Prayers at midnight

When I was younger in my faith I tried on several occasions to write down all the things I could think of that I could pray for. These lists included the names of all my friends and acquaintances at the time and ended up being pages and pages long. It would be fine the first few days, I would just make my way down the list and pick off a few that I knew were in need of "serious prayer" [what does that even mean?]. Within a week I felt overwhelmed, would throw the list out and declare that I would just pray for whatever came to mind.

These days I have a whiteboard in my room, which I use for running schedules, a lot of unused blog ideas, keeping track of bills, and things that need prayer. The prayer list has eight headings, with a total of twelve subheadings. Essentially, seventeen [don't mind the math, I got out of bed to write this] things to pray for. And yet, when I quiet myself to pray, I still feel overwhelmed. It isn't a matter of quantity, but the weight of the needs. I think of my father's health, the community that surrounds me, the unrest in Peru, the lost of Germany, the lost amongst my friends and I don't know where to start. To make matters worse, the state of my faith is incredibly messy. That may be an understatement. I need to remind myself what prayer is - what my faith is: communion with God.

Our Father, who is in heaven, Holy is your name. May your Kingdom come, may your will be done in my life, on this earth as it is done in heaven. Grant us our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, forgive me my pride, as I forgive those who have wronged me. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil - that we might do good. May the Kingdom, the power, the glory and honor be yours forever and ever. Amen.