God is not a cosmic vending machine and prayer is not tossing pennies in a divine wishing well. Prayer is persistently practicing the presence of God. It is an act of acknowledging our connectedness to God and one another. Prayer is inviting God’s creative presence and offering back to God the radical hospitality of our best selves. Prayer is cooperating with God and living into our interdependence with The Spirit, our neighbors, the environment and even our enemies.
No, my prayers will not change the greedy who profit from fear and death.
No, my prayers will not stop the spreading of conspiracy theories.
No, my prayers will not open the minds of the manipulated.
No, my prayers will not relax the gnarled fist of hatred.
No, my prayers will not halt the virus.
No, my prayers will not ease the lockdown.
No, my prayers will not make the powerful put people over profit.
No, my prayers will not bring back the thousands we’ve lost.
But, my prayers can gently break the silence of despair.
But, my prayers can channel my rage at the machine.
But, my prayers can embolden me to be the hands and feet of The Divine.
But, my prayers can encourage others of faith to awake, arise and act.
I do not pray for God to send us a miracle.
I pray for God to remind us how to be the miracle.
I am because you are and only together, with a radical belief that a paradigm shift is possible, an active hope and faithful resolve to be the change we seek, can we create a just and peaceful world for all of creation.
