A prayer of caution

Jane Denniston September 30, 2025 4 1

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Amos 6:1a, 4-7 (NIV)

1a Woe to you who are complacent in Zion,
    and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,
 

4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory
    and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs
    and fattened calves.
5 You strum away on your harps like David
    and improvise on musical instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful
    and use the finest lotions,
    but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;
    your feasting and lounging will end.

God of justice,
once upon a time you instructed your people
to hold a year of jubilee
that all would be cared for 
and none would go hungry.
That wealth would be redistributed
and justice seen to be done.
Forgive us, as a nation, as a race, that we have lost sight
of your priorities for our world.
Soften hearts of stone
to see the hardship all around  
and care for those who cannot care for themselves.
I pray that those who are rich in this world's goods 
would notice those who are not.
Would see, with eyes of compassion, those who struggle to put food on the table
and clothes on their backs.

Replace selfishness with empathy, I pray,
and greed with kindness,
that the rich may slow down in their race
to accumulate more wealth than they can spend in a lifetime.
May they see and understand
that wealth is not gold and silver, or stocks and shares,
but is counted in love and relationships. 
May they understand that you are to be feared,
that this life is not the end of the story,
and treasures lodged in the Bank of Heaven
are true riches compared with the goods of this world, Amen