Assisted by a few valued partners in crime, I have been working on a prayer book for conservative, evangelical Protestants who don’t use prayer books. Why I would bother with such an endeavor is a post for another time; today, I’d just like to share an excerpt from the evening prayers.
Thanksgiving for the Day’s Blessings*
For the heavens stretched out like a curtain, which do praise Thee,
For the earth which Thou didst found
For Thy deluge which clothed it like a garment
And Thy rebuke, at which the waters fled to their appointed place;
For the springs of the valleys, and the rains that fall on the just and the unjust,
For the plants that feed Thy cattle, that we may bring food from the earth,
For wine that gladdens the heart, for oil that makes our faces shine,
And for bread which strengthens our hearts;
For Thy mighty cedars, where the birds make their nests,
For the fir trees, the home of the storks,
For the high hills, where the mountain goats range,
And the cliffs where the rock badgers take refuge;
For sun and moon and appointed seasons,
For day to work, and night to rest,
For Thy wisdom, by which Thou didst found the earth,
For Thy possessions upon it
And Thy rule over it—
When Thou feedest them, they eat;
When Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled
When Thou takest their breath, they return to dust,
When Thou sendest forth Thy Breath, they are created,
And the earth is renewed—
For Thy glory, which endures forever,
For Thy rejoicing in all Thy work,
For voice to sing Thee,
And for the perishing of the wicked from the earth;
For all these things and for Thy many graces which escaped my notice this day,
I thank Thee, O Ruler of Creation.
*If you should happen to feel that this prayer has some passing resemblance to Psalm 104, well, who am I to tell you that you are wrong?
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