God over all,
Master of history,
Sustainer of the world,
You who knows what is in the heart of every person,
we ask You now to give to each heart what it needs
that we might know You better,
and so live Godward in uncertain times.
For those of us gripped by fear,
grant us comfort, Holy Spirit.
Let us remember:
no sparrow falls unseen,
the lilies are clothed in splendor,
and our Creator God cares most
for his dearly bought image-bearers.
Grant us the courage to know
You will never forget your people,
and your grace intersects,
always,
this present moment.
Meet us who are fear-bound with the freeing peace of Christ,
which transcends our understanding,
and is firmer than all our circumstances.
For those of us gripped by anger and impatience
at the response of others or the swirling complications in this time,
grant us stronger compassion for the weak, the vulnerable,
and for those whose hearts are bent at different angles than our own.
Let us remember:
You stoop low to heal the sick, fill the needy, and bless the humble.
You call us to love as You have loved,
and You will empower what you command.
Dig in us deeper wells of empathy and grace,
so that we may better taste and better tell
of the love of an ever-close God.
For those of us gripped by sickness,
grant us perseverance, deep-rooted joy, and hope
in a God who won’t leave the world this way forever.
As we sense in our own bodies
the bone-deep cracks at the heart of creation,
give us, your children, the assurance that this too shall pass,
and we will one day put on incorruptibility.
We ask You for our protection and our healing.
Christ, let us all
rest in your abiding love,
be constrained by your grace,
and hope in your return.
Amen.