A Prayer For America

A Prayer For America

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

I would like us to take a moment and offer our thoughts and prayers to the memory of George Floyd and to his bereaved family. At such difficult moments as we are living through right now, it’s hard to remember that people are grieving the tragic and pointless death of a loved one.

I would like to pray for the restoration of peace and order in our communities and cities. I would like to pray for understanding and unity, rather than bigotry and divisiveness. I would like to pray for calm in our hearts, for fear to disappear and be replaced with love and compassion.

I pray for the violence to stop, for the fires to be quenched, for instigation and incitement to end.

I would like to pray for justice and truth to emerge out of the flames that are engulfing our cities, for light to be shed on the deep and real causes of this conflagration.

I pray for conversation to resume, for peaceful and composed voices to be heard, rather than the screams of hate, enmity, anguish and pain.

I would like to pray for all hands to start reaching towards one another to help and uplift rather than to shove and push down.

I pray for hope to replace despair, for the courage to stand up for right rather than might.

At this time of panic and pandemic we  have so much to look forward to, yet so much to lose; may God show us the way to peace, love and understanding among us all, no matter what color, creed, religion, or race.

Amen.