Lord, hear our prayer:

Father, we have heard the story of your infinite mercy, yet we have failed to be merciful ourselves. We have received your love in abundance, yet we have not been loving to each other. You have dealt kindly with us, but we have been hard-hearted. Father, again and again we have broken our promises as, by our self-centeredness and self-interest, we have broken your heart. We have refused to share the pain of the lonely, the agony of the broken and the despair of the lost. We have turned to you so many times for forgiveness and yet we have withheld the forgiveness we have received from those who have offended us. To our amazement, your mercy is still there for us, and the opportunity remains to forgive and be forgiven. Help us, in all we say and do and offer, to give full expression to the generous, loving nature that was in Christ. For his sake, and not our own.

Amen.

David Clowes, 500 Prayers For All Occasions © 2003 by David C Cook Publishing
Used by permission. All rights reserved.