I Enter

I enter the place of prayer, dear God,

to listen to what you have to say.

I have been shouted at, accused, and threatened 

from the newspaper, radio, and television.

Now I want to hear the syllables of hope

that come in the still small voice of your Spirit

and establish you as Lord in my heart

as well as "Most High over all the earth" (Psalm 83:18). Amen.

 (a prayer of Eugene Peterson, in his book, Praying with the Psalms, June 19)