Prayer for Waiting for Hope – Isaiah 65: 17 -25
Isaiah 65:17-25
65:17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
65:18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating, for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy and its people as a delight.
65:19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it or the cry of distress.
65:20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime, for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
65:21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
65:22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat, for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
65:23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD– and their descendants as well.
65:24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.
65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, but the serpent–its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.
God of All,
We wait anxiously for the day
when the wolf and the lamb shall share a meal,
and the vines we plant will bear fruit
that nourishes and sustains your people.
God of Faithful Surprises,
throughout the ages
you have revealed your love and power
in unexpected ways and places.
We confess that we are in need of your wisdom.
We see hate, anger, confusion, and abuse
permeating our news, our media, and our daily conversations.
Grant us wisdom to discern the signs of our times,
courage to stand firm in moments of trial,
and faith to witness to your truth and love.
In Christ, you have given us hope
for a new heaven and a new earth.
May we daily perceive the joy and wonder
of your abiding presence,
and offer our lives in gratitude
for the gift of redemption.
Amen.
