A Prayer for High School Graduates

May 31, 2013December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Talking to the Almighty about our children

Almighty God, the Scriptures remind us our children are a gift from You. With holy awe and a sense of wonder we received these priceless treasures gift-wrapped with potential. In no time these miniature persons were kindergarten-bound, where they found just how much there was to learn. But You helped them, Lord. You fed their curiosity and infused their little minds with big thoughts.

As they matriculated year after year from elementary school through middle school, we marveled at their ability to make the grade. Gratefully, You bolstered their self-confidence when bullies attempted to undermine their self-worth. And then, as they entered high school, You looked on as they focused on maintaining a high GPA with an eye on the colleges of their dreams.

And now here they stand on the threshold of adulthood. Won?t You walk with them, Father, as they pass through this wide-open door? In many ways they seem adequately prepared to embrace the opportunities and challenges that await them. In other ways, they still resemble those little tykes we sent off to school so long ago with their big backpacks. Now as then, they have cause to fear what is so unfamiliar. Please protect them.

Grace them, God, with a thirst for knowledge and an appetite for understanding. As they continue to calculate facts and figures, help them translate the truths they encounter into attitudes and actions that guard the dignity of others. In their grasping of wisdom, may they open their hearts to those in need. Give them compassion and humility as they stand up for those put down by society.

Heavenly Father, as their capacity for understanding Your world expands, increase their ability to know You and trust Your plans for their lives. Amen.

A Prayer for Oklahoma

May 24, 2013December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Interceding for tornado victims

It’s not OK in OKC
for Moore is less (it seems to me).
Less joyful and less confident
that life will turn out good.

The winds of chance blew tragically
destroying much that used to be
and in the process stole the lives
of victims young and old.

As Oklahoma grieves its dead
and groans in unexpected dread,
a watching nation blinks back tears
and bends its knees in prayer.

O God, who hears each pleading cry
and aches with us when loved ones die,
be near to these who’ve lost it all
and must continue on.

Restore their will to stretch and reach.
Reveal Your truth to those who preach
that hope rekindled will renew
the faith of hurting souls.

A Prayer for Lawmakers and Others

January 13, 2012December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Asking Divine guidance for those who make decisions

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
I call on You for guidance
as this new legislative session commences.

Forgetting those things that are behind
and straining forward to toward those things that are to come,
I ask You to help these men and women press on to serve those
who look to them for leadership.

In this month when we as a nation
celebrate the sanctity of every life
and pay homage to a King
(whose reign was all-too brief)
may their efforts be crowned
with compassion, justice and mercy.

In this challenging economy,
as the deposit slips of state revenue
reflect less than they hoped they could bank on,
compound their interest in finding creative solutions.
Give them the ability to resist the temptation
to pass the buck.
Allow the currency of the time they spend
to be consistent with those four familiar words
engraved upon our history and our dollars…
“in God we trust.”

And when they are called upon to make change,
may they be tellers of truth
as well as cashiers of compromise.
May the bottom line of decisions made in this House
make sense to those who make them
and to those who will be impacted by them.

And though taxing at times,
may this session be marked by an adequate reserve
of respect and humility
as well as a windfall of gratitude
for the privilege You have allowed them
in their calling as public servants.

In Your Holy Name I pray. Amen.

* I delivered this prayer on Monday, January 9, 2012 in the State House of Representatives in Olympia, Washington at the opening of the 2012 Legislative Session. The prayer can be viewed online at the following link:

http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012010055

About ten years ago I was asked by a friend serving in the Illinois State Senate to pray at the opening of the session in Springfield, IL. I had no idea that one of the Senators hearing my prayer that day would be elected President of the United States several years later. My friend is also residing in Washington, D.C. today. The Honorable Peter Roskam was elected to Henry Hyde’s seat in Congress after the veteran Congressman retired.

Although the prayer was written with state lawmakers in mind, the essence of the prayer applies to those in leadership in local municipalities, churches, synagogues and school districts. It is a prayer that invites God’s intervention in our pursuits. It also makes ourselves willing to accept His help that we might work effecgtively with others with whom we may not always agree.

God, Bless Us Everyone!

December 16, 2011December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Tim Tebow’s after-touchdown prayer; Longing for a Long-ago Christmas

God, Bless Us Everyone!
Tim Tebow’s after-touchdown prayer

It’s Christmastime in Denver town
and Tebow’s brought the gifts.
He’s won six straight and wowed his fans
by giving them a lift.

But Tiny Tim’s been criticized
by Scrooges who defame
his prayerful after-touchdown pose
as pious or as lame.

They claim his faith is just a crutch
that proves the kid is weak.
But they can’t fully understand
the goal Tim daily seeks.

There’s more than end zones on his mind.
For him there’s so much more.
His bottom line is pleasing Christ
not just the final score.

And so Tim prays with gratitude
just like Bob Cratchit’s son.
He prays God will be glorified.
“God, bless us everyone!”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs898BJM6YY

Longing for a Long-ago Christmas
Remembering a much simpler and Christ-honoring season

A hometown scene, a horse-drawn sleigh
and memories of another day.
The sound of church bells on the hill
and skaters on the pond.

A Christmas tree lit on the square
and wreaths abounding everywhere.
The crunch of snow beneath your feet
and sounds of southbound geese.

The street lamps beam a brilliant light
as dusk gives way to winter’s night
and in the distance carolers
begin their serenade.

I long for such simplicity
when Jesus Christ’s nativity
was recognized as what alone
assures joy for our world.

Grace in the Midst of Tragedy

January 14, 2011December 2, 2021 / Greg Asimakoupoulos

A prayer for the shooting victims in Tucson

That Tucson Safeway wasn’t safe
as one deranged and fueled by hate
took aim at unsuspecting souls
and shot six people dead.

A 9/11 baby died.
A Congresswoman would survive,
but not the Federal judge whose status
couldn’t save his life.

Who says that evil isn’t real?
Not those whose grief has left them ill.
Satanic forces stalk our land
and rob our peace of mind.

O God, may grace envelop hurt
with words and actions that assert
that You who weep with those who cry
can heal each broken heart.

* This poem was written for the members of Grace Community Covenant Church in Tucson with gratitude for their faithful and caring witness in a grieving community still in shock.