In some of my early gift booklets I explored the medium of poetry as a means of prayer; a way of approaching God in a way that captures the imagination and speaks as prose sometimes cannot quite do. The poems from those booklets, together with many others I’d written subsequently, were later collected in my book Poems to Help You Pray. Here’s one of them.
Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10a
Lord, today your voice is calling,
lifting thoughts to things above;
life is wonderful, enthralling,
touched by your unfailing love.
Suddenly I see the beauty
often hidden from my gaze,
so I come not out of duty,
but with glad and grateful praise.
Lord, I sometimes fail to value
all your blessings as I should;
slow to make due time to thank you,
blind to so much that is good.
Days are lived in such a hurry
there’s no time to stop and stare;
joy is crushed by weight of worry,
happiness obscured by care.
Lord, today I come rejoicing,
vowed to waste your gifts no more;
bringing praise and gladly voicing
what I should have voiced before.
Pouring out my adulation,
scarcely knowing where to start,
with a song of exultation,
Lord, I thank you from the heart.