A Summer Prayer
Summer is officially here, having arrived just two days ago. It has felt like summer around here, however, for quite some time. Where I live summer is characterized by the “3 Hs”: Hot, Humid and Hazy. The first two are dominating the scene right now.
Summer is my least favorite season. I find the heat terribly oppressive and draining. It is not a time of year I find conducive to prayer (other than prayers that God will help me survive) but I came across a summer prayer earlier today that I like a lot and want to share with you. It was written by James Vanden Bosch.
God of creation, God of the seasons, bless your creatures with seasons of delight. Lord of the Sabbath, you have established the rhythms of life, establish in us also the rhythms for human prospering; grant us the good sense to enjoy Sabbath rest in this season. Grant us, moreover, wisdom to know that there is a time to play, a time to cease from our labors, a time to sense majesty in a blue sky, richness in green grass, love in faithful friends, and joy in our being. Grant us, then, blue skies this summer, and green grass; grant us faithful friends and the time, strength, and spirit for play. Grant us the wit to know the goodness of this creation, which, blind, defiant, or ungrateful, we despoil. Send our roots rain; our hearts ease, so that we may show in our lives that we can live rightly in this season of our lives and see it as if for the first time, in wonder, in awe, and in a spirit of thanksgiving. Amen.
I have a feeling Bosch must live somewhere like Rob where it doesn’t get that hot but I’m going to try to maintain the attitude of gratitude that this prayer calls forth despite the heat, humidity and haze. If nothing else, I’ll give thanks for air conditioning!
–Chuck
(The image above was taken near Barren River State Park in central Kentucky.)