August 20, 2022

Prayer by Chief Yellow Lark

Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds and whose breath gives life to the world: as I come before You, one of Your many children, I am small and weak; I need Your strength and wisdom.

May I walk in beauty; may my eyes behold the red and purple sunset; may my hands respect what You have made; may my ears be sharp to hear Your voice.

Make me wise, so I may know what You teach in every leaf and rock.

Make me strong, so I may be able to fight my greatest enemy, myself.

May I ever be ready to come to You with clean hands and straight eyes, so that when life fades like a sunset, I may come to You without shame.

Amen.

Psalm 144

Blessed be the Lord my rock! *

who trains my hands to fight and my fingers to battle;

My help and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, *

my shield in whom I trust,
who subdues the peoples under me.

O Lord, what are we that you should care for us? *

mere mortals that you should think of us?

We are like a puff of wind; *

our days are like a passing shadow.

Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down; *

touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

Hurl the lightning and scatter them; *

shoot out your arrows and rout them.

Stretch out your hand from on high; *

rescue me and deliver me from the great waters,
from the hand of foreign peoples,

Whose mouths speak deceitfully *

and whose right hand is raised in falsehood.

O God, I will sing to you a new song; *

I will play to you on a ten-stringed lyre.

You give victory to kings *

and have rescued David your servant.

Rescue me from the hurtful sword *

and deliver me from the hand of foreign peoples,

Whose mouths speak deceitfully *

and whose right hand is raised in falsehood.

May our sons be like plants well nurtured from their youth, *

and our daughters like sculptured corners of a palace.

May our barns be filled to overflowing with all manner of crops; *

may the flocks in our pastures increase by thousands and tens of thousands;
may our cattle be fat and sleek.

May there be no breaching of the walls, no going into exile, *

no wailing in the public squares.

Happy are the people of whom this is so! *

happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

Image: “File:Fawn-colored Lark – Kenya NH8O6243 (16760007040).jpg” by Francesco Veronesi from Italy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Greetings from the Episcopal Church in Delaware

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