Tag Archive for "renewal" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘renewal’

To Seek Your Love

Posted on: November 11th, 2010 by tobendlight

Does G-d pray for us? This is a prayer about the Divine dialogue that is prayer, our yearning for G-d and G-d’s yearning for us. I’ve selected this prayer for the seventh day of Counting the Omer, Nobility in Lovingkindness. It’s from a series of prayers that includes: “To Hear Your Voice,” “To Seek Your Glory” and “To Know Your Word.” To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

To Seek Your Love
Divine Creator of beauty and light,
In wisdom You wait,
In love You hope,
In service You pray,
You pray for us to seek the radiance and splendor
Of the seen and unseen glories hidden in Your creation.
You pray for us to yearn for You,
As You yearn for us.

Holy One,
Ancient One,
Rock of Life,
Let my thirst for You lead me on a righteous path,
On a path of joy and surrender,
A path of generous love.
Make me a witness to the constant flow of Divine gifts,
So that I remember to seek You in joy.

Blessed are You, delighting in Your people’s love.

Postscript: Please read the related prayers: “To Hear Your Voice,” “To Seek Your Glory” and “To Know Your Word.”

Please check out my ELItalk “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: Photo Bucket

For A New Vision

Posted on: October 26th, 2010 by tobendlight

This is a prayer about believing in abundance, both physical and spiritual bounty. One of my most ardent wishes is reflected here: to see the world through G-d’s eyes. This is the source of enduring compassion, the source of living and loving boldly, honestly, without hesitation. I use this idea in “The Path of Righteousness.” To listen along, click on the triangle in the slider bar below. The text follows.

For A New Vision
With new vision
We see the abundance of Your world,
Blessings of heaven and earth.

G-d, help us to see the world through Your eyes,
And each other,
And ourselves.
For joy and peace,
For love and light,
That we may bring holiness into Your world.

Blessed are You, Adonai,
G-d of all worlds,
Who creates moments when heaven touches earth,
Allowing us to hear Your word,
To feel Your radiance
And to see Your divine light.

Postscript: I use this for Omer Day 18: Endurance in Compassion. If you connect with this prayer, please read “The Path of Righteousness.”

Photo Credit: D’vorah Horn, Omer Series 2010

Being Lost

Posted on: October 24th, 2010 by tobendlight

Here’s a simple prayer for safety.

Please listen along as you read. (Click on the triangle in the slider bar below. The entire text follows.)

Being Lost
The trail has narrowed,
The path has faded,
And You, G-d of Old,
Are my trusted Guide.

I am not lost, but I’ve lost my way.
I am not gone, but I’ve gone astray.
Help me to find the way back to
Safety and shelter,
Family and friends.
Protect me,
Strengthen me,
And give me endurance,
So that I may return to a life
Of service and love.

Postscript: My other traveler’s prayers include: “On the Road,” “On the Trail” and “For Travel.” “On the Trail” is one of my favorites.

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

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These Blessings

Posted on: October 21st, 2010 by tobendlight

This prayer celebrates the blessings in my life, in our lives. To listen along as you read, please click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

These Blessings
For the blessings in our lives,
The blessings of our lives,
And the blessings of the people who are part of our lives,
We give thanks.

These gifts heal:
Silence, stillness, enthusiasm and joyful noise.
Awareness, insight, energy and resources.
The gifts of parents and children,
Of students and teachers.

These blessings nurture:
Joy, gratitude, freedom and bravery.
Trust, strength, humor and sweetness.
The blessings of honesty and kindness,
Of faith and love.

For the gifts and blessings of our lives
We sing and dance,
We shout and laugh,
And we pledge our lives in service to each other,
In celebration, in wonder and in awe.

Praised are You, G-d our Maker,
Source of gifts and blessings.

Postscript: Here’s another prayer with a similar theme: “An Amazing Life.”

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.

Shame

Posted on: October 18th, 2010 by tobendlight

Can shame be a blessing? Can shame be blessed? This prayer is part of a series of prayers about difficult emotions, including “Doubt,” “Fear” and “Anger.” Listen while you read by clicking on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Shame
G-d of my heart,
Source of my spirit,
I’ve been swallowed by a dirge
And elevated by songs of celebration.
I’ve judged myself harshly
And given myself grace.
I’ve climbed to see the glorious sunset
And have laid low, shivering against a pounding storm.

I live between moments of joyous surrender
And times of lonely isolation,
Between calm and storm,
Between shame and wonder.

Shame is a mirror.
Shame is a doorway.
Shame is a guide.

Holy One,
G-d of mysteries beyond my understanding,
Help me to see my shames as teachers and guides,
As reminders of my sacred humanity,
Leading me to a vision of my best self.
Let shame be the gateway to truth
So that I may release it without fear,
In awe and righteousness.

Blessed are You, Redeemer of the lost,
Who created shame so that we might discover the path to wisdom.

Postscript: Here are prayers about “Doubt,” “Fear” and “Anger.”

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.

For the Gift of Words

Posted on: September 29th, 2010 by tobendlight

This is a prayer for writers and orators, another in my series of creativity prayers, including “For the Gift of Song,” which describes the common framework used in this series. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For the Gift of Words
G-d, we give thanks for the gift of words,
The gift of language,
The gift of insight and emotion,
The gift of sacred communion through communication.
For it was You who spoke and the world came into being.
It was You who carved tablets on the holy mountain.
Hear this prayer for those who write to explore the mysteries of creation.
Hear this prayer for those who speak to unlock Your divine secrets.
Make their words Your vessel.
Let heaven pour wisdom and love through them
So that they overflow with Your glory,
Drawing others to Your truths.
So that when we hear these words
Our souls turn back to You in love.
Together, we offer our insights back to heaven,
And rejoice.

Postscript: Be sure to check out the other prayers in this series: “For the Gift of Song,” “For the Gift of Dance,” “For the Gift of Art,” “For the Gift of Music,” “For the Gift of Laughter,” “For the Gift of Torah Scholarship” and “For the Joy of Learning.”

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.

Remember

Posted on: September 15th, 2010 by tobendlight

This meditation resonates with poetry and prayer, summoning the voices of the prophet and the spiritual traveler, calling us back to our deepest sense of peace and well being. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Remember
When the thunder crashes,
When the winds howl,
Remember
That your heart,
Once a desert,
No longer thirsts.

When darkness falls,
Without moon or stars,
Remember
That your mind,
Once lost,
No longer wanders.

When the storm rages,
When lightning strikes at your feet,
Remember
That your spirit,
Once frightened,
No longer hides.

When the road fades,
And the journey ends,
Remember
That your soul,
Once apart,
Returns home.

Postscript: The last stanza reflects the journey of Yom Kippur: to look back at life as if it was the day of death, with both unwavering honesty and abiding compassion. “Near the End: A Meditation” has a similar theme. If you liked this piece, try “Come Walk,” another poem/prayer in the voice of the spiritual traveler. Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim, the High Holy Days, including brief descriptions and links to each.

Photo Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Digital Library

Life as a Banquet

Posted on: August 29th, 2010 by tobendlight

The banquet of your life is full. Rejoice in the blessings. Share the bounty. This is one of four prayers that begin with a reflection on human limits as the gateway to rejoicing in Divine gifts. And sharing them. Here’s a link to more prayers appropriate for Thanksgiving.

Life as a Banquet
G-d of sacred time,
Source of sacred space,
Creator of holiness,
Divine light of wonder and awe,
My vision is clouded,
My sight limited,
The horizon of this world binds my perceptions.
What I see and what I know are tied to my awareness.

Heavenly hand of wisdom,
Guardian of realms above and realms below,
You who give understanding and insight,
Grant me the grace to live my life as a banquet,
A river of abundance and blessing
That yields food and clothing and shelter,
That I accept with humility and thanksgiving.
Give me the strength and compassion
To share these gifts with those in need,
To become an instrument of Divine bounty.

You who provide gifts beyond measure,
Guide me with Your love,
Teach me with Your holiness,
Show me the path to charity and service,
So that I live a life of dignity and honor,
With reverence for Your creation.

Blessed are You, G-d of time and space,
Providing bounty to be shared.

Postscript: Please check out these related prayers: “Life as a Symphony,” “Life as a Ceremony” and “Life as a Garden.”

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.

Photo Source: Taste With the Eyes

Come Walk

Posted on: August 26th, 2010 by tobendlight

The spiritual journey requires humility to see with new eyes and willingness to listen with a new heart for the beautifully possible impossibilities that are all around us. I use this in week five of counting the Omer.

Come Walk
I know a man who lives in a rainbow.
I’ve heard the poet who lives on the moon.
I’ve heard the secret that sings all around you.
I know a man who can teach you the tune.

Hear the music among the lilies
And whispers in the blades of grass.
Hear the thunder beneath the ocean.
Feel the love that will always last.

Come walk the sacred sunshine.
Come walk the Milky Way.
Walk gently through the heavens.
Walk gently through each day.

Put your head upon my shoulder
And your hand upon my chest.
Put your hope above your sorrow.
Give yourself a time to rest.

I know a man who sings from the mountains,
And another who sings from the seas.
I’ve heard the man who sings from his glory,
And the man who sings on his knees.

Come walk between the layers of clouds.
Come walk the spirals of stars.
Walk gently through joy and sorrow.
Walk gently, walk holy, walk far.

Postscript: Here are more prayer/poems from the spiritual traveler: “All is Well,” “River,” “Bird is Bird” and “About the Rainbow.” Thank you to Ira Scott Levin, Julia Bordenaro Levin, and Tracy Friend. Their music helped me find this voice. Thanks also to Ros Roucher for her comments on earlier drafts.

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: Salt Lake Tribune

My Heart Knows What it Needs

Posted on: August 22nd, 2010 by tobendlight

This is another in my series of prayers and meditations for men. With a single tweak it could become gender neutral. That’s not my intent. I speak here to other men about my needs as a man, inviting them to take the risk that our society suppresses, opening our hearts to each other by expressing deep, abiding, brotherly love.

My Heart Knows What it Needs
A quiet place.
A calm, gentle space.
Stillness.
Peace.
My heart knows
What it needs.
To speak freely,
Honestly,
Openly to you my brother.
And to itself.
Safety. Acceptance. Strength.
A moment,
Just a moment
To loose the chains of
Anger and fear,
Guilt and shame,
And open the gates
Of love and surrender.

Come,
Adventure into the night of a thousand stars,
The day of radiant light.
They shine from heart to heart,
Beyond our sight,
Beyond the length of our days.

My heart knows what it needs.
To be heard.
Welcomed.
Accepted.
Protected.
To be given its voice,
And to return its power.
To be nourished.
To be healed.
To be whole.

Postscript: Check out these prayers for men: “My Work Remains” and “For the Lost,” as well as a list of other prayers for and about men.

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

Posts Tagged ‘renewal’

To Seek Your Love

For A New Vision

Being Lost

These Blessings

Shame

For the Gift of Words

Remember

Life as a Banquet

Come Walk

My Heart Knows What it Needs

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