MAY 28
O God, you have let me pass the day in peace;
let me pass the night in peace, O Lord who has no lord.
There is no strength but in you. You alone have no
obligation.
Under your hand I pass the night. You are my Mother and
my Father. Amen.
—TRADITIONAL BORAN
(AFRICAN) PRAYERTo have passed any length of time in peace when we are
grieving is an achievement. It is not to be counted on: we
do well to invoke help for another stretch of peace. And to
invoke help from one who is totally available.
It is a touching piece of wisdom in this prayer that the one
who prays, prays to a Lord who doesn’t have prior commit-
ments—Pay attention to me, please.
The appeal is to our ultimate experience of comfort and
safety—a mother and a father. And yet—a gentle remind-
er—not a distracted mother and father, please, but one who
can pay full attention. Then we can afford to trust that
mother and father to see us through the night.
In my weakness I can turn in trust to One who is strong.