To God…

10

Ever wonder what it would be like to have a special audience with God? Imagine if we, each of us, was given God’s undivided attention, and allowed to vent, rant and cry, and say just anything we’d like to say. What would we say?

After reading continued reports of Israel’s illegal assaults upon the Palestinians I thought about such an event and imagined such an opportunity. Since in reality I know that prayer is such an opportunity, I decided to write my complaint in the form of a prayer. I wrote it, hoping that perhaps it might drift within earshot of the noble angels who carry prayers to God, hoping they might be impressed by its desperation and deliver it right away. I asked that this prayer might get a special recommendation since it’s not a request for a personal favor, but rather it is a prayer for this world, and all of us who are joined in the journey that is being acted out here. I am sharing it so that anyone who shares my hearts yearning might also share this whispered prayer with an angel, and have their hearts comforted by the thought that God will hear it, and perhaps be moved to accept our supplication. It begins:

Dear God, we pray to thee in thy most Holy Name, and in the name of thy angels and prophets, their descendants, and in the name of all of the righteous and saintly people who have followed them. We ask that you forgive our sins, and accept our apology for eating your food, and drinking your water, enjoying your sun, and wind, and benefiting from your rain, for saying that you don’t exist, or not saying anything to you at all. Our guilt is the cause of our silence, since how can we speak to you knowing that we have not obeyed you, nor recognized your sovereign right as our Creator to guide us, and your love for us. We appeal to your perfection, your mercy and grace. You are worthy of forgiving us, though we are not worthy of your forgiveness, and so we ask for your pity. Please hear our prayer, for we have none to turn to except you, and you are sufficient unto us, for thine alone is the kingdom, and all power and glory. Amen.

We pray,

Master, you placed us in a world that is so filled with contradictions that it is very hard to remember you. We remember you in isolation and in silent contemplation and prayer, yet we need you even in our most mundane affairs, and periods of trial. Be with us. We are your servants, the travelers seeking your paradise, and reunion. We ask to be delivered from the hindrances of the wicked and those who have sought to dominate your world, and to force humanity into their servitude through force of military arms and violence, and threats of violence and political gamesmanship disguised as diplomacy. We seek refuge in you from their lies and subterfuge, their greed, their lust for blood, treasure and land, and the misuse of the wealth and bounties you bestowed upon them. A people whom you had chosen to preserve your word, and to guard your sovereignty are attempting to usurp your authority, and to impose themselves over others as masters and lords, and they are neither fit, nor capable of carrying out such duty. Rather than uniting your people under the authority of the prophets and Holy books, they are dividing humanity according to race, religion and cast, and social and economic status, and pitting one group against another, while weakening us all, and throwing these kingdoms into chaos and anarchy. Rather than healing people with Thy words found in the scripture entrusted to them, they have created a man written book, wherein they have disguised themselves as gods, and others as men and women created to serve not you, but them. How wicked, numerous, and weak are the lies upon which they stand, facing the abyss. This people, whom you guided to safety, gave treasures uncountable, knowledge, wisdom, power and intellect has betrayed us. You tested them with hardship and humiliation, and they exchanged the redeeming fruit of trial, which is love and humility, for bitterness and hatred and revenge, and are poisoning the water of mercy that sustains us, with a dark draught of terror, threat, and tyranny. Dear God, how long will your respites last?

We have not come before you to damn them, nor to pray for their destruction, even though it is their hope that we should die, and be turned into dust so that they might claim a victory to which they are not entitled. They do not have the power to cause death, since they are not its masters. Any whom they have set their bloodied hands against, and forced into the grave, even if they had been lying in bed asleep and the angel of death had come, they could not have resisted death’s call unto them, to surrender the soul back unto thee. For you are the only power and we declare thy unity, and beseech Thee. Ilahee, send thy peace and blessings upon the prophets and their descendants, and the righteous of your people, and save us all from the drift into hellfire. Set your hand against our enemies and render useless their evil works, since we plea for their salvation, yet they cry for our destruction. Send your Holy Spirit to nullify their trickery, and to expose their evil to the world. Make the people see that it is not God who has set this scourge upon the earth. Make us see that it is the wicked usurpers, and their supporters who have sought to enslave your servants, to ruin your earth, and to stain your throne with the blood of innocents, the weak, the poverty-stricken and the oppressed. We pray that you will save both them and us, with thy strong hand of mercy. Save us all from thy perfect justice with a period of respite wherein you guide us to peace, for we have lost the way. The path to peace is buried, hidden beneath years of lies and trickery, arrogance and bloodthirsty violence. It is being broken under the weight of tanks and bombed on roadsides and killed for resisting oppression and occupation. Only you can reveal it to us, and set us upon that path. Our futile wandering is the punishment for idolatry, and worship of created things, including Satan and his followers. How could we have worshipped them when we had the chance to worship an almighty God, who created us and subjected the world to us in answer to the pleas of our father Adam for mercy, grace salvation and bounty for his progeny. How ungrateful we are. Forgive us.

Raise up from among us leaders who will guide us to the promise you made to us through your prophets. You said in your Holy Books, "If they would only believe and follow the guidance that is sent unto them from me, I (God) would forgive them their sins, release them from evil consequences, and give them all that they ask for." Ilahee, we have believed, and we are following your guidance. You said to call upon you and that you would answer us. We are here pleading at your gate, calling you, and asking that send us leaders who will guide us to peace. We pray to recognize them, to support them, to follow them, and to obey them. Remove the scales from our eyes and rust from our hearts and Satan’s venom from our souls that we might be free, and able to act according to thy guidance, surrendered. We pray that you remove the foot of the wicked from the necks of the righteous and faithful, and also from the sinners who disobey yet love thee, but fail to please thee because of weakness and humanness. Which from among us is worthy of thy mercy? So how can you deny any of us when we plead sincerely unto thee? Ilahee, we pray for peace, for you are the peacemaker, we pray for peace, since you are the peacekeeper, we pray to your for justice, since you are the reckoned, and the recokoner. Hear our prayer, and save us for the sake of our father Adam, save your earth, and give us refuge from all evil. And, Master, in this place of refuge create for us a place for perfection, where we might learn to be more righteous, and less evil. Amen.