FORTY DAYS OF POETRY, PRAYERS, AND PENS | WEEK FOUR
Welcome to week four of this Plymouth Community Lenten Project. Our continuing goal is to write 40 prayers in 40 days. Each week during Lent, Plymouth is circulating a week of prayer “prompts” and we hope that you will use these as a springboard to write your own personal prayers.
The entry for each day includes a selection of poetry from a hymn, a scriptural reference, and a prayer prompt. Spend some time with each of these sources of inspiration (or with none of them if you prefer), and then write a prayer. If you would like to read some overview information and suggestions about the project, return to the main page and scroll to the bottom. In some cases, a link to the music is provided.
This project is intended to be an individual project – something that you do on your own time and at your own pace, under no obligation to share with others. However, if you would like to continue the conversation about prayer, you are welcome to attend the discussion on Sunday mornings at 9:45 AM on the third floor in the Church House.
It is our sincere hope that folks of all backgrounds who are interested in exploring prayer will participate in this project. You may be a person who identifies as a writer, or a person who, in your wildest dreams, would never identify as a writer. This project simply uses writing as a means to start a conversation with God. No special skills are required.
Monday, March 21
The Lone Wild Bird (86) by Marty Haugen (alternate stanzas)
“In secret depths you knit my frame,
before my birth you spoke my name;
within my soul, as closed as breath,
so near to me in life and death.”
Psalm 139:13-15
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
God is both knowable and unknowable. God knows us better than we know ourselves. Write a prayer asking God questions, so that you can get to know God better. Pray that God will help you see yourself as God sees you.
Tuesday, March 22
O How Glorious, Full of Wonder (66) by Curtis Beach
“Soaring spire and ruined city,
these our hopes and failures show.
Teach us more of human pity,
that we in your image grow.”
Mark 6:34 - As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
Do you know a family that is struggling to have children, or a family that is struggling with the children they already have? Or perhaps you know a family that is just struggling. Tell God all about them and ask God to be present to them.
Wednesday, March 23
In the Bulb there is a Flower (493) by Natalee Sleeth
“In bulb there is a flower; in the seed, and apple tree;
In cocoons, ad hidden promise; butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter, there’s a spring that waits to be,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.”
Job 28:20-21 - Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the air.
There are days when we could all use a dose of hope. Hope is of God and comes from God. Pray that you will learn to trust in God’s wisdom and God’s faithfulness.
Thursday, March 24
Come to Me, O Weary Traveler (302) by Sylvia Dunstan
“Take my yoke and leave your troubles;
take my yoke and come with me.
Take my yoke I am beside you;
take and learn humility.”
Matthew 11:28-30 - ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
Think of someone you really dislike, someone who annoys you just because they came into the room. Allow Jesus to help you understand that person better, and to show you the way to pray for that person. And ask Jesus to teach you about humility.
Friday, March 25
As We Gather at Your Table (314) by Carl P. Daw
“Give us Christ, your great compassion
to forgive as you forgave;
may we still behold your image
in the world you died to save.”
Colossians 3:12-13 - As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Think about the last time you were on public transportation and picture the faces that surrounded you. Consider the fact that every passenger around you is a beloved child of God. And if you look closer, it is just possible that you can see Jesus in reflected every face. Pray for those people.
Saturday, March 26
If you will Trust in God to Guide you (94) by Georg Neumark
“If you will trust in God to guide you,
with hopeful heart through all your ways,
you will find strength, with God beside you,
to bear the worst of evil days;
for those who trust God’s changeless love
build on the rock that will not move.”
Psalm 56:10-11
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?
We have been invited to place our trust in God. That is not always easy. It is much easier to place our trust in things we can see and touch and hold. We have been told that God is trustworthy, but we have all burned by untrustworthiness in our lives. Tell God that you want to find your way to trust, and ask God for help.
Sunday, March 27
Choose a congregational song from among the ones sung on Sunday morning – or find one of your favorites in the hymnal. Select a stanza or a phrase that resonates with you, and write a prayer.
All hymn texts are selected from Plymouth’s hymnal Hymns of Truth and Light. Copyright information for each text may be found on the indicated page. Scripture is taken from the New Revised Standard Version.