We seek God's guidance in this Mid-Semester Chapel Prayer by PTS student Lilly Freeman.
Holy Creator and Gentle Shepherd,
We see your handiwork in nature, your gentleness, your creativity, your delight in all that is.
the rains, the birds, the newness of spring.
The daily freshness of life.
Once dormant trees now burst forth with tender greenness
Signaling a new cycle of your seasons.
Thank you for these constant visions that still our anxieties, bring calmness to our chaos, and nudge us to do more than we can even image is possible.
Yet, O God, the Seventh Week - the midpoint of the semester – is upon us.
For some of us loom the last hurdles for graduation.
For others of us, we’re just overwhelmed.
It is tough to make time for all that is being asked of us:
Papers that are not even started and due in a short time,
books that need to be read and digested,
our day jobs that come in many forms,
bodies that are tired eyes that are fatigued,
church services that must be planned and final touches added
family life and schedules of soccer piano lessons, choir practice,
bills that continue to add up,
cars that break down,
water heaters that go out.
Each responsibility a distraction – a brick in the walls we build.
– each used to block our potential for love and reconciliation
not only with you,
but also with our spouses and other loved ones,
our friends,
fellow students
and even with ourselves.
Heighten our eyesight to see the stranger as our neighbor
Encourage us to face and remove our walls of isolation and fear
Tear down are carefully constructed walls – brick by brick
so that our minds will open to your guidance
and our hearts to the needs of our brothers and sisters.
We ask all this in the name of Jesus the Christ.
Amen