Lord of ultimate power

June 27, 2025June 27, 2025 / Eric Mathews / 1 Comment

photo by Christian Lue via unsplash

Father, source of all power,

We confess that we do not always use the powers you have given us as you intend.

Sometimes we are afraid of the power we wield,

and so do not use it at all;

at other times we are careless in our use of it and harm others;

at yet other times we deliberately misuse it to achieve our own selfish ends.

We confess our misuse of our God-given powers,

and ask for your grace to use them properly in the future.

We think of the power of the nations of the world.

In international affairs it so often seems that events are out of our control, and rule us.

Father, help us to see how national power can be wielded for the fulfilment of your will.

We think of the power of economic systems.

Often we feel enmeshed in a system which is not fair

and yet cannot be changed without causing immense hardship.

Father, help us to become masters of economic forces

and to order them for the purposes of justice.

We think of the power of governments.

They now touch our personal lives at so many points.

Father, may politicians and civil servants use their powers responsibly

and respect the rights of individuals.

Give us the courage to challenge them when they are wrong,

and willingness to share in the processes of government ourselves.

May the power of governments everywhere be used for the good of all.

Father, yours is the ultimate power.

We see evidence of it everywhere in the world,

but most of all in Jesus Christ.

In him we see the power of your love:

weakness and death did not destroy him and you raised him from death.

May that same power of love be in us.

Caryl Micklem, 1925 – 2003, English minister and hymn writer

The Complete Book of Christian Prayer

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2 Peter 1:3-4

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,

through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises,

so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,

having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

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Lead us out of this conflict

November 13, 2020November 16, 2020 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

O God, who has ordained that all men should live

and work together as brethren,

remove, we humbly beg you, the spirit of strife

and commitment to bitterness,

from those who are now quarreling,

so that seeking only what is just and equal

they may go forward in brotherly unity and accord.

Lead us out of the night of this conflict and into the day of justice.

Give us grace to be instruments

of the kingdom of love and justice in human affairs,

and patience in dealing with all the sins and selfishness of men,

and humility in recognizing our own,

that we may judge wisely between brothers,

between nations and peoples,

and by composing and reducing their differences,

build ourselves up into a true community of peoples and nations.

Reinhold Niebuhr, 1892-1971, American theologian and professor

The HarperCollins Book of Prayers freely modified

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Psalm 9:7-10

The Lord reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

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a sign of your goodness

September 23, 2020September 22, 2020 / Eric Mathews / 2 Comments

Father, I’m a man of my time and situation,

Around me, the signs and symbols of man’s fear, hatred, alienation;

a bomb exploding in a market square;

. . . faces on TV twisted in mocking confrontation.

It’s not that we haven’t tried, Father,

to find ways to peace and reconciliation

but always too little, too late;

the forces of opposition were too great . . .

I am perplexed, angry, hopeless, sick, I want to turn

my back, wash my hands, save myself, my family, get out.

But every time I turn to go

there stands in my way a cross . . .

Lord, make me a child of hope, reborn from apathy,

cynicism, and despair, ready to work for that new man

you have made possible by walking the way of the cross yourself.

I do have hope grounded on your victory over powers

of evil, death itself, focused on your kingdom,

breaking on us now as light out of deep darkness.

And I do see signs of hope immediately around me.

I see a wider sign:

I see a sign – flower growing on a bombed-out site.

The sign – an empty cross. The burden, Lord, is yours.

Lord, I am a prisoner of hope! There is life before death.

Prayer from Northern Ireland

The Lion Prayer Collection

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Psalm 86:16-17

Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.
Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

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