Celtic Daily Prayer

To complete our month of exploring Celtic Daily Prayer, I share the mid-day canticle used by the Northumbria Community:

Teach us, dear Lord, to number our days;

that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Oh, satisfy us early with Thy mercy,

that we may rejoice and be glad all of our days.

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us;

and establish Thou the work of our hands.

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us;

and establish Thou the work of our hands, dear Lord.

It is said that beauty is seen in the eyes of the beholder. This literally means: that the perception of beauty is subjective - people can have differing opinions on what is beautiful. So what one person perceives as flawless and captivating might be ordinary or unappealing to another.

The concept that each individual has a different inclination of what is beautiful first appeared in the 3rd century BC in Greek. According to Plato, the sense of beauty is itself transient in nature. So, a thing beautiful for one might not be beautiful for the other.

Interestingly, Peter speaks of beauty this way; “Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4

Charles William Eliot (1834-1926), former president of Harvard University, had a birthmark on his face that bothered him greatly. As a young man, he was told that surgeons could do nothing to remove it. Someone described that moment as "the dark hour of his soul."  Eliot's mother gave him this helpful advice: "My son, it is not possible for you to get rid of that hardship...But it is possible for you, with God's help, to grow a mind and soul so big that people will forget to look at your face." 

Surely, the essence of this beauty is succinctly put in a verse by Albert Orsborn

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All his wonderful passion and purity,
O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

Just think, that when Jesus appeared to the disciples he did so with nail prints in his hand; now that’s a beauty to behold!

Lord God, I want to see the little things

That bring beauty to my day

That make me smile and grateful to be alive.

I want to be attentive to

Even the tiniest way in which

You show your love and care for me.

When I’m overwhelmed by my circumstances,

When I’m fearful of the days ahead,

When I’m sad and upset,

Show me how to be

thankful

For every little thing that is delightful,

For every single person who is wonderful,

For even one moment when I experience

The beauty of Your peace, love, and grace

In my life.

Amen

Celtic Daily Prayer

Finally the Celtic Evening Prayer ends with these words

See that ye be at peace among yourselves, my children, and love one another.

Follow the example of the wise and good

and God will comfort you and help you,

both in this world

and in the world which is to come.

If there is one word that seems to be on so many people’s hearts and minds it’s that of Peace in our troubled world. But as the famous quotation by Inger Skjelsbæk reads, “If peace is just the absence of war, then you have peace in lots of places. But if peace is also well-being and resilience to conflicts, then it is more challenging.”

Surely this is what Jesus was getting at when he said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 (Living Bible) Here, Jesus promises peace, a peace that the world cannot give. We all yearn for inner peace, for peace in our families and in our communities. We are shocked at wars that seem never-ending, where no one seems willing to seek peace. 

We ask Jesus for the peace he offers me, we ask for the grace to be like him, bringing peace wherever we are.

In 1555, Nicholas Ridley was burned at the stake because of his witness for Christ. On the night before Ridley's execution, his brother offered to remain with him in the prison chamber to be of assistance and comfort. Nicholas declined the offer and replied that he meant to go to bed and sleep as quietly as ever he did in his life. Because he knew the peace of God, he could rest in the strength of the everlasting arms of his Lord to meet his need. 

Is this the sort of example that the Evening Celtic Prayer suggests that we should follow.

Creator God,

may your peace go with us 

wherever we will be this day

May you guide us through the challenges,

protect us when in need

and inspire us with your love.

May we acknowledge your presence

in all the human goodness we will see.

May you bring us home rejoicing

to our place of rest this night.

Creator God,

we now go into this day in the name of the Father

and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Celtic Daily Prayer

In the shadow of Your wings
I will sing Your praises, O Lord.

I believe I shall see the goodness

of the Lord in the land of the living.

O wait for the Lord!

Have courage and wait,

wait for the Lord.

We have spoken of waiting for and upon God before, but perhaps we need this daily reminder in order to see the goodness of the Lord. As this portion of Celtic evening prayer suggests, it sometimes takes courage to wait for the Lord.

This is the theme that Paul takes up in his letter to the Romans. (8:24-25) “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience”

Waiting on the Lord is one of the hardest things we’ll ever have to do. As humans, our nature is to go it alone, try to accomplish things in our own strength, and take control of the situation. But that’s often not in our best interest. Too often I get ahead of God and try to accomplish things I’m not ready for.

When we are in a time of waiting, everything in us screams, “Just do it!” However, our Father’s time keeping is on a quite different level. Our part is to know that this time is where I need to wait on the Lord. He has already provided a miracle, a gift we’ve been desiring for years. However, in order to receive that gift, one more piece needs to fall into place. It’s incredibly hard to be still and wait for Lord to provide, but we can know that He will because He already has. The question is, will we have the courage to wait on His provision or try to force my own outcome?

Father, I pray for a heart to trust You in every circumstance. I release my desires, my intentions, and the issues of my heart to You. You see any difficulty I am having right now. I will allow Your Word to guard me and provide the safety I need. I give You complete control. I choose to trust Your faithful presence to keep me safe. You are my waiting place, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen

Celtic Daily Prayer

We now reach the concluding parts of Celtic Evening Prayer with the words

In the shadow of Your wings

I will sing Your praises, O Lord.

One thing I ask of the Lord,

one thing I seek;

to dwell in the presence of my God,

to gaze on Your holy place.

Living in the presence of God is such a mind blowing concept to conjure up. But is that the issue, that our image of the presence of God is so set that we often miss or misinterpret his nearness? What if we turn the phrase around and consider that it is God who is present with us, even in the ordinary hum drum life of every day.

Song writer Noel Richards has the lyrics that say….

To be in Your presence
To sit at Your feet,
Where Your love surrounds me,
And makes me complete.
To rest in Your presence,
Not rushing away;
To cherish each moment,
Here I would stay.

This is my desire Lord

Is it because we so often seek the presence of God using our preconceived image of the divine that we overlook his ever gracious presence.

Thomas Torrance likes to repeat a simple story of what he calls “the unconditional nature of grace.” He writes, “Our grasping of Christ by faith is itself enclosed within the mighty grasp of Christ.” Then he shares this story.

I sometimes recall what happened when my daughter was learning to walk. I took her by the hand to help her, and I can still feel her fingers clutching my hand. She was not relying on her feeble grasp of my hand, but on my strong grasp of her hand.

Is that not how we are to understand the faith by which we lay hold of Christ as our Saviour? It is thus that our grasp of faith, feeble though it is, is grasped and enfolded in the mighty grasp of Christ who identifies himself with us, and puts himself in our place.

Lord, as I come before You and dwell in Your presence, will You show me what You want me to see? Will You let me hear what You are speaking over me? Will You teach me how to be trustworthy, that I may grow to be trusted by You? I want to see You, Lord.

Will You teach me how to remain in the secret place of Your presence? Will You guide me and remind me, and teach me how to live in this place of Your holy presence? Lord, will You remind me constantly to keep my eyes upon You? Will You give me constant reminders that You are here with me, that You are before and behind me, always surrounding me, always near and always here? Keep me in constant awareness of You. Amen

Celtic Daily Prayer

The Lord is the refuge of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

Charles Wesley in his hymn, Jesus lover of my soul has the verse, says…

Other refuge have I none,

Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;

Leave, oh, leave me not alone,

Still support and comfort me.

All my trust on Thee is stayed,

All my help from Thee I bring;

Cover my defenceless head

With the shadow of Thy wing.

No one knows the exact circumstances under which it was penned. Unauthenticated stories about events leading to the hymn’s origin include a bird that flew into Wesley’s room for safety in a rainstorm, and an incident where Charles hid under a hedge with his brother after being attacked by an angry mob opposed to their preaching. 

However, it does bear the marks of three tremendous experiences in his early life–the near sinking of his ship during a great storm on the Atlantic when returning from Georgia to England in 1736; his great spiritual awakening and change on May 21, 1738; and his ministration to the felons in Negate Prison in July, 1738, which climaxed with the execution of ten of them at Tyburn Hill.

Anxiety can feel like an enemy we’re trying to escape. David was well acquainted with being chased down by his enemy. We know he fled from Saul (1 Samuel 19:1–12) and from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:13–23). He describes God as a “refuge,” “strong tower,” and place of shelter. When anxiety rushes in, we can run to our safe place. 

In earthquake-prone areas, students have earthquake drills and are instructed to get under their desks or a sturdy table because that is the safest place they can be. A mild earthquake will still shake the world around you. Books, pencils, maybe even a light fixture might fall, but you are covered by your desk. Things may seem like they are falling all around us, but God is our safe place when they do.

In Psalm 46:1 we have the words, God is my refuge and strength a very present help in trouble. 

Oh, Heavenly Father, You are the One I run to when the world around me is falling apart. You alone are my refuge and my strength. In times of trouble, You have always helped me. You have never failed me. You are trustworthy. Because of Your faithfulness, though I may begin to fear in times of unrest and uncertainty, I put my hope and trust in You knowing You will quiet my fears.

Your Spirit gives me peace and brings me joy. Your presence alone keeps me strong in You. As Your enemy rages against You and Your children, You fight for us and protect us. You are the LORD of Hosts and our mighty fortress.

Celtic Daily Prayer

From the shadows our evening prayer now turns to the saving light of Christ. 

The Lord is my light, my salvation;
whom shall I fear?

Have you ever thought, we CAN'T SEE LIGHT ITSELF. We can see only what light lights up, like the little circle of night where the candle flickers—a sheen of mahogany, a wineglass, a face leaning toward us out of the shadows.

Then there is reflective light. A mirror for example is only as good as the light it reflects. Put a mirror in a completely dark room and it fails to reflect. Yet, when it comes to the light of Christ the opposite is true. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5

This is the saving light  at the heart of God, his light revealed  to me in this time of prayer: the life and light for all. We may need to acknowledge what comes between us and receiving life, what darkens us whatever narrows our vision. The goodness and generosity of God is there for us, wanting to be present in the world through us.

There are so many stories of darkness and despair! We even 'entertain' ourselves with threats and prospects of doom! The Gospel speaks of a light which darkness will not overcome. Let’s pay attention to where there is light in my life and ask that God help me to keep the light before me.

Lord,
as daylight fills the sky,
fill us with your holy light.
May our lives mirror our love for you
whose wisdom has brought us into being,
and whose care guides us on our way.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. AMEN.

Celtic Daily Prayer

In the shadow of Your wings
I will sing Your praises, O Lord.

Where is the place where your heart soars with praise, the place where your heart  overflows with gratitude and love.

Yet, being under the shadow of God is more than a place of comfort; it is a place of sacrificial care.

It was a hot day as train came roaring down the tracks. Sparks were flying everywhere because of the hot temperatures. When the sparks flew,  they would often begin a fire that would destroy fields, homes and livestock.

One particular day a fire spread from a railway causing major damage. Later an old farmer walked through the ashes of his home and farm when he saw an old hen lying on the ground, burnt to death. Her wings were spread open. In his anger, he kicked the old hen. To his surprise, several  chicks ran out from under her burnt wings. The hen had sacrificed herself for the sake of her little ones.

In Matthew 23:36-37 we find Jesus using the Old Testament words, “Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. How willing are we to place ourselves under the wings of  Christ, and there sing our  songs of praise.”

Lord God,

I pray for Your protection as I begin this day. You are my hiding place, and under Your wings I can always find refuge. Protect me from trouble wherever I go, and keep evil far from me. No matter where I am, I will look to You as my Protector, the one who fights for me every day.

Your love and faithfulness, along with Your goodness and mercy, surround me daily, so I will not fear whatever might come against me. My trust is in You, God, and I give thanks to You for Your love and protection.  Amen