This is one of the more difficult posts to write.  Not because of any hesitation, but because of what the topic is about.

There is a better way to pray than how some of us are praying, so far.

About Refugees, the debate rages on and as we all know, many are enraged.  We Americans, like others in our world, are people who pray, but how?  On the whole, we haven’t been starting at a good spot.  There are too many people praying “God bless America first before everyone else, if ever anyone else at all.”  There are some praying, “God, take away the freewill of others, or turn them into [people that we are not afraid.]”  There was a movie some years back with a character running for President who’s slogan was “God bless America and no one else.”

Unfortunately, real life seems to be imitating cinema art.  This is no longer a movie line, but is closer to becoming a reality of how some pray, if not already here.

These are common prayers, coming from people tired, frightened, and in pain.  Yet, are these the prayers that God asks us to offer for anyone going through disasters or horrors?

Whatever and whenever we pray for someone else, we are saying the exact same prayer for ourselves without realizing it.  What we pray for others, we are praying for ourselves.  God sees us as all in this together, equally.  What is available to one person from God, is available to all.  What is prayed for one person, is prayed for all people, without us always aware of this.

Consequently, we might consider a better way to pray than the examples above.

DIFFERENCES

We easily see the differences in our American lives and those in other nations.  We see the differences in our nationalities, our religions, our ways of life, our skin color and many other areas.  From these differences, it is easy to take on the “Us vs. Them” state of mind.  Even when there are also many similarities.

But, other options are available.  There are possibilities in the way that we can help them with our prayers.  These possibilities come from reducing our similarities down to that one common quality which we humans all share.  We only need to distill down to that one thing which ties people together, which no one can dispute and which both the “us” and the “them” share in common.

Human suffering.

Individually in our lives, and as a collective, we, Americans, know human suffering.  We know real pain and real sorrow felt deep within us.  We know fear of the coming of even more suffering, pain and sorrow.  In truth, there is no human being on the planet that doesn’t know human suffering in some form within each  individual’s self (and what it is – is known only to God.)

If we distill our prayers down to what we can pray for those suffering – we can then pray very real and helpful prayers that God asks from us.  These prayers:

“God, please help all who suffer.”

“God, please help all who are under great pain and great sorrow.”

“God, please help all of us who have lost someone we love through violence or through any means.”

“God, all of us need Your help and only You know the true and real help that each one of us needs.  Please, help in whatever ways we need.”

“God, please, help all life.”

“God, please, do not limit Your help by our beliefs, our thoughts and our feelings.”

Thank you and Amen.

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“Those prayed for will have more of God’s loving, patient, merciful and healing presence available to help than those not prayed for.”  (the Rainbow Cards, 1994-2015, ©, Jodie Senkyrik)

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A few of the many helpful prayers that have changed things through the Ages.

God, help the Hebrews under the thumbs of Egypt’s Pharaoh.

God, help slavery end for black people.

God, help stop the massacring  of Indians.

God, help stop the murders of Jewish people, and all other people at the hands of the Nazis.

God, help stop the killing of people in Rwanda.

God, help the people under Soviet Communist oppression.

God, help end Apartheid and the suffering with it.

Prayers that are still needed.

God, please help people find peace both within and without.

God, please help heal all people, everywhere.

God, please, help.

God, give us wisdom to know better.  God, give us patience so we don’t react from panic and fear.  God, give us kindness in our hearts.  Thank you for these.  God give us the willingness to put these to use with each person in our lives.

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