss of life that we’ve experienced from Covid19, and from the killings of Amaud Arbrey, Breonna Taylor, and now George Floyd, keep us from further evil. Protect the lives of those who serve in the line of duty – police and fire fighters. Protect the lives of those who would be harmed because of the color of the skin that you gave them. Preserve the lives of those still fighting and infected by the virus.

As the Psalmist declares, “keep their going out and their coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” These things are bigger than we are and often don’t have the words. We trust you for these things for You are faithful.

We pray, in unity, as you taught us to pray:
Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.