Posts Tagged ‘renewal’

 

This Wound

Posted on: March 29th, 2011 by tobendlight

A new prayer about healing wounds of the heart, of the soul, of the spirit. Please listen along by clicking on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This prayer appears in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

 

This Wound
G-d of my heart,
This wound is too deep for me to heal
Without You,
Your power and Your grace.
Remove the walls of grief that separate me from
Your love and Your blessings.
You call us to life,
To hope,
To service,
To seek and to do,
To heal and to complete Your creation.

G-d of gentle moments,
I surrender my life to
Your awesome works,
Your secret ways.
Reunite me with myself,
With my fellows
And with the world,
To do Your will in humble service.

Blessed are You,
Your love is eternal.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Other prayers about healing the heart include: “This Stubborn Heart” and “Witnessing: A Meditation.” Please consider purchasing my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter. If you like this prayer, please post a link to Facebook, your blog or mention it in a tweet.

Spring, Again

Posted on: March 16th, 2011 by tobendlight

Spring arrives again on March 20, 2011. Here’s a prayer for the season. To listen as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For Spring
Shimmering, radiant air
Alive with new warmth.
Sunshine waking the earth,
Calling the grasses to grow,
Bulbs to prepare flowers.
Winds clear the last remnants of seasons past,
Old leaves and dry branches
Making way for new life.
And the rain joins the sun to feed the land.
Bless this day, G-d of seasons.
Bless the Spring with energy and hope.
Be present with us as we celebrate the glory of creation
Planting the land and our lives with Your gifts,
These gardens of holiness and love.

G-d of time and space,
May this season be a blessing and a teacher.
Make me like the sunshine, a source of light.
Make me like the earth, a source of bounty, ready to give.
Bless my days with service and my nights with peace.
Make me like a garden,
A source of beauty and purpose,
Sustenance and splendor.

© 2010 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Other seasonal prayers include: “For Rain,” “For Autumn,” “For Winter” and “For the New Year.” This prayer was first posted on March 23, 2010.

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Japan’s Disasters

Posted on: March 14th, 2011 by tobendlight

img_0720A prayer for the people of Japan. Also see “For the People of Japan,” both written in response to the earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster.

Addendum: November 22, 2016: An earthquake has struck off the coast of Japan and a tsunami warning is in effect.

For Japan
G-d of earth and sea,
Of ocean and shore,
Hear the voices of our
Brothers and sisters from Japan:

Our eyes know horror,
Our bodies know fear,
Our limbs know terror,
And catastrophes mount.
We are bereaved and bereft,
Injured and wounded
After earthquake and tsunami,
A tide of death and devastation.
This nation that knows atomic destruction
Now faces nuclear calamity.

Heal this land, G-d of Old.
Heal this people, G-d of Mercy.
Heal this nation, G-d of Justice.
May the suffering end and the disasters cease.

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” for permissions.

For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

Photo Source: YouTube

 

Let Holiness

Posted on: March 13th, 2011 by tobendlight

kadoshThis is part of a series of prayers invoking a prophetic voice, the voice of spiritual challenge, including “Let Truth,” “Let Joy,” “Let Love” and “Let Torah.” I use this prayer during week seven of counting the Omer, gevurah b’malchut. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

 

Let Holiness
Let holiness sparkle from your face,
Radiate from your eyes,
Emerge from your lips.

Let holiness enter your heart,
Infuse your lungs,
Expand your chest.

Let holiness fortify your bones,
Fire your nerves,
Enliven your flesh.

For holiness is in the earth and the sky,
The storm and the quiet,
The flow of blessings from G-d’s creation,
Divine wisdom and mercy,
Calling out to you dear sisters and brothers:
‘Awake you slumberers!
Awake you who move empty and hollow from sunset to sunset.
Have you become blind to awe and wonder?
Have you rejected the gifts that surround you?
Have you abandoned your hope and your being?’

This, then, is G-d’s command:
Let holiness enter you,
Fortify you,
Shine through you.
Let holiness carry you into marvelous moments
And majestic years.
Learn and teach,
Study and pray,
Lifting your life with zest and zeal.
Let holiness be your journey and your destination.

Blessed are You, G-d of holiness.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: See also: “Let Truth,” “Let Joy,” “Let Love” and “Let Torah.”

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Credit: Kiriat Moshe

For the People of Japan

Posted on: March 11th, 2011 by tobendlight

After an earthquake hit Haiti last January, I wrote two prayers: one for the people and one for first responders. Here they are revised after a tsunami unleashed by Japan’s biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday. I’ve also written a new prayer for  Japan to encompass the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

In Devastation (Prayer for the People of Japan)
G-d beyond my understanding,
The earth has turned violent,
Shaking land and sea,
Sweeping our brothers and sisters off their feet,
Crushing and drowning homes and lives,
Upending dreams,
Toppling the foundations of hope and sustenance.
A shallow breath beneath water and rubble
And wailing in the streets.
The injured, the dead, the starving.
The new widow,
The new orphan,
The newly bereft turn to You
Divine Source of abundance and grace.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Japan,
All swept into chaos by earthquake and tsunami,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
May a world of justice, righteousness and mercy
Come swiftly to their aid.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the people of Japan Your protection,
Your radiance,
And Your peace.

Prayer For First Responders
Crisis and chaos,
Confusion and loss,
A scene of sweeping destruction,
The first responders arrive
Among the breathless and dazed,
The frenzied, driven wild with fear and grief,
The incapacitated, the dead,
The weary, the lost, the injured,
And survivors forcing themselves
Beyond their limits
To fight devastation.

G-d whose ways are secret,
Bless these first responders with endurance
To be of maximum service in this moment of immeasurable need.
Bless their limbs with strength,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hands with gentleness,
So that they become a source of hope and love.
Give them the tools they need in the days and hours ahead.
Protect them from physical harm,
Shield them from emotional pain,
And guard them from taking this trauma into themselves.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Japan.
Let the world rally on their behalf.
May the deeds of the first responders
Find favor in Heaven
And bring healing on earth.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: I also revised these prayers when an earthquake hit New Zealand earlier this year. This particular revision adds a few words and lines to acknowledge the tsunami. Here’s a link to a new prayer for  Japan encompassing the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column.

For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

Seeking G-d

Posted on: March 2nd, 2011 by tobendlight

seek-godWhere is G-d? Hidden in plain sight. Do we have the endurance to pursue holiness, to look for G-d’s presence? This prayer appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. I use it in week seven of counting the Omer. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

 

Seeking G-d
G-d of my ancestors,
G-d of generations,
G-d beyond my understanding:
Who are You?
What are You?
Where are You?
Why do I struggle to reach You
When my quiet heart already knows You?
My calm thoughts
And open arms
Already know You.
My joy and pain,
Grief and love
Already know You.

Adonai my G-d,
Open me up to You
In celebration and surrender.
Reunite me with what I already know:
Your holiness and Your love.
Let Your word flow through me
So that I see and hear,
Taste, touch and smell
The beauty and blessings around me.
Then, G-d of old,
I will remember to seek You always,
To praise You throughout the days
And to honor You across the years.

Blessed are You, Holy One,
Hidden in plain sight,
Present in simple moments,
Present for eternity.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Other prayers about finding G-d include: “To Hear Your Voice,” “To Seek Your Glory,” “To Seek Your Love” and “To Know Your Word.” This prayer appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Credit: Thirsty Soul

For the People of New Zealand

Posted on: February 22nd, 2011 by tobendlight

In the days after an earthquake hit Haiti last January, I wrote two prayers: one for the people and one for first responders. Here they are, revised after an earthquake struck New Zealand this morning.

In Devastation (Prayer for the People of New Zealand)
G-d beyond my understanding,
The earth has turned violent,
Sweeping our brothers and sisters off their feet,
Crushing homes and lives,
Upending dreams,
Toppling the foundations of hope and sustenance.
A shallow breath beneath the rubble
And wailing in the streets.
The injured, the dead, the starving.
The new widow,
The new orphan,
The newly bereft turn to You
Divine Source of abundance and grace.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of New Zealand,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
May a world of justice, righteousness and mercy
Come swiftly to their aid.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the people of New Zealand Your protection,
Your radiance,
And Your peace.

Prayer For First Responders (to the New Zealand Earthquake)
Crisis and chaos,
Confusion and loss,
A scene of sweeping destruction,
The first responders arrive
Among the breathless and dazed,
The frenzied, driven wild with fear and grief,
The incapacitated, the dead,
The weary, the lost, the injured,
And survivors forcing themselves
Beyond their limits
To fight devastation.

G-d whose ways are secret,
Bless these first responders with endurance
To be of maximum service in this moment of immeasurable need.
Bless their limbs with strength,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hands with gentleness,
So that they become a source of hope and love.
Give them the tools they need in the days and hours ahead.
Protect them from physical harm,
Shield them from emotional pain,
And guard them from taking this trauma into themselves.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of New Zealand.
Let the world rally on their behalf.
May the deeds of the first responders
Find favor in Heaven
And bring healing on earth.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column.

For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

For First Responders to the Earthquake in Haiti

Posted on: January 18th, 2011 by tobendlight

On Jan. 20 the URJ will host an update webinar on conditions in Haiti one year after a catastrophic earthquake. On Sunday former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier returned without warning after a 25-year exile saying he wanted to help rebuild. In the days after the earthquake, I wrote two prayers: one for the people of Haiti and one for first responders, who often internalize the trauma of a disaster.

For First Responders (to the Earthquake in Haiti)
Crisis and chaos,
Confusion and loss,
A scene of sweeping destruction,
The first responders arrive
Among the breathless and dazed,
The frenzied, driven wild with fear and grief,
The incapacitated, the dead,
The weary, the lost, the injured,
And survivors forcing themselves
Beyond their limits
To fight devastation.

G-d whose ways are secret,
Bless these first responders with endurance
To be of maximum service in this moment of immeasurable need.
Bless their limbs with strength,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hands with gentleness,
So that they become a source of hope and love.
Give them the tools they need in the days and hours ahead.
Protect them from physical harm,
Shield them from emotional pain,
And guard them from taking this trauma into themselves.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Haiti.
Let the world rally on their behalf.
May the deeds of the first responders
Find favor in Heaven
And bring healing on earth.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Click here for the prayer for the people of Haiti. The epicentre of the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake was near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. The Haitian government estimated that 230,000 people had died, 300,000 were injured and 1,000,000 made homeless. (Source: Wikipedia.)

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column.

For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

For the People of Haiti

Posted on: January 11th, 2011 by tobendlight

A year ago, Jan. 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti. In response, I wrote two prayers: one for the people of Haiti and one for the first responders. Here’s the prayer for the people of Haiti.

In Devastation (Prayer for the People of Haiti)
G-d beyond my understanding,
The earth has turned violent,
Sweeping our brothers and sisters off their feet,
Crushing homes and lives,
Upending dreams,
Toppling the foundations of hope and sustenance.
A shallow breath beneath the rubble
And wailing in the streets.
The injured, the dead, the starving.
The new widow,
The new orphan,
The newly bereft turn to You
Divine Source of abundance and grace.

G-d of justice and mercy,
We pray for the people of Haiti,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
May a world of justice, righteousness and mercy
Come swiftly to their aid.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the people of Haiti Your protection,
Your radiance,
And Your peace.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here’s a link to the prayer for first responders. Haitian officials estimated that 230,000 people died in the disaster, 300,000 were injured and 1,000,000 made homeless. They also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged. (Source: Wikipedia.)

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter. If you use or like this prayer, please post a link to Facebook, your blog or mention it in a tweet.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

For A Critically Ill Mother

Posted on: January 10th, 2011 by tobendlight

Last night friends asked me for a prayer for their ill mother. I wrote it this morning. This prayer will appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

For A Critically-Ill Mother
Holy One,
G-d of health and healing,
My mother’s body is failing.
Illness holds her.
Grief and fear hold me.

Ancient One,
Well of hope,
Grant my mother
A quick and complete recovery.
Relieve her suffering.
Remove her pain.
Return her to health.
Restore her to life.

Rock of my heart,
Comfort and shelter,
You know the path ahead.
You know the journey.
You hear our prayers.
G-d who healed Miriam in the desert,
Bring Your healing power to
_______________ (mother’s name in Hebrew or your native tongue)
So that she may know life and health,
Joy and peace.

Blessed are You,
Adonai our G-d,
Creator of motherly wisdom and grace,
Rock of life,
Source of love.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here’s another prayer for our mothers, “For the Matriarch.” And prayers for healing: “For a Critically Ill Child,” “For a Critically Ill Father,” “For a Critically Ill Sister or Brother,” “For Surgery,” “Upon Recovery from Surgery” and “For Healing the Spirit.” Please share the healing: post a link to one of these healing prayers to your Facebook page or to your blog. Email a link to a friend in need.

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

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