Jesus,

Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down,

Oh, yes, Lord!

Sometimes I’m almost to the ground,

Oh, yes, Lord!

You do know the trouble I’ve seen. Over the years, the decades, you’ve heard my prayers of anguish, fear, grief, anger, and shame. And you always understand my struggles, because whatever I’ve been through, you’ve been through way worse. But you don’t diminish my pain when I pray. Like you did for the Israelite slaves, you hear my cry.

Right now, God, my life feels pretty good. Thank you. So today, I join my prayers in solidarity with those who are praying in real distress, who are crying out to you because everything feels broken and they can’t figure out how to fix it. I pray for courage and peace and protection for someone who is full of fear. I pray for provision for someone in desperate financial condition. I pray for forgiveness for someone who has broken a covenant. I pray for justice for someone who has been betrayed. I pray for comfort for someone who is grieving.

Lord, hear their prayer, and my prayer for them, that your will would be done in their lives. Amen.