Draw near to Your servants, O Lord, and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness, that, for those who glory in You as their Creator and guide, You may restore what You have created and keep safe what You have restored. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Draw near – God is always close to us. He is closer to us than we are to ourselves. When we are in a state of grace, He dwells within our very souls. So why do we ask Him to draw near? We're praying to be able to feel His presence, to know that He is with us. We're beseeching Him for the grace to experience His nearness.
Your servants – In Greek, the word pais means both child and servant. We are God's children by adoption, but we are also His servants. This isn't a bad thing! In fact, serving God should be a joy for us, for when we embrace His will and obey Him with love, we will find true happiness.
unceasing kindness – Have you ever thought about how kind God is? We don't normally identify kindness as one of His characteristics, do we? We think about His omniscience, His omnipotence, and His omnipresence. We remember His mercy and justice. But do we think about His kindness? God is perfectly kind. The modern English word “kind” comes from the Old English gecynde, which actually means “natural” or “innate” and refers to the feelings that family members are to have for one another. Kindness is indeed an element of God's nature, and He has made us His family through His covenant.
glory in You as their Creator and guide – When we glory in God, we allow His glory to wash over us, to enter us, to fill us with His light and love. We glory in God as our Creator. He made us. Everything we are and everything we have comes from Him. He didn't have to create us, but He wanted to share His goodness and love. We also glory in God as our guide. His will is perfect, and He leads us perfectly...if we let Him.
You may restore what You have created – God created us for intimacy with Him. Our first parents lost that intimacy with the first sin. They lost the sanctifying grace within their souls. But God restores that grace to us in Baptism and restores it again in Confession if we lose it through serious sin. He also refreshes that grace when we reach out to Him in prayer, acts of love, and the sacraments.
keep safe what You have restored – Do we trust God to help us stay in His grace? He will. We just have to ask Him. When temptation strikes, we must pray. When we sin, we must repent and turn to Him. God is in this for the long haul. He desires our salvation more than we do. He wants us with Him for all eternity. He will keep us safe...if we let Him.
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