Recently I came across a book of prayers from Walter Brueggemann. Brueggeman is Professor Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary where he served for many years as Professor of Old Testament. In my years as a student, both in and out of school, I’ve found his works to be some of the most intellectually satisfying—and often poetic. Earlier this year I picked up Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth—a collection of his prayers. I’ve found them to be an inspiration on my journey, and I thought you might enjoy them as well. The following is a prayer prayed during an Old Testament theology class on November 12, 1998:

God before and God behind,
God for us and God for your own self,
     Maker of heaven and earth,
     creator of sea and sky
     governor of day and night.
We give thanks for your ordered gift of life to us,
     for the rhythms that reassure,
     for the equilibriums that sustain,
     for the reliabilities that curb our anxieties,
          We treasure from you,
               days to work and nights to rest.
          We cherish from you,
               days to control and nights to yield
          We savor from you,
               days to plan and nights to dream.
Be our day and our night,
     our heaven and our earth,
     our sea and our sky,
          and in the end our true home. Amen.