On Sundays, Night Prayer takes its lead from some element of the day's liturgy and so tonight we turn to a line from today's gospel: His heart was moved with pity for them and he cured their sick. (Matthew 14:14)
I often see videos online of folks rescuing wildlife caught in wire, fishing line, fences and other situations where the animal is stuck and can't get free. Very often, these animals fiercely resist the approach and touch of a human - as is their natural response. But then I came across this video where an owl sits quietly and patiently as a man frees it from the fishing line in which the bird had become entangled.
I find in this video an image of God who is moved with pity and approaches us
- to free us from whatever entanglement, predicament or pickle we find
ourselves in - particularly those jams from which we seem unable to free
ourselves. And note how the owl here: remains calm and patient;
trusts
what the rescuer is doing; and allows him access to get right to the
source of the problem... The owl doesn't resist, doesn't screech,
doesn't fend off a helping hand, doesn't resort to its natural responses - but rather yields to the intervention of a power much greater than itself and surrenders to a touch gentler than it may ever before have known. And don't miss how the owl, once letting go any jealous self-control, begins and learns to trust another's saving hand - and rests, even when freed - in the company of his deliverer...
Let's pray...
O God - I'm an owl!
I'm an owl stuck on a branch,
knotted up in my own troubles,
tied down in ways I can't escape,
tethered to a lonely perch, grounded
when I want so much to fly
and be from all that holds me...
Have pity on me, Lord,
and come and heal what ails my heart;
what binds my soul and keeps me down;
what keeps my wings from spreading
and flying to the safety
of your outstretched, open arms...
And, Lord:
deliver me me from thinking
- I can do this on my own...
Deliver me from anger, my self-pity
and my tantrums
and the isolation I mistake
as shelter for my pain...
Deliver me from panic
and the fear from which it comes;
from the worry that I'll never have
what my heart wants the most...
Help me to surrender, Lord,
to you and to your grace,
to your gentle, healing touch
right where my pain is most acute...
Help me remain calm, Lord,
in the chaos of my fears
while the finger of your wisdom
deftly lights and makes a way
to the freedom I desire
and that only you can give...
Help me trust you're there, Lord
when I'm feeling most alone,
when I fear I've been forgotten
with no one left to care...
Help me see you're by my side, Lord,
at work to set me free
and that day by day, hour by hour,
your grace is healing me...
Make me wise, Lord, like the owl,
give me patience with my lot,
and help me trust in your desire
to gently set me free...
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep rest in your peace...
Amen.
Two songs this evening... The first is not a hymn but a haunting song which speaks of the loneliness of the owl - and the friendship it shares with the wind and the moon. Since tonight's prayer asks for calm and patience in waiting for the Lord's healing, this tune seems appropriate... The second is a fine hymn I've offered here many times: appropriate when recalling the fabled wisdom of the owl - an ode to the wisdom of God...
The Owl, the Wind and the Moon
by Mark Burrows
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The Perfect Wisdom of Our God
by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty
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The perfect wisdom of our God,
Revealed in all the universe:
All things created by His hand,
And held together at His command.
He knows the mysteries of the seas,
The secrets of the stars are His;
He guides the planets on their way,
And turns the earth through another day.
The matchless wisdom of his ways
That mark the path of righteousness,
His word a lamp unto my feet,
His Spirit teaching and guiding me.
His word a lamp unto my feet,
His Spirit teaching and guiding me.
And, oh, the mystery of the Cross,
That God should suffer for the lost
So that the fool might shame the wise
And all the glory might go to Christ.
Oh grant me wisdom from above,
To pray for peace and cling to love,
And teach me humbly to receive
The sun and rain of Your sovereignty
Each strand of sorrow has a place
Within this tapestry of grace;
So through the trials I choose to say:
"Your perfect will, in your perfect way."
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