Nature as an inspiration for prayer - 26 July 2018
Hennie Symington
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! … Psalm 8:1
"Creator God and Holy Spirit whose voice I hear on the wind and whose breath breathes life into all of creation, I who am weak and small, need your power and wisdom.
Allow me to walk in beauty and to see the red and purple sunset.
Let my hands honour the work of your hands, and let my ears hear the sound of your voice.
Let me learn the lessons that you have hidden in every leaf and every stone.
Give me strength not to be stronger than my brother, but to conquer my greatest enemy – myself.
Prepare me to stand before you with clean hands and a pure heart and clear eyes, so that when my life sets like the sun, my spirit can fly to you without shame."(Prayer of a native American)
Often the glory of nature and the beauty of the earth inspire us to prayer. Let the prayer of this wise old chief fill you with awe, not only for creation but for the One, the Creator who made it all. As you look at nature, ask yourself, what do I see and what can I learn from God’s immense “picture book”. Then thank him for the glory of creation.
Prayer: Lord, we confess that we have degraded nature and misused it to our own ends. And yet you, as the Creator made it for us and for all of the earth to be sustained. Let us honour you by honouring our mother, the earth. Amen