Prayer: We are not ready

A prayer on reading Micah 1

Sovereign Lord,

we long for your coming, but we are not ready.

You come in your mountain melting, valley splitting, holy presence,

but we are unprepared.

We, who gather weekly – daily – to praise your name

find ourselves trembling before your majesty.

We want you tame and docile,

We want your grace and love with no cost,

we want faith without repentance,

• fruitfulness without pruning
• salvation without picking up our cross

But you would have none of it

• you come smashing idols and burning images
• you come driving out all that would compete with you
• you come in holy, cleansing fire to purify and make us new

But we are not ready

We still cling to the comfortable idols – those things we trust alongside you – we protest and complain as you remove them from us

We long to cling to comfort, security, financial stability, pleasure, nationalism, and success, even if it kills us.

But you would have none of it.

In your love, you come in judgment upon all that twists, destroys, and separates us from you.

You come in judgment upon our rebellion, so that we might turn to you, the only source of life, joy, and comfort, and peace.

So Lord, with trembling lips, we are bold to pray that you would do your cleansing work in us, rescue us from the sin that so easily entangles, and help us to run the race before us to the glory of your name.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.