Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
Where there is sadness, joy
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life
Amen
- St. Francis of Assisi
I'm a big fan of this guy. I memorized this prayer years ago, and I frequently come back to it, whether when praying with others or just on my own. Or whenever I try to do that "pray continuously" thing. I chew on this prayer (as the Message's version of Psalm 1 would have it). Turn it over in my mind. Try it on. Try it out. Remember it. Show others.
Are there prayers or passages of scripture that have stuck with you? That carry you through the day? That kick out your feet and lay you down in God's arms? That challenge you to action? That challenge you to find the divine in every situation? That remind you of the reality in Christ towards which we run? That you've taken the trouble of memorizing?
Last night, a bunch of us here at Swat over the summer had a bible study/GIG in ML. We read Psalm 1. (A few non-SCF people came. Yay!) We talked a lot about the importance of being planted/rooted in scripture. And as we all learned in sunday school as grade school young 'uns, a great way to stay rooted throughout the day is memorization. So let me know which passages you've memorized (and still remember) which have kept you rooted and bearing fruit. I know a prayer isn't the same thing as scripture... but this is a great prayer.
Wes
When I was very, very, new to my Christianity, I memorized the shepherd psalm:
ReplyDeleteThe lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,
he leadeth me beside the still waters,
he restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake
Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil,
for thou art with me,
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me
Thou preparest a table before me, in the presence of mine enemies,
thou annointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over,
surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
It's kinda cliche, to a lot of people, but I find it very comforting and soothing.
I also remember the words from psalm 121, that Jesus repeated on the cross - "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" It is, in my opinion, Jesus' most 'human' moment, and reminds me that God - the same being that created the sun and stars - also understands our world - both our moments of joy and faith, and our moments of doubt and pain. How awesome and beautiful is that?
Wow, the day before you posted this, I was at church trying to re-memorize Psalm 1. It was the first Psalm I memorized (but can't quite keep in memory) years ago, which is funny because the whole Psalm is about the person who puts effort into studying- and no doubt memorizing- God's word. It's meta ;)
ReplyDelete"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season... Whatever he does prospers."
Andrew. This was also the first Psalm I memorized. No joke. This is great
ReplyDeleteToday I'm going to start memorizing Hebrews 4:12-16 (..."for we do not have a high preist who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses... let us then approachthe throne of grace with confidence") because I've been feeling like an epic fail, and then I realized that I AM an epic fail and it's ok; God gets me. I just can't tell you how great that is.
ReplyDelete