Author Archives: Michael Summers
Prayer of a Veteran
A military veteran prays in Psalm 144. To be sure, this veteran/author may be the king (Verses 2 and 10 suggest at the least a petition on behalf of the king), but he still has trained for war and has … Continue reading
Prayer for the Abused
In Luke 4, Jesus reads in Nazareth’s synagogue from what we call chapter 61 of Isaiah. He affirms that the reading reveals his mission, that his presence and his ministry fulfills the words of the prophet. Jesus says, “The … Continue reading
When Prayer Is Ritual
Prayer sometimes is ritual. When churches pray the model prayer of Matthew 6 (also know as The Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father) as a congregation, or recite together “Hear our prayer” as responses to pre-determined prayers during a time … Continue reading
A Prayer for Courage on an Anniversary of Evil
A prayer I offered in 2012 front of an assembly from several nations in Kabul for Patriot Day (September 11): O God, Creator of all, Sustainer of life, our Refuge from disaster, we commemorate today an event that awakened a … Continue reading
Prayer As the Hurricane Approaches
The prayer of Psalm 57 concludes with praise and a statement of determination to keep singing in the midst of threatening turmoil. These words caught my attention this morning after I had been reading about the steady progress of Hurricane … Continue reading
Prayer that Pride Will Not Preclude Prayer
In Genesis chapter 4, we read about Cain murdering his brother Abel and Cain’s subsequent punishment. The chapter tells also of Cain’s descendants. Several generations later is born Lamech, whose story becomes the focal point of Cain’s genealogy. Lamech has … Continue reading
A Prayer While Weeping
This past Sunday, I started crying and for some phrases could only mouth the words of the song “Oh, How He Loves You and Me” during a worship assembly. That song was the lullaby that I sang to my middle … Continue reading
