As I consider the turmoil that is currently rippling through the Middle East, I wonder about the notion of good.  How does one do "good" to a neighbor when everyone is, form the standpoint of scripture, her neighbor?  How does one decide who is her enemy when the text calls the reader to love one's enemies?  And how does a ruler wield her authority for good?
     There are no easy answers to this questions, if there are any authoritative answers at all.  Even if we appeal to a sacred text or divine being, our wisdom in understanding such things is as varied as our human diversity:  how do we know?  Does any of us have the ultimate insight, the absolutely most profound word?
     I pray for the rulers of the world, I pray for the nations they rule.  And I pray for those over whom these rulers have authority, for it is they who, unfortunately, are most affected by a ruler's decision, often with little recourse of appeal.
     Oh God of the cosmos, illumine us, speak to us; give us a path forward.