Good Morning.
I love good writing, both prose and poetry. Sometimes when you least expect it you come upon something that points you to God more surely than anything else can. I suspect that it has to do with certain moments, certain moods. Who knows?
I’d like to share some pieces from a well-hidden gem called “Prayers From The Ark.” The original prayers were written by a French woman Carmen Bernos de Gasztold.
It starts with Noah’s prayer:
Lord,
What a menagerie!
Between Your downpour and these animal cries
one cannot hear oneself think!
The days are long,
Lord.
All this water makes my heart sink.
When will the ground cease to rock under my feet?
The days are long.
Master Raven has not come back.
Here is Your dove.
Will she find us a twig of hope?
The days are long,
Lord.
Guide Your ark to safety,
some zenith of rest,
Where we can escape at last
from this brute slavery.
The days are long,
Lord.
Lead me until I reach the shore of Your covenant.
Amen.
Isn’t that what we are all searching for: “the shore” of God’s covenant?
Not much is available about the author’s life. It is known that after WWII she lives in a Benedictine monastery and devoted herself to a life of prayer. It is assumed that she may have come from a farm life. Her animals are never pets. They are creatures who exist to serve a purpose. She takes the voice of a rooster, a donkey, a pig, a monkey, an owl, an elephant, and others. Let me share just one more with you. The prayer of the dog:
Lord,
I keep watch!
If I am not here
who will guard their house?
Watch over their sheep?
Be faithful?
No one but You and I
understand
what faithfulness is.
They call me, “Good dog! Nice dog!”
Words….
I take their pats
and the old bones they throw me
and I seem pleased.
They really believe they make me happy.
I take kicks too
when they come my way.
None of that matters.
I keep watch!
Lord,
Do not let me die
until, for them,
all danger is driven away.
Amen.
Today’s readings are Judges 14:20-15:20; Acts 7:17-29; John 4:43-54; Psalm 102 & 107:1-32.
Have a blessed day.
Pastor Jim
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