Morning prayer · 8 January

Soldiers of your peace

A single open hand gently removing a small thorn from the palm of another open hand.

Lord, we lift our hearts to you in the clear light of morning. Keep them clean of bitter feelings by the power of forgiving love. If any hurt or wrong still stings inside us, help us pull it out and be healed by you. Don’t let us turn in anger on someone who wronged us, to hurt them back. That would add to the world’s sorrows and poison our souls with the sweet taste of revenge. Let love help us understand them. If their soul is sick, help us bear with them in pity and win them back with the gentle spirit of Jesus. Make us determined to love, even when it costs our pride, so we can be soldiers of your peace on earth. Amen.

Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32 (BSB)

Adapted from Walter Rauschenbusch, Prayers of the Social Awakening (1910), in plain words. The verse is from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain). Drawing: Mutter.