{"id":5849,"date":"2023-10-23T11:56:36","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T17:56:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/?p=5849"},"modified":"2023-10-23T11:56:36","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T17:56:36","slug":"a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/","title":{"rendered":"A Prayer in Times of Turmoil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Some years ago, I was privileged to edit a book by Bishop Steven Charleston.\u00a0 A citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a retired Bishop of the Episcopal Church, he offers regular reflections on the spiritual life.<\/p>\n

Recently, he offered this observation:<\/p>\n

\n

I wish I could do more. So much of my spiritual life is haunted by that feeling. I feel helpless against the great disasters of my age. I feel inadequate when confronted with the scope of human need. I want to help and try to help, but I always wish I could do more. That\u2019s when I reach out to the Spirit \u2013 the power that can do infinitely more than I will ever be able to imagine. I do not have to do it all. I only have to do my part the best I can.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I wrote the prayer that appears below, with an eye to Bishop Charleston\u2019s words of wisdom and I am grateful to him for his work:<\/p>\n

Holy Spirit, gift to your Church and manifestation of the Kingdom\u2019s presence, I confess that all too often I am overwhelmed. My knowledge of the world\u2019s needs exceed my ability to respond. The news is filled with tragedy, violence, loss of life, and pain. There is so much beyond my control.\u00a0 In those moments that I feel overcome and I am adrift in grief and despair, save me from the temptation to measure my gifts against the world\u2019s needs. Deliver me from the cynicism that might lead me to live for myself.\u00a0 Help me to trust your prompting and your presence.\u00a0 Strengthen my witness and remind me \u2013 always \u2013 that the lives of your children are depend upon you, the Son, and the Father. Together, you are one God, sovereign, wise, and sufficient. Amen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Photo by Steve Mushero<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some years ago, I was privileged to edit a book by Bishop Steven Charleston.\u00a0 A citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a retired Bishop of the Episcopal Church, he offers regular reflections on the spiritual life. Recently, he offered this observation: I wish I could do more. So much of my spiritual life is haunted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":240,"featured_media":5858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4655,4652],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-steven-charleston","category-turmoil"],"yoast_head":"\nA Prayer in Times of Turmoil<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some years ago, I was privileged to edit a book by Bishop Steven Charleston.\u00a0 A citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a retired Bishop of the Episcopal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Prayer in Times of Turmoil\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some years ago, I was privileged to edit a book by Bishop Steven Charleston.\u00a0 A citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a retired Bishop of the Episcopal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"What God Wants for Your Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-23T17:56:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/174\/2023\/10\/steve-mushero-KRz74kJIvmM-unsplash.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"479\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Frederick Schmidt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Frederick Schmidt\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/\",\"name\":\"A Prayer in Times of Turmoil\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-23T17:56:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-23T17:56:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/#\/schema\/person\/ddfdcfcb384439499b89f4fc91aa3f21\"},\"description\":\"Some years ago, I was privileged to edit a book by Bishop Steven Charleston.\u00a0 A citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a retired Bishop of the Episcopal\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Prayer in Times of Turmoil\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/\",\"name\":\"What God Wants for Your Life\",\"description\":\"Thoughts on the perennial demands and changing shape of Christian spirituality.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/#\/schema\/person\/ddfdcfcb384439499b89f4fc91aa3f21\",\"name\":\"Frederick Schmidt\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/683afd03c0a0abb940f8fe5cb3183269?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/683afd03c0a0abb940f8fe5cb3183269?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Frederick Schmidt\"},\"description\":\"The Reverend Dr. Frederick W. Schmidt, Jr. is inaugural holder of the Rueben P. Job Chair in Spiritual Formation and a Senior Scholar at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. He is also Vice Rector at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN; an Episcopal Priest; spiritual director; retreat facilitator; conference leader; and writer. He is the author of numerous published articles and reviews, as well as several books: A Still Small Voice: Women, Ordination and the Church (Syracuse University Press, 1998), The Changing Face of God (Morehouse, 2000), When Suffering Persists (Morehouse, 2001), in Italian translation: Sofferenza, All ricerca di una riposta (Torino: Claudiana, 2004), What God Wants for Your Life \ufeff(Harper, 2005), Conversations with Scripture: Revelation (Morehouse, 2005), \ufeffConversations with Scripture: Luke \ufeff(Morehouse, 2009), and The Dave Test (Abingdon, 2013). He and his wife, Natalie (who is also an Episcopal priest), live in Arrington, TN. They have four children and eight grandchildren.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/author\/fredschmidt\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Prayer in Times of Turmoil","description":"Some years ago, I was privileged to edit a book by Bishop Steven Charleston.\u00a0 A citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a retired Bishop of the Episcopal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Prayer in Times of Turmoil","og_description":"Some years ago, I was privileged to edit a book by Bishop Steven Charleston.\u00a0 A citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a retired Bishop of the Episcopal","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/","og_site_name":"What God Wants for Your Life","article_published_time":"2023-10-23T17:56:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":479,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/174\/2023\/10\/steve-mushero-KRz74kJIvmM-unsplash.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Frederick Schmidt","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Frederick Schmidt","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/","name":"A Prayer in Times of Turmoil","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-10-23T17:56:36+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-23T17:56:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/#\/schema\/person\/ddfdcfcb384439499b89f4fc91aa3f21"},"description":"Some years ago, I was privileged to edit a book by Bishop Steven Charleston.\u00a0 A citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a retired Bishop of the Episcopal","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/2023\/10\/a-prayer-in-times-of-turmoil\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Prayer in Times of Turmoil"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/","name":"What God Wants for Your Life","description":"Thoughts on the perennial demands and changing shape of Christian spirituality.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/#\/schema\/person\/ddfdcfcb384439499b89f4fc91aa3f21","name":"Frederick Schmidt","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/683afd03c0a0abb940f8fe5cb3183269?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/683afd03c0a0abb940f8fe5cb3183269?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Frederick Schmidt"},"description":"The Reverend Dr. Frederick W. Schmidt, Jr. is inaugural holder of the Rueben P. Job Chair in Spiritual Formation and a Senior Scholar at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. He is also Vice Rector at Good Shepherd, Brentwood, TN; an Episcopal Priest; spiritual director; retreat facilitator; conference leader; and writer. He is the author of numerous published articles and reviews, as well as several books: A Still Small Voice: Women, Ordination and the Church (Syracuse University Press, 1998), The Changing Face of God (Morehouse, 2000), When Suffering Persists (Morehouse, 2001), in Italian translation: Sofferenza, All ricerca di una riposta (Torino: Claudiana, 2004), What God Wants for Your Life \ufeff(Harper, 2005), Conversations with Scripture: Revelation (Morehouse, 2005), \ufeffConversations with Scripture: Luke \ufeff(Morehouse, 2009), and The Dave Test (Abingdon, 2013). He and his wife, Natalie (who is also an Episcopal priest), live in Arrington, TN. They have four children and eight grandchildren.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/author\/fredschmidt\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/240"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/whatgodwantsforyourlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}