Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee,
And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me.(Robert Frost, "Cluster of Faith," from The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged; photo by StockSnap via pixabay.com)
A Poet's Prayer
Haven
A refuge from the storm,
A place of comfort, peace, and love,
A haven sweet and warm.
Saturday Psalm #136
Your love endures forever.
I give thanks to you, God of all gods.
Your love endures forever.
I give thanks to you, Lord of lords:
Your love endures forever.
You alone do great and mighty things;
Your love endures forever.
You made the heavens;
Your love endures forever.
You made me;
Your love endures forever.
You gave me a wife and incredible kids;
Your love endures forever.
You have filled my life with good things;
Your love endures forever.
Such grandchildren as I could never have imagined;
Your love endures forever.
You preserved my ministry through rough times;
Your love endures forever.
You preserved my children across many roads;
Your love endures forever.
You delivered me from sin;
Your love endures forever.
You freed me from depression;
Your love endures forever.
You have sheltered me from poverty;
Your love endures forever.
You have provided for me and mine, often miraculously;
Your love endures forever.
You have given me joy in your service;
Your love endures forever.
You have defended me over and over;
Your love endures forever.
You have taught me so very much;
Your love endures forever.
You have enriched me with good friends and neighbors;
Your love endures forever.
You have answered countless prayers;
Your love endures forever.
And worked so many wonders before my eyes;
Your love endures forever.
You have given me your salvation;
Your love endures forever.
Your Word;
Your love endures forever.
Your presence;
Your love endures forever.
And filled my heart, mind, and mouth with your praises;
Your love endures forever.
I give thanks to you, God of heaven.
Your love endures forever.
(based on Psalm 136; image by Shlomaster via pixabay.com)
Height and Length and Depth
I love you, Lord, my Strength.
I love you to the height and length
and depth of all there is of me,
with all my aching, flawed emotion,
all the grateful, awed devotion
all the all-in-all could draw from me.
By the Other Light Supreme
Help me to walk by faith and not by sight;
I would, through thickest veils and coverings,
See into the chambers of the living light.
Lord, in the land of things that swell and seem,
Help me to walk by the other light supreme,
Which shows Thy facts behind man's vaguely hinting dream.
(a prayer by George MacDonald, from Diary of an Old Soul; image by JerzyGorecki via pixabay.com)
In Your Hands
We’re in your hands,
Whate’er the future holds,
We’re in your hands.
The days we cannot see
Are not a vaguery;
You’ve planned them perfectly.
We’re in
your
hands.
(variation on a hymn by Stanley Ditmer; pronouns and lines 5-7 revised; photo by comfreak via pixabay.com)
Afford a Spring to Me
Lord, afford a spring to me, Let me feel like what I see;
Speak, and by your gracious voice,
Make my drooping soul rejoice.
On your garden deign to smile,
Raise the plants, enrich the soil;
Soon your presence will restore
Life to what seemed dead before.
(from a hymn by John Newton, slightly revised)
Winds of March
Who but Thee, O Lord, who slept in the hinder part of the ship and commanded us to be not fearful.
And told the storm: be still.
Give us that same great faith, O God, as we come into the new spring.
Bless our plows, and our harrows too.
Let our grass seed fall on good ground, rot naturally in the moist earth, and live again in the warmth of the sun.
Bless every suckling on this place, our Father.
Strengthen the mothers, and spread their tender spirit of love and sacrifice into the hearts of men the world around.
We saw the wild geese in echelon flying, O God, and we are thankful.
Amen.
(from the book, The Farmer Gives Thanks; photo via everystockphoto.com)
The Springing of the Year
Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.
For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.
(by Robert Frost, from A Boy's Will)
Like a Child
Lord, grant that my grandchildren
--and children--
may always pray with the same faith
and fervency
as when they were little,
in Jesus' name, amen.
What a Son
gone are the days
when my little boy
could climb into my lap
and melt my heart with a smile.
Gone are the nights
when I could read him a book
and smile with joy
at his plea for more.
But oh, what a son he still is today.
Oh, how you've blessed me,
not only with a boy,
but with such a son,
and such a husband,
and such a father,
and such a friend as he is.
And though I know it is selfish
to ask more when you have given so much already,
I ask.
Lord, I ask.
Please make his every dream
come true.
Please.
Make him like Enoch, who walked with you.
Make him like Noah, who found grace in your sight.
Make him like Abraham, who walked by faith.
Make him like Joseph, a dreamer and doer.
Make him like Moses, who walked on holy ground.
Make him like his namesake Aaron, who led your people into your presence.
Make him like Caleb and Joshua, who saw with eyes of faith.
Make him like Elijah, who received food from your hand.
Make him like Elisha, who was given a double portion.
Make him like David, who danced before you, a man after your own heart.
Make him like Jehoshaphat, who trusted in you.
Make him like Hosea, who forgave largely.
Make him like John, a beloved disciple.
Make him like Barnabas, a mentor and encourager.
Make him more than anything, like Jesus, lover of souls.
Bless him, Lord, on his birthday,
and every day to come,
as you have so blessed me with him,
in Jesus' name, amen.
Breastplate
Today I put on
a terrible strength
invoking the Trinity
confessing the Three
with faith in the One
as I face my Maker.
Today I put on the power
of Christ's birth and baptism,
of his hanging and burial,
His resurrection, ascension,
and descent at the Judgement.
Today I put on the power
of the order of the Cherubim,
angels' obedience,
archangels' attendance,
in hope of ascending
to my reward;
patriarchs' prayers,
prophets' predictions,
apostles precepts,
confessors' testimony,
holy virgins' innocence
and the deeds of true men.
Today I put on
the power of Heaven,
the light of the Sun,
the radiance of the Moon,
the splendour of fire,
the fierceness of lightning,
the swiftness of wind,
the depth of the sea,
the firmness of earth
and the hardness of rock.
Today I put on
God's strenghth to steer me,
God's power to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye for my vision,
God's ear for my hearing,
God's word for my speech,
God's hand to protect me,
God's pathway before me,
God's shield for my shelter,
God's angels to guard me
from ambush of devils,
from vice's allurements,
from traps of the flesh,
from all who wish ill,
whether distant or close,
alone or in hosts.
I summon these powers today
to take my part against every implacable power
that attacks my body and soul,
the chants of false prophets,
dark laws of the pagans,
false heretics' laws,
entrapments of idols,
enchantments of women
or smiths or druids,
and all knowledge that poisons
man's body or soul.
Christ guard me today
from poison, from burning,
from drowning, from hurt,
that I have my reward.
Christ beside me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ within me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me.
Christ on my right hand,
Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie,
Christ where I sit,
Christ where I rise.
Christ in the hearts of all who think of me,
Christ in the mouths of all who speak to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Today I put on
a terrible strength,
invoking the Trinity,
confessing the Three,
with faith in the One
as I face my Maker.
(attributed to St. Patrick, called The Lorica, or Breastplate of St. Patrick: photo via everystockphoto.com)
Til the Storm
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past.
(from "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," a hymn by Charles Wesley)
Saturday Psalm #135
I praise your name.
I praise you in solitude,
I praise you in the company of your servants,
who minister in your house,
who enter your courts with gratitude and joy.
I praise you, LORD, for you are good;
I am lifted up when I lift you up!
For you chose me.
Me.
You made me your treasured possession.
And you have shown me so much kindness.
You are great, Lord,
greater than all gods,
more to be desired than anything I can desire.
You do whatever pleases you,
and I pray for your will to be done
on earth, in me, and in mine,
as it is in heaven.
You came up with the idea of clouds,
and rain.
And lightning, Lord.
You conceived the wind.
You invented weather.
You brought your people out of Egypt
in ancient days,
and brought me out of depression,
loneliness,
darkness,
and sin.
You have shown me signs and wonders;
I've seen friends healed,
and delivered.
I've seen people crushed...
and healed, by your grace.
I've seen people get sober
and strong.
I've seen you turn hoarders into givers.
Your name, O LORD, endures forever,
your renown, O LORD, outlives all generations.
And you will vindicate your people;
you will have compassion on your servants.
The idols of this world and this culture are worthless.
They have nothing to offer.
They have nothing I want.
Let my house praise you, LORD;
Let the house of Aaron and Nina praise you.
Let the house of Kevin and Aubrey praise you.
Let all of your people praise you.
Let your praise resound in me
and around me.
Let it echo like a shofar from Zion,
like a trumpet from the walls of Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD.
Amen.
(image of actress Mary Pickford via perlinator at pixabay.com)
This Is My Work
In field or forest, at the desk or loom,
In roaring market-place or tranquil room;
Let me but find it in my heart to say,
When vagrant wishes beckon me astray,
"This is my work; my blessing, not my doom;
"Of all who live, I am the one by whom
"This work can best be done in the right way."
(excerpted from the poem, "Work," by Henry Van Dyke; image via pixabay.com)
To Be a Pilgrim
(a prayer of John Bunyan, from "He Who Would Valiant Be," slightly modified;Since, Lord, you do defend
me with your Spirit,
I know I at the end,
shall life inherit.
Then fancies flee away!
I'll fear not what men say,
I'll labor night and day
to be a pilgrim.
image from a watercolor by David Roberts, public domain)
From Stupidity
O Lord, save me
from the stupidity of others,
and save them from mine.
Amen.
(image from a wood engraving by Gustave Doré)
Saturday Psalm #134
I praise you, LORD!Let all your servants praise you;
morning, noon, and night
may hands
and voices
and spirits
be lifted up in your house
in praise to you!
LORD, you are the Maker of heaven and earth;
you can do anything.
You can certainly bless your people
from here to Zion today.
Please do so,
in Jesus' name, amen.
One Step Enough
The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
(a prayer by Cardinal John Henry Newman; image by insanessa via pixabay.com)
To Boldly Embrace Uncertainty
Lord God Adonai, there is so much I don’t know.I know nothing next to what you know.
I don’t know what my future holds.
I don’t even know what tomorrow—
or the next five minutes—holds.
But I know that you love me.
I know that you love the church.
I know that you love the world.
I know your plans for me are good.
I know your power is unlimited
and your love is unconditional.
And so, step by step, and moment by moment,
help me to trust you,
to be courageous and full of faith,
to boldly embrace uncertainty,
and to rely on you for whatever results,
in Jesus’ name. Amen.
(from the book, Quit Going to Church, pp. 212-213)
Apportion Plentitude
We peeked in the barn door, and there she was, up again, twin lambs at her side!
Help us to see that out of pain comes forth peace; out of storm, calm; out of fierce thunderheads, the blessed rains; out of a rent lion, honey.
If thou dost measure these winds to the sheep that are shorn, what have we to fear?
May new grass flourish the earth around.
May all the babes have milk enough.
And may we have sense enough to apportion plentitude, in thy name, who gives all.
Amen.
(from the book, The Farmer Gives Thanks; photo by Myriams-Fotos via pixabay.com)
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