Prayers

Praying for Peace

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
A calligraphy by Timothy Botts

The city is peace
is an oxymoron.
Christians, Moslems and Jews
trace their history there
amid cobblestone streets stained with blood.

The sons of Abraham
have fought like brothers
(for centuries)
jealously killing one another
without regard for
innocent lives
or the destiny to which they were called:

To love the LORD your God
with all your heart,
soul, mind and strength
and to love your neighbor as yourself.

May we continue to pray
for the peace of Jerusalem
and Gaza
and the West Bank.

O God of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus,
breathe your breath of shalom
over the graveyard of peace
that dry lifeless bones may live. Amen.

My Gazing Place

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
A view from Luzern, Switzerland from a watchtower on a medieval wall

There is a place I like to climb
where beauty gives me pause to rhyme
as I look down on old Luzern
and play with words I love.

It is a place from which I gaze
at sights that prompt my heart to praise
the One who’s left His fingerprints
for those who dust to find.

This is a place in my Luzern
where I reflect on what I’ve learned
from times like these when I take time
to still my mind and see.

When God Speaks

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
This painting of Aslan is by world-renown wildlife artist Gregory Beecham

When God speaks,
I want to hear
against the backdrop
of constant distractions.

Amid the din of doing life
in the midst of mounting pressures
and maintaining routines
(all the while pursuing dreams),
I want to sense His presence
and hear the essence of His heart.

When God speaks
I want to know what He is saying.
And even if it means a moratorium from praying
(because my words can often get in the way),
I am willing to be still
to know that He is God.


Greg’s book,
“When God Speaks“
is listed on the
BOOKS menu
at $14.99 from
Lulu Books.

A Prayer for All Saints Sunday

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
This week we remember those who passed away this past year

They left us this year
by the doorway of death.
And we miss them, dear God, how we do.
The memories they leave us
help smooth grief’s long road.
How I wish that this journey was through.

But mem’ries alone
cannot silence or quell
the deep ache in our hearts that we feel.
A loss is a loss
even though time has passed.
But admitting our pain helps us heal.

O God, on this day 
when we ponder our friends 
who have dented our lives with their love,
please comfort our sorrow
as only You can
with the hope of reunions above. 

The image that accompanies this post is by my good friend Timothy R. Botts. Check out his website at https://www.timbottscalligraphy.com/

A Prayer for God’s Reign

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
King Charles walks with those who carry his mother’s casket at her funeral

With half the world
we watched, O God,
as one so dearly loved
was carried on the shoulders of our grief.

In silence and in song,
we heard You speak, Lord.
Through the words of Your Book,
we were reminded
of the pages of our lives
still being written.

Ironically, we recognize that
a world divided by race, religion, injustices and war
was united in this sacred moment
by a common task:
to remember Her Grace,
with somber gratitude,
as we contemplate Yours.

We acknowledge our alienation
from one another
and from You.
We confess our need of a Savior.
We embrace the gifts
of His presence and forgiveness.

For Elizabeth,
we voice our praise.
With knowledge of Your sovereign reign, we quiet our pride.
With a desire for Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven, we pray.
Amen!