It can easy for us to say we have faith or that we believe that you are love, but it can often be much more difficult for us to actually live that out in everyday life.
Sometimes it's difficult to have faith that you are love when we see the brokenness within and around ourselves. It is easy for us to forget that this brokenness is not the last truth about the world, but only the next to last truth.
Other times we reflexively say "God's in control" or "just have faith," perhaps brokenness in others reminds us of our brokenness and difficulties. This can lead us to avoid confronting the harsh realities of suffering or to distance ourselves from responsibility for the lostness and madness of the world; to try to hide behind a mask of certainty.
But faith isn't either of those things, so we come asking for forgiveness.
Help us to have true faith; to believe that in the end your love wins ... while also realistically acknowledging the existence of suffering, as well as being willing to travel alongside of all who are hurting, struggling, abused, oppressed, or neglected.
Faith is supposed to be the eye of our hearts, but we often struggle to see that way. Help us to do more than merely paying lip service to the truth that you are love. Help that truth to positively affect our thinking, actions, and decisions.
Amen
