O God,
As you come to us, please come bearing faith.
We need to trust you more.
We need to trust more that you are working your purposes out, and so everything is going to be all right someday.
We need to trust more that what we do as we try to follow Jesus contributes to the fulfillment of your purposes.
We need to trust more that grace and mercy are your ways for us in the world.
As you come to us, please come bearing hope.
We need to hope in you more.
We need to count on your promises to bring about eternal peace and righteousness.
We need to count on your commitment to be with us as we try to make things better now.
We need to count on Jesus’ way of living being shown, in the long run, to be your way for us.
As you come to us, please come bearing love.
We need to love you and others more.
We need to love you more, so that we will give ourselves to you fully and freely.
We need to love the oppressed and marginalized among us more, so that we will share our lives with them fully and freely.
We need to love our enemies more, so that we will offer our prayers for them and forgiveness to them more fully and freely.
We need to love you and others selflessly, graciously, and sacrificially.
So as you come to us, please come bearing faith, hope, and love, because we—and our world—need more of them all.
Amen.
This post originally appeared at Prayer 365.
Michael Ruffin is husband to Debra and father to Joshua (Michelle) and Sara (Benjamin). A graduate of Mercer University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he has previously served as a pastor and as a university professor. He lives on the Ruffin Family Farm in Yatesville, Georgia. You can visit and communicate with him at MichaelRuffin.com. He is the Connections Series Curriculum Editor.
