Friday prayer – looking for God

Hide-and-seek God,

everyone is searching for you.

Where are you in the scramble for Covid vaccine appointments?

In the terse words of anxious parishioners?

In the utter exhaustion of sprinting in place for nearly a year?

In the fear over what extremists are plotting in the remote corners of the web?

In the worry over paying bills and securing necessary services?

In the isolation of our persistent yet fragile bubbles?

Oh, there you are, giving us the science and skill to fast-track a vaccine.

Oh, there you are, showing us the heart behind the harsh words

or speaking affirmation through others.

Oh, there you are, nudging us toward the Sabbath

you wove into the beginning of the world as we know it.

Oh, there you are, raising up leaders that act out of compassion

and artists that call out the best in us.

Oh, there you are, finding unexpected ways to offer us help.

Oh, there you are, in porch visits and virtual coffee hours

and phone calls and cards.

You’ve been “hiding” in plain sight all along,

waiting on us to notice you

and exclaim with delight, “I found you!”

Indeed, you are here,

promising that if we seek you,

we will find you.

Help us to point the way to your consistent, healing love

for others without the energy or clarity to look.

Amen.

Laura Stephens-Reed is a clergy and congregational coach working with ministers and churches across the ecumenical spectrum. Having served in a variety of pastoral roles and denominations, she is primarily affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and has ministerial standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Based in northwest Alabama (United States), Laura is married to a United Methodist pastor, and they have a seven-year-old son. She blogs weekly at laurastephensreed.com.

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