FINDING SERENITY AND PEACE IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC
Psalm 23 for Busy People “The Lord is My Pace-Setter”
The Lord is my pace-setter:
I shall not rush.
He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals
He provides me with images of stillness.
Which restores my serenity.
He leads me in the way of efficiency through calmness of mind
And his guidance is peace.
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day.
I will not fret
For his presence is here.
His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance.
He prepares me refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity
By anointing my mind with the oil of tranquillity
my cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness
shall be the fruit of my hours, for I shall walk in the pace of my Lord
and dwell in His house forever.
Toki Miyashina
Peace in our World
Peacemaking God, we turn to you in prayer.
The world around us trumpets violence and destruction.
Nations know war all too well.
Your invitation to carry an olive branch seems ludicrous
as the call to arms is sounded.
Help us to seek your reconciliation.
Lord, have mercy.
Peace with the Earth
Peacemaking God, we turn to you in prayer.
The earth groans under the weight of its human inhabitants.
Our trail is too often measured by its destruction.
The love you share for all of your creation falls-apart in our hands.
Help us to seek your harmony.
Christ, have mercy.
Peace within Ourselves
Peacemaking God, we turn to you in prayer.
Caught in the frenetic rush of business and busy-ness,
a still small voice beckons from within.
Our frantic pace belies the aimlessness that holds us hostage.
Created for relationship, our isolation eats at the fabric of our being. Help us to seek your tranquillity.
Lord, have mercy.
written by Katherine Hawker.
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His Will; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with Him Forever in the next.
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971).
