Vayigash

“Prayer is not just about asking God for things; it is about staying connected to Him long enough to grow in strength and perseverance. The more we pray, the more we learn to trust His timing and submit to His process, even when it stretches us. This is where endurance is built, not in the easy seasons, but in the moments when everything in us wants to stop.”~https://ednewton.com/blog/2025/09/27/endurance-through-prayer

Avinu Malkeinu,

Help me grow in courage, give me the strength to do the hard things, have the hard conversations, and pursue repair wherever there is a breach. Teach us how to “approach”, as the name of this Torah portion suggests, whether that means for us to approach for conflict, for repair, or to ask for help.

May we keep steady, patient, and faithful as Your timing unfolds to reveal truth, especially when we struggle to understand Your plan. Help us trust in Your perfect timing to bring justice, validation, and the fulfillment of Your promises, so we feel hopeful.

Keep our hearts soft towards those who hurt us. Help us not to celebrate the remorse and discomfort others feel when they recognize the hurt they have caused, but to comfort them, just as Joseph did, after recognizing his brothers had truly taken accountability for their actions.

May we not be satisfied with walking on Your loving paths alone, but give us the desire to bring a symbolic number of seventy souls with us, just like Abraham and Jacob did. Help us see how we can actively invite others into Your blessings, never wanting to live in blessings without our people. As seventy often symbolizes a gathering of rulers, help us to bring order with us as we walk along the way, whether internal, emotional, physical, or spiritual, by being ministers of peace.

Just as You gave Joseph wisdom on how to steward all that You entrusted to him, give us the same understanding to navigate times when resources are scarce and to live in discipline when resources are abundant. Help us to be generous with those around us and multiply every single blessing that You pour onto us. Teach us how to live with open hands, ready to receive and to share when needed.

Thank you for this beautiful promise that You gave to Jacob as well as to all of us, “Fear not…I will go down with you…and I will surely bring you up again.” This promise is for us to trust that whenever we go down into a valley of struggle, You will bring us up to the mountain of renewal. When we go down into the grave, You will bring us up to new life. When we go down into battle, You will bring us up to victory, and when we go down into the depths of grief, You will bring us up to rest in Your house of joy.

Please go before us, when we need guidance, go beside us when we need help, go within us when we need strength, and go behind us when we need You to defend and protect us where we are vulnerable.

Love,

Brianna