| Send Me! - article by Joel Hempel As part of our devotion this morning, Marcia and I read a prayer by Herb Brokering (thank you, Ed, for sending it to me). If you are not familiar with the author’s name, you know his hymns: Earth and all Stars (Lutheran Service Book 817), Stay with Us (879), and Thine the Amen, Thine the Praise (680).” That last hymn earned him the moniker “No Verb Herb” because the hymn has no verbs. Here’s his prayer: “Lord, send me a surprise. One that catches me off guard and makes me wonder. Like Easter, send me a resurrection when everything seems dead and buried. Send me light when night seems too long. Send me an idea when my mind is empty. Send me a thing to do when I’m just waiting around. Send me a new friend when I am alone. Send me peace when I am afraid. Send me a future when it looks hopeless. Jesus, send me Your resurrection when I die.” I offer this prayer to you because it speaks to some of my struggles and might address some of yours. What I like about this prayer is the simplicity of the petitions, along with their confidence and boldness – like the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer. The petitions are prayed with the implied certainty that God will respond favorably. For example, in the Lord’s Prayer, “lead us not into temptation,” is prayed with the expectation that God will give you the strength to not give into temptation. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” is prayed with the certainty that the power and courage of the Lord will be in you to follow his will and teachings. If you will, go back and read or pray Rev. Brokering’s prayer. Which petition(s) catches your attention? Hold that petition in your heart, offer it to God, and then confidently look for its fulfillment. If the burden you are carrying or your deep need in search for resolution is something other than what Pastor Herb offers in prayer, lift it to Jesus with boldness and faith. We can trust Jesus. We can trust his love for us and the wisdom within his response. | 
