The Simple Life: prayer for those in distress

Showing posts with label prayer for those in distress. Show all posts

Showing posts with label prayer for those in distress. Show all posts

October 26, 2011

The Fowler's Snare*

On Eagles Wings

by Dan Schutte

Listen Here

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord

who abide in His shadow for life

say to the Lord

"My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!"

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings

bear you on the breath of dawn

make you to shine like the sun

and hold you in the palm of His hand.

The snare of the fowler will never capture you

and famine will bring you no fear

under His wings your refuge

His faithfulness your shield.

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings

bear you on the breath of dawn

make you to shine like the sun

and hold you in the palm of His hand.

You need not fear the terror of the night

nor the arrow that flies by day

though thousands fall about you

near you it shall not come.

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings

bear you on the breath of dawn

make you to shine like the sun

and hold you in the palm of His hand.

For to His angels He's given a command

to guard you in all of your ways

upon their hands they will bear you up

lest you dash your foot against a stone.

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings

bear you on the breath of dawn

make you to shine like the sun

and hold you in the palm of His hand...

Inspired by a psalm, the lyric to this song are one of my favorites. The poetry is inspiring, "hold you, bear you on the breath of dawn..." And mostly it is encouraging, "hold you in the palm of his hand." The Psalm(s) it derives from go like this:

Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,

who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress,

my God in whom I trust.”

Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

No evil shall befall you,

nor shall affliction come near your tent,

For to his angels he has given command about you,

that they guard you in all your ways.

Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Upon their hands they shall bear you up,

lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You shall tread upon the asp and the viper;

you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.

Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;

I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in distress;

I will deliver him and glorify him.

Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Psalms 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15.

*This appeared here first August 14, 2010

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On Human Labor

However it may be true that mankind is destined for work, and called to it, work is for man. Man is not for work.
Without doubt, human labor has an ethical value all its own, clearly and directly linking to the fact that the one who carries it out is a whole person, a conscious and free subject who decides about himself.
Respect for the objectives and rights of Laborers, every kind of labor, be it manual or intellectual, industrial or agricultural, it must constitute an adequate and fundamental criterion for shaping the whole economy, both individually and in society as a whole.
Labor must not be doomed to be devalued merely as the end result of an economic system which large or small in form, are guided by the criterion of maximum profits. The whole of the person, and his production matters.

Of Social Concern

Today, the social question which continues to inspire us is concern for the poor, those poor either in spirit and/or in body; all the creatures of the earth, both great and small.
The decisions which it inspires in us cannot but embrace the immense multitudes of the hungry, the needy, the homeless, inadequate medical care, and above all, those without hope.
Ignoring these realities for convenience or other motives, "shipping them overseas," ignoring them in our neighborhoods, our communities is like the materially rich man of the Bible who pretended not to see Lazarus, a beggar, lying at his gate. Therefore, live as a servant of the simple, common good.

The Human Century

Situations which arise, strongly motivated and influenced by various ideologies, in which duality or polarization occurs, are those situations in which the dignity and value of a person may be strongly obscured.
Affirm the force and value of a person. Every person bears the likeness of a greater being and therefore deserves your respect. With this awareness duality is healed, divisions are resolved; the coming together of souls occurs for the simple, collected task of activities which are more respectful and affirming of the dignity of persons.

Engage in protest which values; do no further harm.
It then will become necessary to abandon the dualist mentality in which the poor of all stripes are viewed as a burden, irksome and distasteful intruders into others lives, trying to consume what others have produced.
Respect them in the place they are; recognize a right to a share in the material goods and make good use of their capacity to work, so as to create a more harmonious and dignified world for all in common. Promote unity so that man may be better able to live a life worthy of a man. Are we not all One under the sun?