The royal feast was done; the King
Sought some new sport to banish care,
And to his jester cried: "Sir Fool,
Kneel now, and make for us a prayer!"
The king obviously views prayer as foolish and wants to "entertain" his guests by having the jester pray.
The jester doffed his cap and bells,
And stood the mocking court before;
They could not see the bitter smile
Behind the painted grin he wore.
The jester is apparently a man who views prayer as a sincere communication between oneself and God, and suspects the ulterior motive of the king, but will obey him anyway.
He bowed his head, and bent his knee
Upon the Monarch's silken stool;
His pleading voice arose: "O Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!
The jester begins his heartfelt prayer with sincerity and humility.
"No pity, Lord, could change the heart
From red with wrong to white as wool;
The rod must heal the sin: but Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!
He is admitting his unworthiness and sin, and asking God for mercy.
"'T is not by guilt the onward sweep
Of truth and right, O Lord, we stay;
'T is by our follies that so long
We hold the earth from heaven away.
We keep ourselves from heaven because of our own folly and disobedience
"These clumsy feet, still in the mire,
Go crushing blossoms without end;
These hard, well-meaning hands we thrust
Among the heart-strings of a friend.
He goes on to explain that we continue causing hurt and pain by our actions.
"The ill-timed truth we might have kept--
Who knows how sharp it pierced and stung?
The word we had not sense to say--
Who knows how grandly it had rung!
Here the jester is admitting to sins of "commission" and "omission" - we sin by doing things we should not, and also by neglecting to do those things we should.
"Our faults no tenderness should ask.
The chastening stripes must cleanse them all;
But for our blunders -- oh, in shame
Before the eyes of heaven we fall.
Here he is referring to the "chastening stripe" which Christ suffered in our stead - they are the only thing that can cleanse us.
"Earth bears no balsam for mistakes;
Men crown the knave, and scourge the tool
That did His will; but Thou, O Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!"
Humans are praised and esteemed, while Jesus Christ, the "tool" that did God's will, was scourged and mocked.
The room was hushed; in silence rose
The King, and sought his gardens cool,
And walked apart, and murmured low,
"Be merciful to me, a fool!"
The king here realizes his own foolishness, unworthiness, and his need for forgiveness
Edward Winckley has written: 'The Great Healer's prayer' -- subject(s): Lord's prayer, Spiritual healing 'Healing venture' -- subject(s): Mental healing
Edward Sparke has written: 'Thysiasterion, vel, Scintilla altaris' -- subject(s): Customs and practices, Fasts and feasts, Church of England, Prayer-books and devotions
Poem of a Prayer for a Beautiful Harvest is a poem by Filipino author, Bienvenido Lumbera.
Shakespeare was clearly familiar with the Book of Common Prayer (1549 and 1552) and includes allusions to it in many of his plays. A monograph on this subject by Margot Thompson, The Prayer Book, Shakespeare, and the English Language (ISBN 0 9535668 2 X) is available from the UK Prayer Book Society.
Speed-the-Plow is the title of David Mamet's play. It comes from the 15th century phrase in a work song that goes "God speed the plough", which is a prayer for productivity and prosperity.?æ
Edward Winckley has written: 'The Great Healer's prayer' -- subject(s): Lord's prayer, Spiritual healing 'Healing venture' -- subject(s): Mental healing
Both Atira and Sona mean prayer.
Prayer is the verbal form of worship. So prayer is only meaningless when the person does not find meaning in prayer.
prayer
Prayer or Worship
As opposed to the liturgy: I make up a prayer by myself on the spot vs. praying a memorized or written prayer. My church does spontaneous prayer.
Edward W. H. Vick has written: 'Our Lord's prayer' -- subject(s): Lord's prayer, Meditations 'The Adventists' dilemma' -- subject(s): Adventists, Doctrines, Seventh-Day Adventists
orison means prayer.
The meaning of Indonesia word Salat in English is bowing, homage, worship, prayer.
To worship, to offer a prayer
Amen
Yashna is a Sanskrit term for "prayer".