A Prayer for Bell Let’s Talk Day

God of hope and peace,

We are people who know the anguish of anxiety and the burden of depression and we have come to talk to you.

We see in ourselves and in our friends the impact of loneliness and of unrelenting stress and we have come to talk to you.

We and those we love are hurting mentally and emotionally, and we have come to talk to you.

We have come to talk to you because you have promised to hear the cry of the needy and the hurting, the overloaded and the overlooked.

We rejoice that your Son and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, became human knowing anger and abandonment, grief and discouragement – knowing as well, joy and laughter, hope and contentment. We rejoice that we have one who knows what it is to be human, we thank you that he intercedes with you for us.

Our lives are full of groans too deep for words, groans for ourselves and for our friends, for our family members, for our co-workers, and for our neighbours, we thank you that your Holy Spirit takes those groans, those prayers that we do not know how to put into words, carrying them to you. For even when we do not have the words to talk, you see us and know the burdens of our hearts.

We thank you, Lord God, that you promise to bring hope to our despair and peace to our troubled minds. Heal us and heal our families and friends and neighbours as well.

Give us the courage not only to speak, but also to listen so that we might become agents of your grace and mercy.

These things we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.