‘With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’ He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? [Micah 6:6–8]
I wonder what your favourite passage from the Bible is and why. We all have verses that we draw upon at times in our lives – above is one of mine. I have it on a clock, a picture and engraved on the back of my i-pad. These words from Micah remind me of what God asks of me: it’s not all about meetings, coffee mornings, visiting groups, though all of these are important too – it’s about the way I live my life in the world.
The passage reminds me that no matter how flowery my words are or how often I attend church, it is the way I act that matters to God. The passage reminds me to work for justice in the world; helping people is one thing, but tackling the injustice is harder and what I am called to do. It reminds me to love completely – not just those I like, but everyone, regardless of who they are. It reminds me that humility, rather than pride is the way to live in the world. The words from Micah are almost a mantra reminding me how to live my life.
If you have a favourite passage, please paste it in the comments and it may appear in one of the weekly prayers!
God of Micah,
we come before you in praise,
thanksgiving and worship.
You are mighty and worthy of our praise;
you are Lord of creation and designer of the universe.
Our words can never be enough to show how wonderful you are,
yet you remind us that it is not our words that you want.
Help us to fight injustice as well as help those in need;
help us to love everyone, not just those we like;
help us to follow you humbly, showing your love rather than our own pride,
so that our worship will be fitting and right for you.
Amen
You can download this Prayer for the Week here
Weekly prayers for September written by Revd Claire Rawlinson
Image by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
