My friend and former colleague at Concordia University, Portland, Bob Schmidt, recently shared a prayer he composed in the wake of the election. He's given me permission to share it here:
Lord,
You urge us to pray for all people,
especially for kings and those in authority.
Forgive the hateful words of those seeking office.
Replace our anger with respect for our leaders.
We pray for Donald Trump, president-elect.
Give him a spirit of humility in taking office.
Help him learn about the challenges of the task.
Like David, fill his heart with compassion for the poor
and understanding for the strangers in our land.
When nations increase their weapons of war,
we pray for reconciliation of enemies and
peace between peoples in conflict.
Give us all a change of heart that we might
be better stewards of the climate of our world,
the land, the water and the air, and, like Noah,
preserve all of your creatures from their end.
Bless this our land, and the lands of all your people,
In Jesus' name. Amen
This is the proper way to deal with these kind of difficult situations. I've found in my job or whenever going into a difficult time, even celebrating the holidays with family, to pray first for wisdom and the individuals I will be interacting with before I begin. You've done a good job with this Matthew. It will be OK.
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