What's Prayer Got to Do With It?

When You already know what I’ll ask,

Is it to stretch me well beyond myself,

So I can see the greatness of Your task?

What’s my role in the words I say,

What’s my heart got to do with how I pray?

Let my heart be a sounding board,

As I talk to Your son, the Holy Lord,

Fill my spirit with compassion and love,

Let all my words flow from above,

What’s prayer got to do with it?

It lets my heart and mind be a perfect fit,

It’s not in the beauty of words I spout,

But how my soul takes away the doubt,

You are the one I want to magnify,

 Your word flows through me, it’s not about I,

There are no words that I need to say,

Except Your will be done, I will obey,

What’s prayer but conversation between You and me?

Your blood shed on the cross is what I see,

I pray for Your love to cover all the sins,

That the world displays, and those within,

I’m still learning what I need to say,,

Our heavenly Father, give us this day,

The things we need for our daily bread,

Help us face those things we dread,

Teach us how to reach out and forgive,

The wrongs of others with whom we live,

Deliver us from the evil that fills our day,

The temptations that seem to come our way,

All the power and glory to you belong,

I’ll celebrate Your love all life long,

I’ll pray for the boy lying in a hospital bed,

I don’t know why it isn’t me instead,

Nine years old with a terrible disease,

He hasn’t seen life, so take me please,

Let life through his veins run its course,

Please don’t let death take him by force,

I’ve wasted years doing things not so bright,

He’s too young to turn out his light,

Innocent as a lamb, he’s caught in a trap,

If it’s his time to go, let him sit in Your lap,

The beauty of this world won’t be his home,

But there he can dance and have places to roam,

With tears in my eyes I approach Your throne,

I’m ready, take me instead as one of Your own,

He’s nine years old, lying in his lonely bed,

Heal him with Your power, take me instead,

I’ll pray for the girl who cries in the night,

There is no one to listen to her sad plight,

We turn away from accepting her abuse,

Insisting nothing can be done, there’s no use,

The Holy Spirit listens as her spirit cries,

Within each of us part of our own spirit dies,

All the promise, her hopes and dreams,

Are not important to us it seems,

What can we do if evil is around?

We call on the Lord for demons to be bound,

Each of us knows of wounds that need to heal,

Our hearts are willing and we want to feel,

The fields are ripe with broken people today,

Why should we wait when we can pray?

I’ll pray for husbands to love their wives,

And wives to respect their husbands all their lives,

For the couple who argues in the night,

Haven’t they seen love’s pure light?

God has called them for so much more,

So why do they choose just to ignore?

Their hearts are hard, it’s all about self,

There’s not room for two egos on their shelf,

Their children watch and learn how to fight,

They think love is weak, and might makes right,

Rarely do children see their parents in prayer,

Little do they forgive or show compassion and care,

Do they really hate the ones they love?

Should they be listening for guidance from above,

What’s so important about daily prayer?

It awakens our spirit and feeds it there,

I’ll pray for the homeless on the street,

Who struggle daily for food to eat,

They have no permanent place to stay,

In alleys at night, and shelters by day,

What little they have is precious to them,

Their pasts are dark and their future grim,

Arrested by the police because they trespass,

When they guard against storms under an underpass,

I’ll pray for the homeless, society’s outcasts,

That someday all this will be in the past,

Prayer is the starting point for each of these needs,

It’s just the place to plant the seeds,

These gardens of lives need tender loving care,

The work is ready, and now I’m prepared,

To carry out the tasks that started with prayer.

Run Where The Flowers Grow

I couldn’t believe my eyes,

Dad had brought home a surprise,

A black and white cocker spaniel,

Just a puppy, but she meant the world to me,

She was happy, playful, and made me smile,

Lady came when I called her, eager to please,

We were two friends, always at ease,

The two of us discovered the world anew,

Bonded by our hearts, our friendship grew,

Sniffing flowers, chasing birds,

I read stories and she listened to every word,

When she was two she followed me down,

 The dirt roads to the grocery store in our town,

We encountered few cars that hot summer day,

 Crossing the two lane county road on our way,

Before I got groceries the owner and I had a debate,

 But he said, “No dogs allowed. She’ll have to wait,”

When I looked for her, she had crossed the street,

Busily sniffing flowers, or looking for bugs to eat,

My first thought was, “She shouldn’t be over there.”

 Without thinking, I whistled, loud and clear,

The shrill sound hanging expectantly in the air,

It was then that I saw a speeding car,

And realized that it wasn’t very far,

At the same time I saw Lady raise her head,

And obediently towards me she sped,

Smiling with every stride,

“Stop, Lady, stop!” I wish I’d cried,

But I was frozen, watching this nightmarish scene,

The car and Lady, the gap closing in between,

There was a loud “Whump!”

Time stopped and I had no need for air,

The car had hit Lady and the driver seemed unaware,

He slowed, then sped up, I knew he didn’t care,

I ran to her and dropped to my knees,

 “Lady, get up! I’m sorry, please,”

But I held a lifeless form tight,

Wishing with all my might,

That this was just a bad dream in the night,

I walked home in a trance,

Angry at myself for what I had done,

“Why did I whistle without a glance?

Why had I done this to my friend?”

Blaming myself over and over again,

 Tears streaming down my face,

Somehow managing to carry her to our place,

Where Mom took the groceries,

Telling me to hold Lady for a few minutes more,

Until I collapsed spiritless on the floor,

The next day a private ceremony with a prayer,

Only family was invited there,

My heart pounded and my head hurt,

And with each shovelful of dirt,

I thought I could hear a whistle blow,

Before I left, I leaned down and whispered softly,

“Run, Lady, run, where the flowers grow.”