Praying with political reality in view
Waste, unsafety, cruelty, violence, and greed...I've got prayers for them all
I spoke with a friend recently* who takes the biblical thought of “praying without ceasing” quite seriously, in a way that I don’t anymore. But I respect her for it.
I think she really does pray all the time. And, if nothing else, this changes her outlook on life. Dramatically. I’m blown away by the ways she’s able to see grace and goodness in the midst of the literal worst of times in her personal life.
I think of the times we’re living in, collectively. They are some rough ones. And I’m not here to say we should all be looking for the silver lining in our current political reality.
But I do think there’s still something about prayer.
Something that’s available to everyone. Something that we by no means have to invite back into our lives if it’s been used to abuse or otherwise traumatize—and yet, for those who do want to invite it back in new and life-giving forms, it can be a gorgeous, sacred, powerful thing.
For those of us who have left evangelicalism, or whose beliefs or faith communities have changed in any way, prayer doesn’t have to look like it used to. It can’t look like it used to. Because we’re different. And there is no moving back, only moving forward.
But there may be something to reclaim. There may be power in some of the words we might use now to speak to the Divine, words that speak justice into being. And there may be power in speaking these words together.
So in that vein, I invite you to read a few recent “post-evangelical prayers” I’ve written in light of everything going on in our world, and to join me in speaking into existence any of their words that resonate with you. (Feel free to ignore the rest…or write your own counter-prayer if you feel differently!)
If the word “God” is a tripping point, by the way, please feel free to fill in with your own language. (Maybe Creator, maybe Divine Love, maybe something else.) And know that when I imagine God, I imagine a creative life-giving powerhouse full of nothing but love, moving toward justice always. So feel free to use whatever words remind you of that.
A few prayers:
God,
We lament the shameless, gloating waste.
The millions that could have provided
healthcare, food, housing, clean water,
meeting communities’ basic needs
and making room for all to thrive.
We don’t want parades;
we want enough to go around.
Spirit, deliver us
from greed and violence,
and soon.
Amen.
God,
It should be safe to be a lawmaker in this place,
safe to be a judge, a lawyer.
It should be safe to be a protester, a journalist,
safe to be an immigrant, a refugee,
an international student.
God, we are so far from what should be
that it’s hard to imagine a way back,
let alone find it.
Please make a way and help us walk it.
Amen.
God,
may every lawsuit
against injustice and oppression,
violence and greed,
white supremacy and cruelty
prevail.
Speed their way quickly
through our slow systems
and bring relief
to those who suffer
under cruel orders and
illegal actions.
Amen.
God,
Keep those who protest
safe from harm,
for their feet march
on holy ground
and their voices shout
the words of prophets.
May they be heard.
May they not do
such sacred labor
in vain.
Amen.
God who called Zacchaeus,
change the hearts of greedy capitalists
such that the truth
that there is enough for everybody
spills over from the pot of nice ideals
into the waiting soup bowls of real lives,
meeting real needs,
all of them.
We settle for nothing less.
Amen.
That’s what I’ve got for today. (If you want to read prayers like this on a more regular basis, please find me on IG @postevangelicalprayers.)
Thanks for reading along and maybe joining in. I hope something in these words feels like a balm, even just a little bit. I hope you consider adding words of your own. And I hope peace and guidance meet us as we speak our rage and sadness together.
In this with you.
*By which I mean, I did an interview for my forthcoming book on prayer, tentatively titled I Have No Answers: Post-Evangelical Reflections on Prayer, coming your way via Broadleaf Books in Spring 2027
I add, as a coda,
Hey God
WTF?
Amen.
Thank you for the prayers!