Prayer Of The Month

A Haitian Mountain Prayer

This is from a collection called 'God is no stranger', translated from Haitian Creole by missionary Eleanor Turnbull in the 1970s.

The prayers are simple and direct, reflecting beauty and poverty, humour and sadness, and above all the joy of knowing Christ (in contrast to fear-ridden voodooism). This particular prayer is one of my favourites - I've travelled on Haitian roads and seen the way the locals drive!!

Jenny Dann

Lord,

Help us not to talk too much -Because talking too much is like driving too fast

Sometimes the brakes are not good, and we pass by the place where we intended to stop.

When we talk too much, we know we go beyond the truth and we lie.

We also know that speaking too much derails us from life's track.

 To think about.....

• Have you ever "passed by the place where you intended to stop" when talking to someone? (Be honest!) How did you feel? Were you able to get back on track?
• What effect do the words and images we take in every day (for example, through the media) have on the way we speak to others?
• When we pray, perhaps it would be good to talk a bit less and listen a bit more? Why not try just sitting quietly with God, being aware of His love as you breathe in and out.