A clergy collegue shared the following prayer, titled “Gentle My Desperation” with me, and I wanted to share it with you. This isn’t the whole prayer, but you can find the rest in Guerrillas of Grace by Ted Loder.
Come, Lord Jesus,
touch me
with love, life-giving as light,
to quiet my anger a little
and gentle my desperation,
to soften my fears some
and soothe the knots of my cynicism,
to wipe away the tears from my eyes
and ease the pains in my body and soul,
to reconcile me to myself
and then to the people around me,
and then nation to nation,
that none shall learn war anymore,
but turn to feed the hungry, house the homeless,
and care compassionately for the least of our brothers and sisters.
Reshape me in your wholeness
to be a healing person, Lord. [1]
Amen. Gentle my desperation and soften my fears some, Lord.
[1] Ted Loder, “Gentle My Desperation,” in Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle, 40th anniversary ed. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2023), ebook.