Prayer To Encourage Respect For All

RESPECT

I’ve been thinking about respect and being respectful these days.  Maybe it’s due to Remembrance Day earlier in the year and the debt of respect and gratitude we owe our veterans.  But I was also thinking and wishing that people would respect the good intentions and good efforts of so many to help us all safely get through this time of the pandemic.

On Remembrance Day in a city near to where I live, for the second time, City Hall was covered with graffiti.  While attention in this second message included mention of the freedom won by the veterans, I just know that there are many veterans who would wish that people would think more about the wider community than their own personal convenience and sacrifice a bit of their freedom for the good of others.  Veterans surely did that because there’s no place that you lay down your freedom more than in the army where you move and act according to the orders of your commanding officer. There’s not much personal freedom found anywhere on a military base on a battlefield and yet that’s the kind of sacrifice that we all benefit from today.

Show proper respect to everyone.  Love your Christian brothers and sister.  Fear God and respect the king.  1 Peter 2:17

I’m not saying that our government leaders and health officials have always gotten it right but I do know if we would all follow the orders that they are giving, cases would go down and we would all have a better quality of life.  The thoughtless and disrespectful actions of a few who refuse to wear masks and refuse to stop meeting socially with others etc. keeps the case counts up and make life much more challenging, particularly for those veterans who are aged and in places like care facilities. 

Heavenly Father, today we come to you for your help in showing respect for authority , for other people, in our community, for property, for our country, and even for our own person. Help us to treat others as we would want them to treat us.

We know that all people have value as human beings, regardless of their status or behaviour and we commit ourselves to living that way.  Showing respect and being worthy of respect matters to You, God. From the earliest rules (The Ten Commandents) that you gave to Your people to help order society we know that You ask respect from us for You and for all others.  Forgive us for our self-centered, self-righteous ways when we think we know better than everyone else.

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. Romans 13:1

We pray today God that many would respect the directives of the health and government authorities in their region.  These are imperfect measures during imperfect times but they are the best help for all of us for the short term so we can find a more normal life for the long haul.

We know Lord that when it comes to being respectful people that actions speak louder than words.  As You have been kind and merciful to us, even though we often get things wrong, so we pray to be kind and compassionate towards others, even when they sometimes get it wrong. We pray today for those who frustrate and irritate us and make all of our lives more difficult because they want to do their own thing and even more protest in very destructive ways.  Lord Jesus, You yourself instructed us:

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  Luke 6:27

And so we pray for grace and strength to protect the dignity of even these who mistreat so many with their thoughtless actions.  We pray that You will bless them and soften their hearts to Your way of respect for authority and helpfulness to others even when it’s not convenient.  We pray for compassion and honour to be the rule of the day for all of us.

Help us during these difficult times to consider the needs of others and lift others up by the way we speak and act.