The ‘Inner Self’

Poems & Thoughts of a Lincolnshire Man

A Prayer for a time of Trial – March 2021

Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

The Stewards Prayer’ to add

PSALM 23 IN LINCOLNSHIRE DIALECT –
THE GOOD SHEPHERD





The Lords me Shepperd, I want fer nowt
He makes me lig o’er in a cloise full o’ green gress
And leads me to a beck thats surging wi runnin’ wa’er. He mends all thats brokken and I feel so’er much beher . He puts me on the reight roaad.
Sometimes I hev ta walk through a valley that is as dark as death
But I ween’t be frit, noa, cos ‘es wi me all the the time.
‘E guides me we ‘is shepherd’s croook and ‘e ez a long esh stick that ‘e beats the livin day-lights out of anything that would do me any ‘arm.
He throws a paree an’ I’m the guest of ‘onour an’ all me enemies ar wetching.
And ‘e does a funny thing; ‘e puts oil on me heead!
An’ ‘e keep fillin’ me tankard till it runned o’er.
Now’t ill ‘appen to me fer the rest o’ me daays.
Then I’ll live wi’ ‘Im in the Big ‘Owse fer ivver.

A PRAYER FOR DREAMERS

We pray for the dreamers of this life, O God,
for those persons who image new possibilities,
who long for what others cannot perceive,
who spin dreams of wonder & majesty in their minds.
Defend them from ridicule and harsh criticism,
from self-doubt and lack of faith in their dreams,
and from abandonment of the call to make things new.
Grant that from their dreams
may come forth blessings for all humankind
to enrich the quality of life
and the wonderment of us all,
in Christ’s name we pray. Amen

((C) Vienna Cobb Anderson 1991)

Ingleborough, N Yorks January 1979

The ‘Polaris’ prayer

The Prayer of the Royal Navy’s Polaris & Trident missile submarines, written by Captain Michael Henry, CO HMS Resolution

Lord Thou commanded “Thou shalt not kill”
Thou knowest that we prepare ourselves constantly to kill, not one but thousands, and that by this preparation we believe we help to preserve peace amongst nations.
Do Thou, who gave man the knowledge to fashion this terrible weapon, give him also the sense of responsibility to control its use;
so that fear for the consequences may indeed maintain peace Until that day when love, not fear, shall control all men’s actions, give us the will, but never the wish, to obey the order to fire; oh God, if it is thy will, grant that that order may never need to be given.

Amen

A LINCOLNSHIRE BENEDICITE

A Prayer for all those threatened by Storms:

We invite you to join us in praying the following prayer, composed in 1957 by The Most Reverend Maurice Schexnayder, Second Bishop of Lafayette, following Hurricane Audrey:

O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude. You are still the Master of the land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control: the Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, and overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster.

During this hurricane season we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son on our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a stormless eternity awaits us. Amen.