A Sabbath Prayer by Jack Riemer

We cannot merely pray to you, O God,
to end war;

For we know that You have made the world in a way
That man must find his own path to peace
Within himself and with his neighbor.

We cannot merely pray to you, O God,

to end starvation;
For You have already given us the resources

With which to feed the entire world,

If we would only use them wisely.

We cannot merely pray to you, O God,

to root out prejudice;

For You have already given us eyes

With which to see the good in all men,

If we would only use them rightly.

We cannot merely pray to you, O God,

to end despair;

For You have already given us the power

To clear away the slums and to give hope,

If we would only use our power justly.

We cannot merely pray to you, O God,

to end disease;

For You have already given us great minds

With which to search out cures and healing,

If we would only use them constructively.

Therefore we pray to You instead, O God,

For strength, determination and will power,

To do instead of just pray,

To become instead of merely wish.

This prayer was recently emailed to me by a co-worker with whom I often don't see eye to eye. It was a reminder that, despite our different ways of persisting, we are both attempting to make the world a better place; both struggling to find our way in the midst of it all. It also reminded me of our wedding benediction- where "just enough foolishness" comes from.

What do you think of it? Thoughts on prayer, action, or both?

Also: a past post on a similar subject.