Essentials in Worship Values
I am sharing an ancient Celtic prayer collected by Alexander Carmichael (1832 - 1912) and published in his work, Carmina Gadelica (Edinburgh, Floris Books, 1992).
Growing up in the Baptist denomination, I have never been exposed to prayers such as this one. I have always been taught that our prayers should come from the heart and be spontaneous. And, while I do agree that our prayers should be heart-felt, I see great worth in memorizing and reciting prayers like the one I am attaching. After all, Jesus himself gave us a prayer to model all prayers by in the sixth chapter of Matthew.
The reason I chose this particular prayer is because I felt its content was applicable to much of what we studied in Essentials in Worship Values. The prayer is intimate. The person saying the prayer requests that God be a part of all that he says and does, his sleeping, waking and watching. It is a prayer that is full of Kingdom expectation. The person saying the prayer requests that God enfold and surround him. He asks for God to be in his hopes and in his eternity.
The prayer certainly supports a life of personal discipleship. Memorizing and praying this prayer multiple times a day would nourish the soul. External distractions and daily responsibilities would receive proper place in the life of the person asking God to be at the center of everything he does.