In the middle of an activity-filled summer, my soul began to feel overloaded and stressed. So I took time one afternoon last week to sit quietly and “be still and know that I am God”. As I repeated the scripture and my body and spirit began to let go of the tenion and relax, the words of an old hymn began to sing in my head. I thought “I need to add that to my collection of prayer prompts for times like this.” It is a centering prayer and also a petition. John Greenleaf Whittier wrote the words in the 19th century (1872). He put my feelings into words in this prayer. Here is my updated, personal edition: Drop your still dews of quietness, till all my strivings cease; take from my soul the strain and stress, and let my ordered life confess the beauty of your peace. What a joy to find words that express so perfectly my prayer! After about 30 minutes of savoring God’s dews of quietness and letting go of my strivings, strain and stress, my sense of balance returned. I thank God (and John Greenleaf Whittier!) for that time of renewal.
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