David Schiller - The Little Book of Prayers

WORKMAN PUBLISHING NEW YORK For Ruth The Little Book of Prayers is an anthology of prayers from around the world. Some prayers will be familiar, many not. The book is not intended to be comprehensive. Prayers are arranged in mood from light to dark or morning to night, and also by the serendipity of choice. An index and a selective guide are provided in the back to help the reader locate prayers by author and tradition, and by theme, occasion, or need. Prayer oneth the soul to God.

Julian of Norwich How soon after humans stood upright and turned to the sky did they begin to pray? When did the first person watch the sun rise and lift his heart in praise? Or stand over a sick child and ask Why? It must have been immediate; prayer seems almost as natural as breathing. In editing a collection of prayers, this is the first thing one understandsprayer, like music or poetry, is everywhere in the world. Its impulse is universal. And whether it is the Christians Our Father or a Navajo chant to the Lord of the Mountains, the truths expressed in this impulse are universal, too. We pray to give thanks. We pray to ask for answers.

We pray to receive, pray to give. We very much pray for help. We pray before we eat. And before we sleep we ask the Lord our souls to keep, to paraphrase the 12th-century prayer known by so many Western children. There are names for different types of prayerpraise, petition, thanksgiving, and atonement are some. But we dont need to understand the terms to understand the souls cry, or the beautiful language crafted to express it.

There is another universal quality to prayer, and that is humility. The Muslim surrenders. The Christian mystic prays to fold herself into the Lord. Bow, stubborn knees! says Hamlet. Even Jesus prayed, Not what I will, but what thou wilt. Whether our prayer is to a God, a godhead, a spirit, or a tree, we can approach, literally or figuratively, only on our knees.

Ego and arrogance have no place in prayer. And in an age that could be characterized by its astonishing lack of humility, prayer offers a rare chance to put our inflated selves aside, and in the suddenly unburdened state that follows, rediscover the things that really matter. Which is perhaps why, living in the age that we do, we are also just beginning to rediscover the need for prayer. Arise, you little glancing wings & sing your infant joy! Arise & drink your bliss! For every thing that lives is holy; for the source of life Descends to be a weeping babe; For the Earthworm renews the moisture of the sandy plain. William Blake Vala, or The Four Zoas The light of God surrounds me; The love of God enfolds me; The power of God protects me; The presence of God watches over me. Wherever I am, God is.

James Dillet Freeman Prayer of Protection I shall sing a praise to God: Strike the chords upon the drum.God who gives us all good things Strike the chords upon the drum Wives, and wealth, and wisdom. Strike the chords upon the drum. Prayer from Zaire Praise ye the Lord . Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the Lord : for he commanded, and they were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word: Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars; Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord : for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord . Psalm 148 We will sing thy praises, O God almighty.

We will now and evermore sing thy praises, even as they were sung of old. For thy laws are immutable, O God: they are firm like the mountains. The Vedas You are the notes, and we are the flute. We are the mountain, you are the sounds coming down. We are the pawns and kings and rooks you set out on a board: we win or we lose. We are lions rolling and unrolling on flags.

Your invisible wind carries us through the world. Jelaluddin Rumi The earth has been laid down, the earth has been laid down The earth has been laid down, it has been made, The earth spirit has been laid down It is covered over with growing things, it has been laid down. The earth has been laid down, it has been made. The sky has been set up, the sky has been set up The sky has been set up, it has been made. The mountains have been laid down, the mountains have been laid down The mountains have been laid down, they have been made. The waters have been laid down, the waters have been laid down The waters have been laid down, they have been made.

The clouds have been set up, the clouds have been set up The clouds have been set up, they have been made. Navajo Sweathouse Chant Wherever I goonly Thou! Wherever I standonly Thou! Just Thou, again Thou! always Thou! Thou, Thou, Thou! When things are good, Thou! when things are badThou! Thou, Thou, Thou! Hasidic Song About Prayer The prayer preceding all prayers is May it be the real I who speaks. May it be the real Thou that I speak to. C. S. Lewis Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who forms light and creates darkness, who makes peace and creates all things.

Who mercifully sheds light upon the earth and upon all who dwell on it. And who in His goodness, renews the works of creation every day continually. How many are Thy works O Lord, in wisdom hast Thou made them all, the earth is filled with Thy creations! Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who with His word brings on the evenings, With wisdom opens the gates, With understanding alters the phases, varies the seasons, And arranges the stars in their heavenly orbit according to His will. He creates day and night. He rolls away the light from before the darkness and the darkness from before the light, He makes the day to pass and the night to come, and divides between day and night; Lord of hosts in His name. A living and everlasting God, who shall constantly reign over us forever and ever.

Blessed art Thou, Lord, who brings on the evenings. Jewish Evening Blessing Birkat Maariv In the Name of God, the merciful Lord of mercy. Praise be to God, the Lord of all being, the merciful Lord of mercy, Master of the day of judgment. You alone we serve: to You alone we come for aid. Guide us in the straight path, the path of those whom You have blessed, not of those against whom there is displeasure, nor of those who go astray. The Koran Opener Prayer Be a gardener.

Dig a ditch, toil and sweat, and turn the earth upside down and seek the deepness and water the plants in time. Continue this labor and make sweet floods to run and noble and abundant fruits to spring. Take this food and drink and carry it to God as your true worship. Julian of Norwich All you big things, bless the Lord Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Victoria The Rift Valley and the Serengeti Plain Fat baobabs and shady mango trees All eucalyptus and tamarind trees Bless the Lord Praise and extol Him for ever and ever All you tiny things, bless the Lord Busy black ants and hopping fleas Wriggling tadpoles and mosquito larvae Flying locusts and water drops Pollen dust and tsetse flies Millet seeds and dried dagaa Bless the Lord Praise and extol Him for ever and ever. East African Canticle I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars, And the pismire is equally perfect, and a grain of sand, and the egg of the wren, And the tree-toad is a chef-doeuvre for the highest, And the running blackberry would adorn the parlors of heaven, And the narrowest hinge in my hand puts to scorn all machinery, And the cow crunching with depressd head surpasses any statue, And a mouse is miracle enough to stagger sextillions of infidels. Walt Whitman Make a joyful noise unto the Lord , all ye lands.