I Pray...

I pray because I am convinced of the possibility, and, indeed, the realness of the divine-human encounter.  I am not alone in this conviction and I am among good company.  When I pray I am in the company of St. Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, William Law, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, John Baillie, C.S. Lewis, John Woolman, Howard Thurman, and countless and nameless others.  Are you familiar with these names? Have you read their books; sometimes called the “Christian Classics?”

Prayer for me is an encounter with a personal God.  This praying I do, is not so much “asking” as it is “basking” in the “Love at the heart of all things.”  I have no need or desire to argue God’s existence with anyone.   The God to whom I pray does not need to be defended.  The following prayers written by George Appleton have meant much to me through the years and I pray them now as my own.

O my God,

grant that I may so wait upon thee,

that when quick decision and action are needed

I may mount up with wings as an eagle; 

and when under direction of thy will 

and the needs of people

I have to keep going under pressure,

I may run and not be weary;

and in times of routine and humble duty,

I may walk and not faint.

For all my fresh springs are in thee,

O God of my strength.

O my Lord, when moods 

of depression, anxiety, or resentment

take possession of me,

let me ask, “Why art thou so heavy, O my soul,

and why art thou so disquieted within me?”

And let the answer show me 

the cause of the mood and dispel it,

so that I forget my hurts and want only thee.

Antelope Canyon, Page, Arizona