God, Creator of the Universe,
we come before You from all walks of life
and from all corners of the world.
Each of us has a different idea of Who You are
or who You might be.
To some, You are many, to some You are One.
Some say You are female, others say You are male.
Some say You are both, and others say You are neither.
Some call You Great Spirit, Grandfather, Allah, Christ, Brahma, Father, El-Shaddai,
Krishna, LORD, or by other names;
Some don't call You anything;
some of us believe You are there but want nothing to do with You;
some of us are not quite sure if You are there.
What we have in common is that we all belong to You
and are loved by You regardless of how we perceive You;
regardless of whatever thoughts, words, or actions are or have been part of us
And today our hearts are broken in unison,
for our dear friend Terri-Gene is suffering tremendous hardship.
Nothing is hidden from You; we know that You know of her circumstance.
We know that You have heard us praying in all languages, at all times,
in every place and from all faith traditions.
We know that You have seen our tears and heard our cries;
we know that You weep with us, for it breaks Your heart to see any of Your children in pain.
Most of us live so very far away and have never had
the opportunity to meet Terri in person.
But we all want so badly to reach out to her
and her family in very real ways.
Let our prayers remain unceasing,
and may they cover Terri-Gene in a blanket of comfort
support, and healing.
May she find strength and courage and peace
in knowing of the love that we send to her.
Let Terri-Gene feel the power and emotion in our thoughts
and prayers for her, and let her always recognize Your love for her, and ours.
Remind her that she is precious to You and to all of us,
and that she is worth every good thing life has to offer.
It is so difficult for us to imagine exactly
what Terri is going through right now.
Her pain, confusion, fear, & sadness might be overwhelming her--
Grant her peace and hope, and encourage her on this journey of healing.
Grant us, too, the ability to remain strong for Terri's sake;
Where You will, let us also feel her pain
so that we can share with her in this difficult time.
This road that Terri is travelling will not be easy,
and we only wish there were some way we could make it easier for her.
Inspire in us Your creativity and open our eyes to new
and unique ways in which we might help Terri-Gene and her family.
While most of us are so very far from her, we know that You are never far
from her or from any of us.
And where we are not able to help in the ways we would like to,
give us peace and contentment in the prayers we offer on Terri's behalf.
Terri is our beloved friend and sister, and our community is so
lost during her absence. We ask that You allow her a speedy
and full recovery; restore her in mind, body, and spirit.
We know how strong Terri is, how determined;
and we also know that she is human and prone
moments of weakness and frustration.
When this happens, grant her Your strength;
Carry her in the palm of Your hand always.
Help her to be forgiving and patient with herself.
Remind her of her Spirit Guides.
Terri's wife and children, too, are especially hurting for her.
They have known the joy of her smile, the warmth of her love,
resolve of her spirit, in ways that most of us haven't been able to
witness. Bear them up in Your mighty arms while they
care for Terri-Gene. Give them peace of mind when they fear for the future.
Surround them with support from all areas--may they find help from
unexpected places and experience blessings even through this trial.
We wait for the day when Terri-Gene is once more
able to be with us. Grant us patience, and may our prayers
in their humility and desperation never fail to reach You.
We want so badly for Terri to be well and whole again,
and our hearts are torn knowing that she suffers.
We need Your comfort and Your peace,
but more than that I just want our friend restored to us.
I don't know what else to say, God. Please let Terri get well
and come back soon. Amen.
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Dear Friend Terri-Gene,
I'm sorry but this prayer is so imperfect & only begins to reflect the depth of my prayers for you. Most of the time I am speechless before God because I cannot express myself in words. I really do wish I could feel your hurt in your place. I hope you can feel my thoughts and prayers. I love you & miss you...XOXO
NMW,
Valerie [/font]
