This prayer originally appeared in "Psalm 23—Week 6: God's Presence."
Prayer of Confession
Many of us have walked or are walking through deep, dark valleys. God wants us to come as we are, to offer our hearts and our voices in prayer no matter what. Please pray with me:
Great is your faithfulness, O God.
We know this to be true
because you have proven yourself faithful to us
time and time again.
But even though we see and proclaim your faithfulness,
sometimes you feel very far off.
We often wonder if you will be faithful once again
or if you’ve forgotten us.
Sometimes we foolishly pray, expecting you to do what we want,
not what you want for your world and for us, your children.
Forgive us, God. Teach us to pray
“Your will be done.”
Walk with us through the deepest of valleys,
and once again show yourself to be faithful and good,
for you are with us. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon/Children’s Message
[After the prayer of confession, invite the children to come forward for the children’s message.]
In the prayer we just prayed, we admitted to God that we sometimes have a hard time waiting for God to answer our prayers or that we sometimes don’t really feel like God is listening to us. Do you have a hard time waiting? What are some things it is really hard for you to wait for? [Possible answers: Christmas, birthdays, summertime.] Sometimes we don’t always get what we want even when we wait for it for a long time, and this can make us sad. But does that mean that God doesn’t love us? [No.] In fact, we know not only that God does love us, but that God stays with us even when we are waiting and wishing for things to be different. Psalm 23:4 says, “You are with me.”
God doesn’t promise that life is going to be easy or that we will always get what we want, but God does promise that when things are difficult, we know God is there with us, loving us, guiding us, and giving us the courage we need to face whatever comes.
Revised Common Lectionary
Years A, B, C: Easter—Fourth Sunday of Easter
Year A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 23 (28)
Year B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 11 (16)
