PSALM OF PRAYING
We often have the experience of trying, and failing, to pray as we should like. This is a way of sharing experiences from people, as if they were all mine!
- I don't know how to pray:
my God, you're far away from me.
- The words don't come easily any more:
phrases I know by heart don't seem so genuine.
- My energy is drained, you don't feel near me:
dryness and boredom have taken a hold on me;
- I know you're close but I cannot see you:
you seem to be here, but out of focus.
- My life's full of tensions, I'm not able to relax:
stresses and strains make me certain I cannot cope.
- God, you are nearer to me than my breathing:
yet my heart goes blank and my mind won't grasp you.
- Others have travelled this road before:
why do I have to struggle to find the way for myself?
- Be close to me again, let me feel your presence:
help me hold my mind in my heart,
- give life to the dry bones of my will:
bring renewal to my tired understanding,
- then I'll thank you with all my power:
and praise you from the depths of my being.
Notes:
After Josephine Bax in ‘The Good Wine’ CIO 1986