The Art of Spiritual Practice

Dear God,

 The world is so unsure, I know not where to find the safety that I seek. I fear when I observe the horrors and the violence in the world. I pray for those now caught in it; I pray for all the children, that the darkness coming at the world might be turned back and sent away into nothingness from whence it came. Lord, grant me power that I might command the darkness—in the name of God, and the Holy Spirit---“Go now,” we say to violence and evil and all variety of darkness, go away from earth, disembark our planet, leave our minds and abandon our streets… for we claim this planet for the forces of His love. Amen. (Marianne Williamson, Illuminated Prayers, P. 39-40).

The spiritual practice within this prayer is to not succumb to helplessness. Feel the strength of this prayer, this confidence to ask for God’s power to banish the darkness. We can by our prayer, by our loving actions and our dedication to stand by the Truth, help to be Christ’s power in the world. No one can take away that power and each of us can ask that it be granted to us. Be empowered in the name of God and the Holy Spirit. Claim the planet for the forces of God’s love. Remember you are the beloved. Have we even scratched the surface of what that means for us to be in this world? This is not a time to bemoan but to become.

Pastor Marcia Wakeland is a retired ELCA pastor, a spiritual director and a listening advocate. She is interested in the actual experience of having faith and how that is lived out. She can be reached at mwakeland@gmail.com for comments or more questions Her ongoing blog of living out spiritual practices is listeninglife.live