There is no hope in government
For whatever they give, they must take.
There is not hope in our families
For they build a society that tears us from
God’s way.
There is no hope in churches
For they can but point the way, without power
There is no hope in many counselors
For they contradict each other, giving no truth.
There is no hope in a lover
For such satisfaction is limited in scope.
There is no hope in the military
For the best they offer is destruction.
There is no hope in children
For they too will turn away.
There is no hope in riches
For every morning you still must face yourself.
Only in You, in Yahweh alone is there hope
In You alone is there deliverance
In You alone is there holiness
In You alone is there newness of life.
JUSTICE II
O God, I look afar and I see your name be slandered
Your people— your children O God!—
are suffering under the judgement of men.
The righteous are condemned to prison
The merciful are shown no mercy
The holy are slandered and included with the evil
The blessed are insulted and cursed
But worst of all, O God, the greatest crime
Those who claim to be following you
Those who seek you in your word
Those who use your name so solemnly yet glibly
Those who call themselves "the children of God"
They are the perpetuators of the crimes.
They revile the deeds of righteousness
They blaspheme your word by twisting it against your servants
They oppress the ones you have set free
They make war against the peacemakers
They refuse service to your poor
They harass your prophets and apostles,
hoping to put them to death.
O God deliver your servants
Redeem them from the hands of your enemies
Take them out from under the thumbs of their oppressors
And give them freedom in your sight.
Be glorified in it, my Lord
I ask not that you redeem them by politics
I ask not that you redeem them by war
not by diplomacy
not by honors
not by memory
Rather, redeem them by the vindication of Jesus through resurrection
redeem them by the true judgment of your word
by your swift and righteous hand
by the coming of the Holy One
by the separating of wheat and chaff
Your Kingdom come, O God
Your glorious light shine
Come quickly now, Lord Jesus
Bring to this earth your peace and justice
And so increase your glory.
Vow of Release
Father, has blocked my way to live in you. And so, although it is said that in many contexts is good before you, I refuse to have any part of it, in the ways in which it blocks your desire. I will not read about the world’s opinion about it, nor seek their advice about it. Rather, I will focus on your kingdom. And if withers and fades, so that I become as faded as a hundred year old in this area, so be it. I vow to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness—and whatever hinders me from that, even if it be an integral part of me, I will set it aside to seek your life and peace. May I never seek my salvation or peace through ! May my security never be based on it! Rather, I entrust my whole self to you.
Make your own! What is it that, although possibly good in some ways, has stood in the way of you living right before God? Replace it in the unlined spaces above and read this prayer to God.
My anger
My judgment
My sexuality
My fear
Alcohol
Marijuana
My desire
My entertainment
What I own
My anxiety
My speech
My television watching
My violence
My reading
My eating habits
JUSTICE III
Lord, it seems that I, too, am an oppressor.
Can it be? Am I not your child?
Yet in the ways I oppress, I am not like you.
For you, O God are gracious.
For you, O God are compassionate.
For you, O God are slow to anger.
For you, O God are abounding in love.
But I, I still
manipulate and control and act aggressively toward those under me
from my children to my employees.
I abuse the vast resources you have given me
and thus steal from my poor brokers.
I support oppressors of the poor and underprivileged
by buying their products.
I close off my home, my money and my time
from the poor you have told me to give to.
Dear Lord, forgive me.
Cleanse me of my sin.
I open myself up to you.
Reveal to me my evil ways.
Show me, Lord, how to change them.
Through your Spirit, enliven your righteousness within me.
Teach me living justice;
Teach me holy walking;
Train me in the ways of your kingdom:
the ways of peace
the ways of mercy
the ways of justice
the ways of forgiveness
Lest I, too, O Lord, am judged by you.
Take away the disgrace I dread.
Take away the acts of tyranny.
And replace my old ways with the ways of your Son.
"Pray then in this way:
“Our Father in heaven,
your name be sanctified.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:9-13
BATTLE PRAYER
Yahweh, look at my enemies!
See how they surround me
And enter my mind
Whispering to me, “He won’t help you—
He can’t.”
But it’s not true, no, never!
You surround me at all times
You protect me with you glory
And cause me to look at You.
I weep before You, my Lord.
And I know that you will hear me
And answer me with your strength.
Danger surrounds me—
But I sleep
And then later awake safely
Because God is with me.
Although ten thousand camp around me
Preparing to battle against me
Yet I am not afraid
Because God is with me.
Yahweh, arise, deliver me!
You will attack these mockers
And will break their teeth.
Through Yahweh comes release
I am blessed for I am of your people!
Based on Psalm 3
King of the Universe, Lord of all existing:
Make Your name mighty and pure among all the people of the world.
May your Kingdom make its home on earth for all eternity.
And may you rule the peoples so that what you desire is done here.
Give us today our future’s need.
And when you come, forgive us, even as we have acted this way to those who have done us wrong.
Allow us not to enter the terrible tribulation to come.
Deliver us from Satan’s power for all eternity.
Maranatha. Our Lord come.
