Prayer for rest and vacation

Lord,

I'm not very good at rest,

even on vacation,

just ask my wife.

I try to cram too much in,

too many adventures and not enough quiet.

On a week of vacation

after about three days,

I start getting ready to go home.

It's hard for me to unplug from my work.

I'm writing this prayer

while I'm on vacation.

Lord,

Help me find value not in achieving anything,

but rather in slowing down, disconnecting from my usual responsibilities in order to connect deeply with myself and you. 

Give me the rest I need.

Help me accept your invitation to

"Come away and rest awhile..." Mark 6:31

And

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Lord,

I need rest,

your rest,

rest for my soul.

Amen

Prayer for Belonging

 Lord,

Belonging is a key emotional need

we humans have.

The need to belong.

Belonging means:

-not being isolated, not being left out,

-support in times of difficulty, help in times of hardship, 

-access to a listener, an advocate, an accountability partner.

As followers of Jesus Christ,

we belong to a community of believers, the family of faith, a communion of forgiven sinners, a congregation of disciples seeking to be faithful.

Lord,

I have heard it said,

in the current culture of the United States, there is an epidemic of loneliness. We may be the most connected society due to technology and so called, "social" media. Yet, we are more and more isolated from one another.

Lord,

Help your church be

an antidote for isolation,

a safe space to find support,

a healing habitat,

a wellspring for wholeness,

a place of belonging.

As the hymn writer put it,

"Help us accept each other as Christ accepted us;

teach us as sister, brother, each person to embrace.

Be present, Lord, among us and bring us to believe

We are ourselves accepted, and meant to love and live."

Lord,

Let it be so today.

Amen

_____________

The stanza quoted above is from the hymn, "Help Us Accept Each Other" written by Fred Kaan © 1975, Hope Publishing Company.