Prayer for Tired, Angry Ones

God,
We’re so tired
We want to do justice, but the work seems endless,
       and the results look so small in our exhausted hands.
We want to love mercy, but our enemies are relentless, and it
       feels like foolishness to prioritize gentleness in
       this unbelievably cruel world.
We want to walk humbly, but self-promotion is seductive,
       and we are afraid that if we don’t look after ourselves,
       no one else will.
We want to be kind, but our anger feels insatiable.
Jesus, in this never-ending wilderness, come to us and grant us grace.
Grant us the courage to keep showing up to impossible battles,
      trusting that it is our commitment to faithfulness, and not our
      obsession with results, that will bring in your shalom.
Grant us the vulnerability to risk loving our difficult
      and complicated neighbor, rejecting the lie
      that some people are made more in the image of God than others.
Grant us the humility of a decentered but Beloved self.
As we continue to take the single step that is in front of us, Jesus,
        keep us from becoming what we are called to transform.  Protect
        us from using the empire’s violence—in our words, in our theology,
        in our activism, and in our politics—for your kingdom of peace.
Keep our anger from being meanness.
Keep our sorrow from collapsing into self-pity.
Keep our hearts soft enough to keep breaking.
Keep our outrage turned towards justice, not cruelty.
Remind us that all of this, every bit of it, is for love.
Keep us fiercely kind.
Amen.
 

—  Laura Jean Truman
From Rhythm of Prayer edited by Sarah Bessey, 2021

Laura Jean Truman is an Atlanta based writer, and itinerant chaplain. She is passionate about the intersection of queer spirituality, mysticism, and the Gospel. Originally from New England, she has a BA in Philosophy from the University of New Hampshire and an MDiv from Emory University.