Streams of Mercy

J. Barrie Shepherd’s Diary of Daily Prayer, has been one of my favorite devotional resources in recent years. Arranged in the form of a diary, and designed to be read each morning and evening for a month, Shepherd addresses any number of topics that, when reflected on, deepen our walk with each other, and our relationship with God, who created us. In this 25th anniversary edition of Shepherd’s first published book, his prayer is that “these words may clear the way for silence, that deepest silence into which the living Word may speak yet again, and speaking create light in darkness and new life from dusty death … that this book may claim a space for listening as well as for speaking, for waiting upon the Lord, as well as for calling upon his name.”

Here are a few of those words that have touched me in life-giving ways.

First and Last

“Lord, let me live this day

as if it were my first day,

or my last.

Let me bring to it all the wonder and amazement of a newborn child:

the trust

that welcomes everyone I meet,

expects of them only the best,

and grants them the benefit

of every possible doubt;

the openness

to catch the unsuspected beauties,

and unexpected opportunities of each hour;

the purity of soul

that places all its hope in you

and, thus, is infinitely optimistic.

But let me also bring

the wisdom and experience of the aged to this day:

the mellow ripeness that can afford to rest a while,

and share a smile and a story;

the tenderness

that grows from years of care and gentle giving;

the hope that has been forged through all the fires of doubt,

and even of despair,

and still, even better than before,

rings true and clear, and points itself to you.

Lord, help me make this day

as fresh and new as a spring flower,

and as strong and secure as the eternal hills.”

I give thanks for the gift of Shepherd’s words, creating a space for silence and for listening, as I wait upon the Lord from day to day, and for those streams of mercy, never ceasing….

Elizabeth