“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ” Romans 12: 9-12
After the assassination attempt on former President Trump, may we take a step back and inspect our own hearts. We mourn for the victims of the Bethel rally. Thank you for sparing the lives of President Trump and others. It could have been worse. Love us in our trouble understanding the shooter and his actions. Lord, even the shooter was made in Your image. How are we to respond or pray for his soul? I don’t know Father, but we trust in You.
Lord, forgive us of our sin. We try to make this world ours, but it’s not. You created it but we caused the fall. We live with the consequence daily. Tonight, we lift up our nation, not just Memphis, and the many people who seek public service, to you. We ask that you protect them. We ask that you lead us in supporting and disagreeing with respect and dignity.
Lord, bridle our tongues. Transform our hearts. Cover us with Your grace. May we elect men and women who seek You first. We face serious challenges in our city. Crime. Poverty. Broken homes. Addiction. Human trafficking. We cannot change Memphis. We cannot save Memphis.
But You can.
Lord, work in Mayor Young’s administration. Be present in City Hall. Be in the City Council’s chambers. Be in the County Commission’s meeting place. Place authority in men and women who want to make this city better and are apostles of the Kingdom. Protect those running for office in the coming elections. Guide them in their decision-making. Lord, allow them to leverage the resources of the government to heal our community.
That’s a large ask. Lord, may we walk beside them. May we not be content to complain from our home, but co-labor for the betterment of our neighbor. Elevate those that need to be elevated as leaders. Lord, place Your anointing on the heads of many in this city.
Amen.