From my book Prayers for All Seasons (Book 1) – one of the most popular of all my books, at £27.99 still in demand 23 years after it was first published– a prayer based on Habakkuk 2, reflecting on a message at the heart of this season: that we need to trust in the God beyond us, whose timing is so often different from our own.
Eternal God,
Ruler over space and time,
Lord of history,
before all, in all, and beyond all,
we worship and acknowledge you,
recognising afresh that your ways are not our ways,
nor your thoughts our thoughts.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Forgive us for sometimes losing sight of that fact,
presuming we know better than you,
even expecting you to do our bidding
rather than we do yours.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Teach us that you are beyond our greatest imagining,
higher than our loftiest dreams;
and that you do things in your own way and time,
expecting us to wait patiently,
trusting in your wisdom and purpose.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
When our prayers do not seem to be answered,
our ambitions remain unfulfilled,
and our faith appears to be in vain,
save us from premature judgements.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Teach us that it is often at such times as these –
especially at such times as these –
that we need to believe in you and your timing.
Give us grace to accept our part in your scheme of things,
and leave the rest to you.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.