May it not be long
A prayer from John Bell …
May it not be long, Lord.
May it not be long
before there are no more beggars at the door
waiting for crumbs from the tables of the rich.May it not be long
before northern exploitation
of the southern economies
is a fact of history,
not a fact of life.May it not be long
before poor economies
cease to be havens for sex tourism,
child labor and experimental genetic farming.May it not be long
before those nations we once evangelized
show us the larger Christ
whom we, too often, have forgotten.May it not be long
before the governments of our nations
legislate against commercial avarice
and over-consumption which hurts the poor
and indebts them.May it not be long
before Christians in this land
examine their economic priorities
in the light of the Gospel,
rather than in its shadow.May it not be long
before we respond out of love,
not out of guilt.May it not be long
before we find wells of hope
deeper than the shallow pools of optimism
in which we sometimes paddle.May it not be long
before we feel as liberated and addressed
by your word
as those first folk did
who heard you summon the oddest of people
to fulfill the oddest of callings.May it not be long, Lord.
Amen.
(From This Is the Day: Readings and Meditations from the Iona Community, edited by Neil Paynter, ©2002, Wild Goose Publications, Fourth Floor, Savoy House, 140 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3DH, UK)
2 thoughts on “May it not be long”
To be fair, most of this prayer does emphasize our own responsibilities. However, are we asking too much of our governments? Should we as Christians make these choices or should our government? May it not be long before we as consumers have wiser priorities. It is not the function of the governments of our nations to legislate against commercial avarice. Commerce only gives the consumer what they are willing to pay for. It is we as individuals who need to be on guard against our own avarice and over-consumption.
The prayer made me think about my own priorities, the ways my expectations may be shaped by the prevailing culture rather than the gospel. I want to be free! I want us to be free! Not to be anxious or obsessed with things or money or security, but free to love and to give, to give of ourselves. I reprinted the prayer because it made me think about my life …