We Pray
We pray that we might know before whom we stand:
the Power whose gift is life
who quickens those who have forgotten how to live.
We pray for the winds to disperse the choking air of sadness,
for cleaning rains to make parched hopes flower,
and to give all of us the strength to rise up toward the sun.
We pray for love to encompass us
for no other reason save that we are human,
for love through which we may all blossom into persons
who have gained power over our own lives.
We pray to stand upright, we fallen;
to be healed, we sufferers;
we pray to break the bonds that keep us from the world of beauty;
we pray for opened eyes,
we who are blind to our own authentic selves.
We pray that we may walk in the garden of a purposeful life,
our own powers in touch with the power of the world.
Praised be the God whose gift is life,
whose cleansing rains let parched men and women
flower toward the sun.
-Shabbat evening prayer
I'm not particularly religious, and though I identify as Jewish, I'd consider myself more of an agnostic. That said, I went to services last night, and this passage, when spoken aloud by the congregation, brought me close to tears.
the Power whose gift is life
who quickens those who have forgotten how to live.
We pray for the winds to disperse the choking air of sadness,
for cleaning rains to make parched hopes flower,
and to give all of us the strength to rise up toward the sun.
We pray for love to encompass us
for no other reason save that we are human,
for love through which we may all blossom into persons
who have gained power over our own lives.
We pray to stand upright, we fallen;
to be healed, we sufferers;
we pray to break the bonds that keep us from the world of beauty;
we pray for opened eyes,
we who are blind to our own authentic selves.
We pray that we may walk in the garden of a purposeful life,
our own powers in touch with the power of the world.
Praised be the God whose gift is life,
whose cleansing rains let parched men and women
flower toward the sun.
-Shabbat evening prayer
I'm not particularly religious, and though I identify as Jewish, I'd consider myself more of an agnostic. That said, I went to services last night, and this passage, when spoken aloud by the congregation, brought me close to tears.