Thursday Prayer: all the things

Dear God,
All the things…
all the things to do
all the things that could be said
all the things to worry about
all the things to rage about
all the things…

I would like to finish this prayer
by saying that I will entrust them,
all of them,
to you.

But we both know that I don’t have that capacity.

It would make a much more gracious
and kind of poetic ending
to this prayer.
A grand gesture.
A generous piety.

Instead I’m gritting my teeth.
Instead I’m scowling out the window.
Instead I’m up past my bedtime
trying to find some words for this page.

Dear God.
All the things. 
I reckon you know about them.
That you have grace sufficient for them.
That your love and goodness persist
even when all I see is all the things.

Receive my prayer, 
as poor and mean as it is.
Receive my prayer,
and be at work,
in the unclenching of my jaw,
the unfurling of my fists,
the softening of my heart,
the smoothing of my brow,
the growing of my trust.

Be at work in me,
and in your world,
now and always,
Amen. 

Jemma Allen is a priest in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and expresses that ministry as a researcher, counsellor and spiritual director. 

RevGalBlogPals encourages you to share our blog posts via email or social media. We do not grant permission to cut-and-paste prayers and articles without a link back to the specific post. For permission to use material in paper publications, please email revgalblogpals at gmail dot com.