Summer of Prayer II

Let Me, Lord

Let me, Lord, discern my faults
Without becoming self-absorbed,
Let me confess my sins
Without excuse,
Let me be penitent
Without despair,
Let me grow in faith
Without self-righteousness,
Let me increase in virtue
Without conceit,
Let me be generous to a fault
Desiring nothing,
Let me be humble
Craving no esteem,
let me be honest
even in my silences,
let me be loving
with a true heart, and let me be filled with your Holy Spirit
that I may worship and adore you, always. Amen.

(UTO Book of Prayers – Alice Baird of upper South Carolina)

In Marilynne Robinson’s book Home (2008) the main character, Glory, is reflecting on prayer. Her father had told her to pray for patience, but deep in her is a desperate truth and desperate desire that is longing to be given the air to breathe and the dignity of voice:

So she prayed, Lord, give me patience. She knew that was not an honest prayer, and she did not linger over it. The right prayer would have been, Lord, my brother treats me like a hostile stranger, my father seems to have put me aside, I feel I have no place here in what I thought would be my refuge, I am miserable and bitter at heart, and old fears are rising up in me so that everything I do makes everything worse. But it cost her tears to think her situation might actually be that desolate, so she prayed again for patience, for tact, for understanding–for every virtue that might keep her safe from conflicts that would be sure to leave her wounded, every virtue that might at least help her preserve an appearance of dignity, for heaven’s sake.
Resources: UTO Book of Prayers, Disciples Prayer Book, Forward Day by Day, Forward Movement Prayers (Morning), Prayers for Sleepless Nights and more can be found in the Narthex of the Church.