(For the fullest experience, open Beethoven’s Symphony 7 movement 2 in a separate window, and listen as you pray here.)
I come before You in the spirit
of Beethoven’s 7th (ii):
resting
listening
concentrating
feeling the spaces of silence
surrounded by the music of your presence
captivated by your every turn of phrase
not daring to multitask in this moment, or even move, lest
my spirit miss one cello’s sigh or one soaring interval.
In the presence of such magnificence
I am at once in love
and at peace,
filled up with joy,
tingling to catch
the swells of majesty
and the horns’ solemn march,
cradled by you as if by an oboe’s gentle melody.
I hold my breath when you pause,
lean in
to hear the
quietest harmonies,
open my hands to feel the most dramatic vibrations.
How good it is to sit in your presence,
O Most Holy & Breath-taking God!