The High Holy One is my sunrise, my balm, and my defense;
why should I quake before any other power?
The Eternal Mystery is my hiding place;
why would I cower before a known enemy?
Let the world send liars to undermine my character;
let the perverse and powerful erode my dignity;
let each day bring another battlefield —
I need only one thing to persevere, one promise to hold onto:
to live in God’s presence and recognize God’s beauty,
to love God’s wisdom and sing God’s joy.
Then my heart will have clarity no matter the chaos, and
from the safety of God’s shelter, I will assess the danger.
There and then, I will bless the earth and the heavens.
When I am overwhelmed, hear my anxious cries;
when I am harmed or harmful, save me for healing,
when I am lost, teach me the unfamiliar path.
Do not surrender me to the plans of those
who do not have my best interest at heart;
do not give me up to those who will eat away at my life.
I believe God’s goodness grows in the land of the living;
here in that land, in that breath, I believe I will see it bloom.
This is what I have learned: pay attention to what God is about
and have courage, because you are not alone. Wait in strength!