In this
first blog article of 2015, I am reflecting back on the year that has just ended
and am sharing some of my prayers for the year that lies ahead.
First,
I pray for health and happiness for all of you, my dear readers. I much
appreciate each of you who have read most, or even some, of my articles this
year.
Although
I would like to have heard from more of you, comments have been posted by and
emails received from readers all across the U.S. and Canada as well as from overseas.
I sincerely appreciate all the comments received, even those that did not agree
with what I wrote.
No
one knows who, but some of us probably won’t be here at the end of 2015. Some
to whom I regularly sent blog links by email and others to whom I sent printed
articles occasionally are no longer living.
So
while I pray for our health and happiness, none of us know how many days we
have left. Since they may not be as many as we would like to think, I pray that
we will make the most of those we have.
Now
looking out across our country and world and again reflecting on the events of
this past year, I pray that there will be a lessening of racial tensions and of
bad relations between police officers and ordinary citizens, especially people
of color.
As
you know, since the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and the
choking death of Eric Garner in New York—and especially since the police
officers involved in those death were not indicted—there have been widespread
protests and some violence across the country. And then on Dec. 20, two police
officers were senselessly murdered by an apparently demented man.
Lord
God, I pray that in this new year everyone will come to realize, indeed, that “black
lives matter” and that the lives of police officers matter, too.
One
of the most tragic events of this year has been the warring activities of ISIL,
or ISIS, which refers to itself as the Islamic State (IS). Their atrocious
activities led to the U.S. response of bombing IS targets in Iraq and Syria.
Lord,
I pray that in 2015 fighting in the Near East may begin to wind down, that the hostilities
of IS will be contained, and that all people of good will in that troubled part
of the world can begin working together for peace.
The
Ebola outbreak in western Africa and fears of that terrible disease spreading
in this country was one of the scariest news stories of the year, and my prayer
is one of gratitude that it did not become a problem of note in the U.S. and one
of intercession for those still suffering from Ebola in Liberia and the
surrounding countries where the effects of that crisis linger.
One
of the biggest political events in the U.S. last year was the capture of the
Senate by Republicans, who did well in the November elections. The 114th
Congress will convene tomorrow, January 6, and it remains to be seen how it
will fare. My prayer is that there can be increased working “across the aisle”
and meaningful legislation can be passed for the well-being of people across
the country.
Gracious
God, thank you for the new year and the hope of good things coming to pass in
it. May your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
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Amen! And Happy New Year to you and your readers!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Leroy, for the prayers and for the regular blogs. I don't always have time to comment when I would like to; sometimes, I cannot comment, because the issues are just too profound; sometimes, it's better just to think. This time it's not the issues you include for prayer I find so compelling as much as your reminder that some of us might not be hear at year's end. I agree with the psalmist that "numbering our days" leads to a "heart of wisdom."
ReplyDeleteI used to have a pastor years ago (in Oxford) who would begin every January (usually in an Epiphany sermon) looking back over the previous year's reading to determine whether what he (and we) were reading was actually relevant to the big issues in the world. Your prayer matters made me do that in reference to the best book I read this past year: David Graeber's, "Debt: The First Five Thousand Years." It was challenging to try and determine whether a disease like Ebola could even be linked to economic matters (though certainly all of the other matters you mentioned could be). Thanks for the provocation.
MPH should not be the only one to read Graeber's fine book. It is available on the web for free.
DeleteFor the article that first lead me to the book, check here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/13/1329578/--Money-s-capacity-to-turn-morality-into-a-matter-of-impersonal-arithmetic
For a link to the pdf of the book, check here: https://libcom.org/files/__Debt__The_First_5_000_Years.pdf
For a little background on Graeber, check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Graeber
Thanks for the challenge to think in fresh terms every few days. The blessing above sounds like heaven on earth. As Christ put it, "In this world you will have trouble..." but I like Jabez's prayer as much as Jesus' response, "Oh that you would bless me indeed, and expand my territory, that your hand would be with me and keep me from evil, that I might not cause pain." Beyond family, my primary prayer focus will continue on my "D" group - Dalin, Damon, Dan, Dana, David, Don, Donna, Doug, Drew, Dwight, and the middle east Christians - ن
ReplyDeleteA local Thinking Friend wrote, "Although I am not one given to prayer, I certainly agree with your sentiments. Perhaps a new movement, 'ALL lives matter!' can gain traction in 2015."
ReplyDeleteThinking Friend Glenn Hinson suggests an additional prayer:
ReplyDelete"I join you in those prayers, Leroy. I would add a prayer for an awakening to the ill-distribution of wealth or the world’s goods and its effects on our society and our world. May God change our hearts and our national consciousness."