Morning prayer · 24 February

Singing in the rain

A small bird perched on a branch, singing with its beak open, while rain falls around it in soft diagonal lines.

Lord, thank you for the glory of these last days and the beautiful face of your sun. Thank you for good news. Thank you for the pleasures we’ve enjoyed, and for the ones we’ve been able to give. And now, when the clouds gather, don’t let us be downhearted. Don’t let us lose the taste of past kindness and past joy. Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memory live on in the dark hour. If there’s a painful duty ahead of us, strengthen us with courage. If there’s a chance to show mercy, teach us tenderness and patience. Amen.

I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.

Psalm 77:11 (BSB)

Adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson, Prayers Written at Vailima (1904), in plain words. The verse is from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain). Drawing: Mutter.