A Prayer for the Helpers

A prayer for the chaplains and others ministering on the front lines

Glorious God,
you call us to love and to serve,
not only with words, but also in presence and actions.
Lord, you surround us completely in time, in space and in spirit.
No matter where we go,
you journey with us and use us to reveal your grace and mercy.
During this time of testing from the novel coronavirus,
we pause to lift your beloved who serve as chaplains.
Whether they serve in the military,
in health care, in hospice,
in palliative care, in prisons,
with first responders, in commercial industry
or another institutional setting,
guide and protect them and magnify your grace through them.
Through your chaplains, open the eyes of those who fail to see your presence.
Through your chaplains, encourage souls overcome with fear and worry.
Through your chaplains, refresh those wearied from devotion
to the works of healing, protecting, providing and defending.
Through your chaplains, assuage the anguish of death.
Through your chaplains, give hope
during joy and sorrow,
chaos and calm,
success and failure,
rest and exhaustion.
Jehovah Jireh — provide your chaplains with endurance
and protect them when they serve in heart-wrenching, anxious and dangerous places.
Give your chaplains wisdom to know when to be socially distant
and when to be physically present,
always connected to the precious soul you have placed in their path.
Lord, provide your chaplains with words of comfort and truth,
whether they sit beside families of loved ones,
staffs of institutions or leaders of people.
May they effuse the peace that comes only from you.
Encourage your chaplains to embrace their significance
as they help all people overcome during this national and global challenge.
Embolden chaplains to persevere in their essential calling.
Gracious God, we give thanks for your chaplains. Amen.
— Lyman Smith, CAPT, CHC, USN, Retired Director of Presbyterian Federal Chaplaincies

This prayer, and others, can be found below.