A Prayer to Change the Spiritual Climate of the World
Psalm 96:8-9
“Worship the Lord in holy attire; tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.'”
Our Father, I think of all the pain and heartache, the tears and sorrow, the greed and cruelty unloosed around the world. Help me to be an instrument of Thine to alleviate the pain this day by:
• returning good for evil,
• returning soft answers for sharp criticisms,
• being polite when I receive rudeness,
• being understanding when I am confronted by ignorance and stupidity.
So may I, in gentleness and love, check the hasty answer, choke back the unkind retort, and thus short-circuit some of the bitterness and unkindness that has overflowed Thy world. I ask this in the name of Jesus, who alone can give me the grace to act. Amen.
~ Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the Senate, 1947-1949.
~ painting “Almost Heaven” by Jack Sorenson
