Gracious and loving God, we know we may speak plainly to You because of Your intimacy with our every thought. You are completely familiar with our life: our successes, our failures, and our frailty. None of us is made of stone or steel, of alabaster or ivory. We are people of flesh and blood, flesh that carries scars, and blood that pulses with passion to bring truth, justice, and prosperity to the people we serve. You know us well—far better than we know ourselves. So in Your presence we need not be formal. Beloved Mystery, then, be near. Without our faith in Your caring, we would lack the hope that helps us continue, day in and day out, building on the successes, and failures too, of those who have preceded us. We continue to trust in You. —AMEN.
(Adapted from William Cleary, We Side with the Morning: Daily Prayers to the God of Hope.)