What gifts God has given to us in the magnificence of the heavens, the beauty of Earth, the changing of the seasons and all the glory of creation. Many cultures and faiths recognize these gifts, but too often those of us who worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob fail in our gratitude and care of the planet on which we live. Maybe these four prayers will help to correct that:
1) Pray a Confession
Lord God,
We confess that since the creation of the world Your invisible qualities—Your eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen all around us, as Romans 1 states.
We believe that You made the earth by Your power; You founded the world by Your wisdom and stretched out the heavens by Your understanding, as Jeremiah 10:12 says.
We know that You placed humankind on this earth and instructed us to care for it, as the first chapters of Genesis reveal.
We confess that we have too often ignored or abused the gift of Your Creation and our duties as its caretakers.
Forgive us, God, and grant that we may live in this global garden in a way that honors You and reflects our gratitude for all of Your mighty works, which continue to this day.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works (Psalm 104:31, NIV), and in our respect and appreciation for them, amen.
(By the author)
2) Sing a Song
This is my Father’s world,
And to my list’ning ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas—
Your hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:
You shine in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear You pass,
You speak to me everywhere.
(From a hymn by Maltbie Babcock, slightly revised; public domain)
3) Recite a psalm
You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
who formed the mountains by Your power,
having armed Yourself with strength,
who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
The whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
You call forth songs of joy.
You care for the land and water it;
You enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so You have ordained it.
You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
You soften it with showers and bless its crops.
You crown the year with Your bounty,
and Your carts overflow with abundance.
The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing
(Psalm 65:5-13, NIV)
4) Pray with St. Francis
O most High, almighty, good Lord God,
to You belong praise, glory, honor, and all blessing!
Praised be my Lord God with all creatures;
and especially our brother the sun,
which brings us the day, and the light;
fair is he, and shining with a very great splendor:
O Lord, he signifies You to us!
Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon,
and for the stars,
which God has set clear and lovely in heaven.
Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind,
and for air and cloud, calms and all weather,
by which You uphold in life all creatures.
Praised be my Lord for our sister water,
which is very serviceable to us,
and humble, and precious, and clean.
Praised be my Lord for brother fire,
through which You give us light in the darkness:
and he is bright, and pleasant, and very mighty,
and strong.
Praised be my Lord for our mother the Earth,
which sustains us and keeps us,
and yields divers fruits, and flowers of
many colors, and grass.
Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon
one another for God’s love’s sake,
and who endure weakness and tribulation;
blessed are they who peaceably shall endure,
for You, O most High, shall give them a crown!
Praised be my Lord for our sister,
the death of the body, from which no one escapes.
Woe to him who dies in mortal sin!
Blessed are they who are found walking by Your
most holy will,
for the second death shall have no power to do
them harm.
Praise you, and bless you the Lord,
and give thanks to God, and serve God
with great humility.
(St. Francis’s Canticle of the Sun)
