Right now, I am experiencing a season of countless changes. Three weeks ago, I graduated from college. Two weeks ago, I moved out of my apartment. One week ago, I went shopping for what will literally be what I carry on my back for eleven months beginning in August. In four days, I will be in Georgia for a whirlwind of ten days of training camp. I am overwhelmed but excited, nervous but expectant.
The truth is that we are all constantly in a state of transition. With each new life event, even with each new day, we experience change. Life itself is both frightening and exhilarating. In my experience, these new stages are infinitely ambiguous, and the fear of the unknown sometimes cripples me. As I closed the chapter of my undergraduate life at Baylor, each “last” came with a little bit of sadness and a little bit of eagerness for what lies ahead. So, in the midst of this emotional chaos, I do what I know is stable, what is sure, what is simple. I pray.
And I pray that this prayer might be something that others who prepare for new seasons can earnestly recite, too.
A Prayer for Transition
Our good and gracious God,
In times when the future is so unsure, please be our sureness.
In times when we feel like we cannot go on, please be the solid rock on which we stand.
In times when the lies from fear make us doubt, please be our truth.
In times when our feelings are a roller coaster or we don’t even know how to feel, please be our unwavering constant.
In times when we fail, please give us mercy.
In times when we compare those failures to the successes of those around us, please be our identity.
In times when we begin to rely on our own plans and successes, please be our humility.
In times when the heartbreak makes it hard to go on living, please be our comfort.
In times when a new birth brings infinite possibilities, please be our deepest joy.
In times of separation from loved ones, please be our connector.
In times when we have to say goodbye, please be our peace.
In times when we Your plans come together perfectly, please receive every ounce of glory.
In times when we experience rejection and have nowhere to turn, please be our refuge.
In times when we follow You blindly, please be the lamp to our feet and the light to our path.
In times when we wait for direction, please grant us patience.
In times when we do become impatient, please be our contentment.
In times when we yearn for more, whether in this life or in eternity with You, please be our all-consuming satisfaction.
In times of transition, thank you for being the God of it all.
We know that You are in control of every season under heaven and in heaven and have set time in its place, powerful Lord. And we also know that even the lilies and the sparrows do not worry about tomorrow, so why should we? With every new turn, we praise You for how You orchestrate each morning with new mercies. You have given us much direction in Your word- seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with You, rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances. So, even when we do not know what lies ahead for us or maybe we do know and are having a hard time with change, may we cling to that which we can always, always be sure. You offer us Your salvation along with endless love, grace, and goodness. Therefore, we praise You for what we do know and acknowledge that You are God, in control of all transitions and all of what we don’t know.
