Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.
Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
ruthless people are trying to kill me – they have no regard for you.
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.
Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
[Psalm 86: 11–17]
The writer of Psalm 86 starts with making two requests from God. The first request is to be taught God’s ways; the second is to have an undivided heart. The psalmist wants to know how to live their life and help to avoid things that distract them from God. This is something many of us want – to know what God wants us to do, and help with things that take us away from God.
The psalmist also recognises that the world is far from perfect – something that many of us can understand, especially at this time. The psalmist speaks of foes attacking, and of ruthless people – yet they know that God is always there. We could name other issues – the virus, riots, climate change, and more – yet God is with us through all of this. God is our help and our comfort.
God of love
Thank you that you are always with us
We know that many things are concerning us at this time
We take time to name the things that concern us most…
Help us to trust in you
You are faithful to us, always loving us
Help us to know your path for our lives
Help us to put aside things that distract us from you
For you are faithful and comfort us
You are slow to anger and abounding in love for us
We worship and adore you
Amen
You can download a pdf of this Prayer for the Week here
Weekly Prayers for July written by Revd Claire Rawlinson
Image: photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
