From my book A Calendar of Classic Prayer – a collection with commentary on some of the many memorable prayers composed across the centuries, published as a beautiful gold-leaf leather-bound presentation copy by Kevin Mayhew in 2007, currently priced £9.99 – words that reflect on the passing of the years, but also the constancy of God.
Introduction
This is a strange time of year, isn’t it? On one hand, it’s full of promise as another year beckons; on the other, it brings regrets as we look back on missed targets, unrealised hopes and wasted opportunities over the past twelve months. Alongside pleasure there is pain, and as well as delight, disappointment. The older we get, the more we realise how important it is to make the most of life, but the more we realise also how illusory are many of the dreams and goals we set ourselves. We begin to glimpse that true fulfilment lies in something deeper, and that’s the message of today’s prayer, taken from Psalm 90:1-4, 10, 12. It calls us to think in terms of God’s timing rather than our own, and to seek his kingdom, so that we will make the most of life not just now but always.
Prayer
Lord, you have been our home across the centuries.
Before the mountains were formed
and before you fashioned this world we live in,
from eternity to eternity you are God.
You return us to dust, saying,
‘Back to what you once were, you mortals!’
A thousand years are like a passing day in your sight,
as short-lived as the night-watch.
Our fleeting span is seventy years,
perhaps eighty if we are strong;
throughout they are filled with struggle and sorrow,
here today and gone tomorrow.
Teach us to make the most of our days
and so to discover the secret of inner wisdom.
Amen.