God.

We tell ourselves and each other to be still before you. We tell each other and ourselves to be patient.

We hear that those who do evil will not last, but we can’t be still and be patient when there is so much anger and fear, when there are people losing their lives because of our inhumanity. Or maybe because of our humanity.

We beg you for justice and deliverance, begging like Joseph must have begged, year after year after year, betrayed by brothers, alone in Egypt.

And yet, when he saw his brothers, he welcomed them and kissed them. He gave them hope and a future.

We confess that we are unwilling to forgive such deep pain so quickly.
We confess that we are sometimes unwilling to forgive inconveniences just on principle.
We confess that our anger and worry are often evidence that we do not trust you. We do not trust you with our reputation, with our well-being, with our families, with our future.

Today, forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Forgive what we owe you
as we forgive what we believe others owe us.
Let us know our salvation and deliverance are from you.

And let us know your salvation and deliverance from our fears and fretting now.

May it be so.

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Psalm 137; Genesis 45:3-11; Luke 6:27-38