Sunday Prayer for 7/21/19: Prayer for the heat of the day

Photo of Chute de la Dame Blanche near Quebec City, 8/16/17, by Barb Hedges-Goettl

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:8

O God, recent days bring new meaning to the biblical phrase “in the heat of the day.” When the heat hits us, it’s like a physical blow. The heat confuses and exhausts us. It makes the head pound and the stomach upset. We find it hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to move, hard to care. If we can, we find ways to minimize our exposure to the heat.

But there are other kinds of heat out there. There’s hatred and abuse and toxic relationships. There is oppression and greed and objectification. There is fear, and being out of control, and having no one who cares. These kinds of heat hit us like a physical blow. They confuse and exhaust us. They make the head pound and the stomach upset. We find it hard to breathe, hard to move, hard to care. If we can, we find ways to minimize our exposure to the heat.

Use the heat in our lives, O God, to drive us to you. Plant and root us by your living stream. Provide us freedom from fear. Make us healthy and growing. Save us from anxiety. Keep us bearing fruit that others may also trust in you.

Plant and root them by your living stream. Provide them freedom from fear. Make them healthy and growing. Save them from anxiety. Keep them bearing fruit that others may also trust in you.

Amen.