Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
Joshua 1:6-7 ESV
The Commissioning of Joshua
Dear Heavenly Father,
We acknowledge the deep-rooted unaddressed systemic racism. Please release all those that are being bent and bound by the weight of the sin of oppression. When one is bound, we are all bound. So,
- give us the hope to run and not be weary and to walk proud of our heritage;
- give us love so that we can accept each person as they are;
- give us the passion to move beyond what humanity expects of us, to what You have us to do;
- give us hope that the past is not a reflection of what the future will be;
- give us the kind of love, so that, once a door has been unlocked for us, we will unlock doors for others.
Heavenly, Father, as we pray for change, help us to be willing to be change-makers. If we change ourselves, we can help change the world around us. So, help us to be strong and courageous, not turning from the right hand or left but keeping our focus on You.
Hear our prayer O Lord and raise our consciousness to help end the injustice everywhere and strive for compassion rather than hatred, and for eternal peace instead of war. Amen.
Written by Rev. Linda Harris. Used with permission.