Bowstring Prayer

these are flight of the bumblebee rhythm days

and our arms are getting tired

but all we can feel is our passion for the music

the beauty of painting You in new ways

and inspiring others to do the same

a simple bowstring prayer

in my frenzied fatigue

Let us keep our eyes so fixed on You

so that our arms forget to be tired

and the melody of You takes over

and our toes even start to tap

For You are the true innovator

the giver of all inspiration

and the writer of our melody

let it all be for the glory of You.

"Work. Prayer. As with all life, it is a rhythm; tension, release; tension, release. Work, discipline, obedience; pull the bowstring taut, and then let go . . . The balance of the tension and release is somewhat like that of a violin; the strings must be taut before they will play, but if they are not released, they will break . . . The balance is, as always, delicate. We seldom find the center. We are constantly falling off one side of the other. But the center is always there, waiting for us to discover it . . . It is another of those things which does not belong in the realm of do-it-yourself. But it does make a difference. It is part of my becoming Christian--for it is never fait accompli; it is always a becoming." Madelaine L'Engle, Walking on Water

"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." Romans 8:26