A Pocketful of Prayers
Joan Copeland
ISBN 9781903577332 (1903577330)
Word for Life Publications, 2007
£1.5
Category: Prayer and Poetry
This little booklet — only 32 pages, 7.5cm x 10.5cm — quite literally is A Pocketful of Prayers: it fits perfectly in a shirt or jacket pocket and consists of 28 short prayers reflecting upon and responding to all sorts of everyday situations: driving in the fog, rush hour travel, time spent in the pub and facing the washing up, to name but a few.
These are not pious platitudes, however: these prayers are straightforward and down to earth, in touch with real life. A couple of examples should be enough to give you the idea:
Shut Your Mouth
I jump in and defend my faith.
I sock it to them, Lord
I turn to you, Lord.
What was your defence?
They accused you wrongly
and twisted what you said.
Yet you said nothing.
You answered not a word.
You shut your mouth.
You knew that you had done
all that your Father willed.
In Him was your defence.
You held your peace
and you were justified.
He raised you from the dead.
Next time, Lord,
when I leap to your defence
let me remember you
and shut my mouth.
(p.20)
Time
Only in the country pub
can I spend half an hour
discussing on what day,
what time of day,
to plant broad beans.
Our life is crammed
with time-saving machines,
yet only here,
with folks who don't save time,
do I have time.
Time to watch the seeds that grow,
wait for the leaven in the dough,
things that you likened to your
Kingdom, Lord,
the Kingdom that
our modern world cannot afford.
(p.12)
Highly recommended: an excellent pick-me-up for the soul to keep handy both for yourself and to give away.
Phil Groom, May 2007
Phil Groom is this site's Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He's a regular contributor to Christian Marketplace magazine and is the manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources. Any opinions expressed here are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology or of any other group or organisation.
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