daily spiritual discipline should be prayer at regular times during the day. Morning is one of the traditional times to be still and pray. In Psalm 5, for instance, the poet sings, “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer to You, and will look up.” While we have been asleep, God has been working and making changes in all of nature. As we open our eyes, we see and experience light and life coming out of the passivity and darkness of sleep. Refreshed and renewed—resurrected, if you will—we wake up to action.
The prayers in this chapter are all designed to help us start our day with a clear mind and a light heart. They are far-reaching in the types of spiritual traditions from which they are derived. There are ancient Celtic and Scottish prayers, petitions from Native American and African sources, a prayer by Dr. Samuel Johnson, and several joyful hymns. Also included are entries from William Penn, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and a traditional Christian confession to start the day with a clean slate.
A Scottish Morning Prayer
ANONYMOUS
May the blessing of light be on you—
light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you
like a great peat fire, so that stranger and
friend may come and warm himself at it.
And may light shine out of the two eyes of you,
like a candle set in the window of a house,
bidding the wanderer come in out of the storm.
And may the blessing of the rain be on you,
may it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair
and clean, and leave there a shining pool where
the blue of Heaven shines, and sometimes a star.
And may the blessing of the earth be on you,
soft under your feet as you pass along the roads,
soft under you as you lie out on it, tired at the
end of day; and may it rest easy over you when,
at last, you lie out under it.
May it rest so lightly over you that your
soul may be out from under it quickly;
up and off and on its way to God.
And now may the Lord bless you,
and bless you kindly. Amen.
Great Spirit Prayer
CHIEF YELLOW LARK OF THE SIOUX
Oh Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds,
whose breath gives life to the world, hear me.
I am small and weak, and I need your strength
and wisdom. May I walk in beauty. Make my eyes
behold the red and purple sunrise;
Make my hands respect the things you have made
and my ears sharp to hear your voice;
Make me wise so that I may know the things you
have taught your children. The lessons you have
written in every leaf and rock;
Make me strong, not to be superior
to my sisters and brothers, but to fight
my greatest enemy within myself;
Make me ready to come to you with straight eyes
so that when my life fades as the fading sunset my
spirit may come to you without shame.
Thanksgiving
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
Morning Confession
BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER
Most merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against you
In thought, word, and deed,
By what we have done,
And by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your son Jesus Christ,
Have mercy on us and forgive us;
That we may delight in your will,
And walk in your ways,
To the glory of your name. Amen.
You Are the Peace of All Things Calm
CELTIC PRAYER
You are the peace of all things calm
You are the place to hide from harm
You are the light that shines in dark
You are the heart’s eternal spark
You are the door that’s open wide
You are the guest who waits inside
You are the stranger at the door
You are the calling of the poor
You are my Lord and with me still
You are my love, keep me from ill
You are the light, the truth, the way
You are my Savior this very day.
Morning Resolutions
SAMUEL JOHNSON
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