Heavenly Father, truly You are our Father. You are sovereign God. You are holy Creator. You are gracious Redeemer. Nevertheless, You are nothing less than our Father.
Forgive us Father, for forgetting this. Are You merely a provider? Merely a miracle-worker? Merely a Forgiver of sins? You are much more – You are our Father, our Care-taker, our Shepherd!
In the same way, forgive us for seeing people as just problems to solve, challenges to overcome, or risks to avoid. Forgive us! Teach us to love, to care for, and to shepherd one another.
We especially remember the younger generations. Forgive us for our tendency to crush them beneath the Law, rather than to raise them up to Christ. Grant us the grace to nurture and journey with them instead!
Young and all, we all need the Great Shepherd! Help us, O Father. We ask all this in Jesus’ name, amen.
