Prayers
Lindsay BatesReceive, O Mystery, the words of our hearts.
Receive, O Mystery, the words of our hearts.If prayer worked like magic – if I knew the words that would guarantee prayer's power – I know what I would pray:
- Let life be always kind to our children.
Let sorrow not touch them.
Let them be free from fear.
Let them never suffer injustice,
nor the persecutions of the righteous.
Let them not know the pain of failure –
of a project, a love, a hope, or a dream.
Let life be to them gentle and joyful and kind.
If I knew the formula, that's what I'd pray.
But prayer isn't magic, and life will be hard. So I pray for our children – with some hope for this prayer:
- May their knowledge of sorrow be tempered with joy.
May their fear be well-balanced by courage and strength.
May the sight of injustice spur them to just actions.
May their failures be teachers, that their spirits may grow.
May they be gentle and joyful and kind.
Then their lives will be magic, and life will be good.
So may it be. Blessed be. Amen.
Source: 1997 UUMA Worship Materials Collection
Copyright: The author has given Unitarian Universalist Association member congregations permission to reprint this piece for use in public worship. Any reprints must acknowledge the name of the author.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
