For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me—the breath of man that I have created. I was enraged by his sinful greed; I punished him, and hid my face in anger, yet he kept on in his willful ways. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him. Isaiah 57:15-18
“We have been blessed with abundance. But instead of living in grateful generosity, our hearts have been seduced by the mirage of material things. We have consumed more and more, fattening our souls so that our appetite for material things is distorted and warped. Look on us. Expose our unjust ways. Please heal our wounded, wandering hearts. Re-calibrate our desires so that we rejoice in what You have given. Lead us in your ways of blessing and restore us to the joy of simplicity.”
Stephen Hawthorne, Prayer for the City: A 40 Day Prayer Adventure, Day 20.