A Prayer for Peace and Love

O God, you are the Creator of all that is.

Within the midst of your creation,

you have placed humankind

to care for your handiwork.

You have created us to carry on

with the same imagination that you have.

You have given us the ability

            to think like you think

            to see what you see

            to desire what you desire.

But forgive us O God,

for our vision has not always been your vision.

Our goals are not always like your goals.

We have turned desire into greed.

We have turned need into want.

We have learned to kill,

            out of our greed for what we want.

Forgive us, O God,

for having a vision for war.

Forgive us, O God,

for using the creative spirit

you have placed within us

to build tanks, and planes, and ships,

and guns, and bombs.

Forgive us, O God,

for using our imagination

to envision the destruction

of our enemies.

And forgive us, O God,

For having hearts hardened by hate and fear.

May we look to you,

            the One who created all that is,

to teach us, O God, to create

            in the way you create.

Teach us, O God, to imagine

            what you imagine.

Give us, O God, your vision

            so that we can see

            a world basking in your peace and love.

May our tanks become trucks,

racing to the aid of our enemies.

May our ships deliver food

to those who hate us.

Empower us to love

even when our enemies

rise up against us.

O God, we pray,

that you change our heart.

Fill it with love.

Fill it with compassion.

Give us the power of meekness

to throw down our guns now!

To end all our killing wars now!

To stop fighting TODAY!

So that mothers and daughters,

fathers and sons,

sisters and brothers,

will no longer suffer and die

as a result of our hate.

Empower us O God,

To boldly reach out

            in LOVE to our enemies.

Create in us a new heart, O God.

Amen and Amen.

2009 © Dayvid Graybill