God.

We feel forgotten.

We know that we should remember that you are with us. We know that we should turn to you and be comforted by you when we are in trouble. We know that we feel abandoned by you. We are sure that it’s our fault, the abandonment, or your fault, the abandonment. And we don’t know what to do.

We confess.
We confess that we’ve been frustrated by where we have ended up.
We confess that we’ve looking around for someone to blame.
We confess that we’ve remembered some of your words, but have assumed that they weren’t true.
We confess that we feel abandoned by you, our prayers ignored by you, our good work discounted by you.
We confess that we feel a little exiled.
And we confess that we cannot understand how Paul can be so confident about you when he’s chained to a smelly, obnoxious Roman guard.
We confess that we are often derailed by bad coffee, by long lines, by annoying things we read.

Thank you that you forgive us.

Thank you that you invited us to work for the good of the people who are working for our bad.
Thank you that you are faithful toward us even when we don’t have any faith ourselves.
Thank you that your mercy doesn’t depend on our merit, that your grace doesn’t depend on our goodness, that your calling doesn’t depend on our competence.
Thank you that you are always more than enough of a God for us.

Help us remember that when we are failing at being our own gods.
Help us be helpful when we are away from our comfort.
Help us have fun, as you told the people in exile.

Through Christ our Lord,

Amen.

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Jeremiah 29:4-7; 2 Timothy 2:8-15