Phil Aud

(A big thanks to my friend Brian Miller for reaching out to Paul Young for this prayer)

And the numbers rise…
Faster than we can process that these are not numbers, but each of these is a person…
And each of these is not only one, but an interplay of persons, family, friends, even enemies…
And each blossom like a rose, blooming its red wound against the backdrop of a thousand stories.

Lord, have mercy!

We know you are not the author of death, but You do know its grasp full well. We are not here to accuse but to ask that You would be our Comfort in the midst of the losses trending around us and toward us. 

Lord, have mercy!

“For we shall surely die and are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. Yet, You, oh Trinity of Love, You do not take away life but You plan ways so that the banished one will not be cast out.” II Sam 14:14

Lord, have mercy!

“And as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for You are with us.” Psalm 23

Lord, have mercy!

Comfort, please comfort your people, each human being in this moment needs to sense Your Relentless Embrace of Affection that whispers “I AM with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Lord, have mercy!

Especially, for those of us who cannot even celebrate the ones we have lost because we ourselves are among the banished. We cannot in community tell the stories and share the grief and hope that arises out of belonging. Our hearts feel cast off and cast away, our emotions are overwhelmed, and our crying offered in solitude. 

Lord, have mercy!

In the midst of our sorrow we give to you what we most cherish, our trust. You who are Good and Kind and Present we give to you our sadness and our longing. Speak to us your Presence in the deepest places of our souls and may, like children, we moment by moment place our trust in You.

Lord, have mercy!