Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving that acknowledges
the pain some carry during the holidays.
It comes from A Concord Pastor
Comments.
He writes: “For those who are grieving the loss of
a loved one, Thanksgiving and "the holidays" can be a particularly
difficult time. Prayer can offer us a path through these days and opportunities
for healing....”
A Prayer at an Empty Chair
Dear God,
there’s an empty chair at our table,
an ache in our hearts
and tears upon our faces...
We try to shield one another from our grief
but we cannot hide it from you...
We pray for...(name your loved
one)
whose presence we miss in these homecoming days...
Open our eyes and our hearts to the healing, the
warmth
and the peace of your presence...
Assure us that those we miss
have a home in your heart as well as in ours
and a place at your table forever...
Open our hearts to joyful memories of the love we
shared
with those who have gone before us...
Help us tell the stories that bring us close to one
another
and to the ones we miss so much...
Teach us to lean on you and on each other
for the strength we need
to walk through difficult times...
Give us quiet moments with you, with our thoughts,
with our memories and our prayers...
And in the stillness of the quiet,
give us your consolation and your peace...
Be with us and hold us in your arms
as you hold the ones we miss...
This is the day you have made, O Lord:
help us rejoice and be glad in the peace you’ve
promised
and share with those who’ve gone before us...
Amen.
~ written by Concord Pastor, and posted on A Concord Pastor Comments. http://concordpastor.blogspot.ca/2012/11/praying-10-minutes-day-thanksgiving-2012.html
