In memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, assassinated April 4, 1968, here’s a prayer about truth. It’s from a series including “Let Joy,” “Let Holiness,” “Let Love” and “Let Torah.” Each of them invokes a prophetic voice and ends with a call to action. This prayer appears in This Grateful Heart, from CCAR Press, along with “The Preacher Said,” another prayer honoring MLK.
“I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because ‘truth crushed to earth will rise again’.” ― Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Our God Is Marching On!, 3/25/65, Montgomery, Ala.
Let Truth
Let truth shine from your face,
Spark from your eyes,
Overflow from your lips.
Let truth protect your heart,
Shield your lungs,
Exude from your chest.
Let truth strengthen your bones,
Engage your nerves,
Capture your being.
For truth is in each moment and each question,
The earth’s hot core and the cold edge of the universe,
The flow of wisdom from G-d’s holy word,
Divine mysteries and secrets,
Calling out to you dear sisters and brothers:
‘Awake you slumberers!
Awake you who sit idle and hapless against the tide of dishonesty and deceit.
Have you forgotten My promises?
Have you forsaken our covenant, our pact to care for Creation?
Have you turned away from your hopes and ideals?’
This, then, is G-d’s command:
Let truth envelop you,
Protect you,
Flow through you.
Let truth carry you into honest days
And righteous seasons.
Speak and teach,
Listen and hear,
Lifting your life with dignity and understanding.
Let truth be your signature and your legacy.
Blessed are You, G-d of truth.
Reprinted with permission from This Grateful Heart, © 2017 CCAR Press. All rights reserved.
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Photo credit: The Seattle Times
Tags: blessing, gifts, praise, truth