God.

“Out of the depths we cry to you, O Lord.”

That’s what an ancient pray-er said to you.

And I’m guessing that those words are heard in our rooms every day.

For the patient with a hard diagnosis.
For the code team who worked hard to save a life.
For the coworker carrying difficult news from home.

For our community. For our country.

“Out of the depths we cry to you.”

But God, we cry to you because you know our depths,
Because you are present with us there and always,
Because you can give us comfort and wisdom and courage and peace.

So today, we cry out to you, with honest desperation and threadbare confidence that you are there to cry to. But we are grateful that your presence doesn’t depend on our confidence but on your compassion.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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From God. We Still Need You: A Year of Pandemic Prayer and Practice from a Hospital Chaplain