Waiting

There are good years and bad years,
hear our prayer O God, for all who are slogging.
You know the tears that slide into pillows at night,
you hear the cries of people at the end of their rope.
We acknowledge that not all is sparkling and bright,
and that people are desperate for glad tidings.
And so we pray for good news;
for children being hurt by their parents,
who fear the people they also love;
for teenagers who struggle because they are being bullied
not just at school, but at home through social media;
for young adults who are caught
in the web of drug addiction;