For many years, I have been privileged to offer the primary prayer at commencement ceremonies for Point University. I take this responsibility and spend time thinking, writing, editing, and practicing before commencement comes around. Jesus had some rather serious things to say about public prayer, and frankly, that makes me nervous about public prayer and its temptation to make it about self-aggrandizement. When I read Paul’s prayers in his epistles, I don’t get the impression he just rattled off the first thing that came into his mind. If that is what he’s doing, then the gap between his mind and mine is greater than I ever imagined! You don’t see a lot of “Jesus, we just” language in his prayers.
I have lots of the prayers in my files and decided that since this is graduation season for so many people in different levels of education, I would share one of these as a collective prayer that we can all pray for graduates – whether we know them or not – as they take such an important step in life. This one is from May 2019.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. When we look about the world in which we live – the heavens, the work of your fingers, the sun and the moon – all of which you have ordained, we are stunned to the point of wonder. With King David, we cry out, “What is there about humans that you care about us?” How amazing that you have made us to be your image bearers to all of creation. You have called us to reflect your wisdom and love into all the world, bringing about order and fruitfulness.
Again, we wonder, even on a glorious day like today – what is there about us that you care? (Psalm 8)
We acknowledge your greatness, O Lord. You have measured the heavens with a span, you have weighted the dust of the earth in a bucket, weighed the mountains on a balance and the hills on a scale.
Yet – “Like a shepherd you tend to your flock and in your arms you gather the lambs and hold them close to your heart.” (Isa. 40)
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
When humans rebelled, O Lord, you did not give up on us, but promised a day of redemption when once again, we could humbly and obediently accept our God-ordained mission to be your image bearers to all of creation.
As we meet to celebrate a new giant step in life for these graduates today, may each of us take to heart this mission of being an image bearer of your greatness and follow the example of the One who perfectly fulfilled that mission, the One who said, “for even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10)
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
Amen.
Wye Huxford 