Isaiah prays through misery

 

The prophet Isaiah had a close relationship with God but agonized over his own mistakes and the corruption around him. No matter how bad things seemed, however, Isaiah acknowledged the power of the Lord God and remained faithful.

 

Isaiah 6:5 – a prayer of Isaiah from the King James Version (KJV)

 

Then said I,

Woe is me!

 

for I am undone;

because I am a man

of unclean lips,

 

and I dwell in the midst

of a people of unclean lips:

for mine eyes have seen

the King,

the Lord of hosts.

 

From the Book of KJV Prayers - actual prayers from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) collected by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019 

 

Isaiah 6:5 – a prayer of Isaiah in contemporary English

 

It’s no use! It’s over!

I’m doomed!

 

I’m so sinful,

even my lips are filthy,

and I live among

such foul-mouthed people!

 

And yet, somehow

my eyes have recognized

You, the King –

You, the Lord of Hosts,

You, the Commander

of Heaven’s Armies.

 

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations and paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

…

God sees needs before we seek

When the poor and needy seek water,
and no water can be found,

and thirst clings like silence to the tongue,
I the LORD will response.

I the God of Israel will not forsake My people.

I will cause rivers to run on barren heights
and fountains to flow from low plains.

I will hand water to the wilderness
and springs of water to dry land.

I will bring forth cedar, acacia, myrtle,
and olive trees, and in the desert,

I will set cypress, plane trees, and pines,
so all may see and know,
consider and find
the hand of the LORD.

The Holy One of Israel
(the Creator God)
will still create.

© 2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase poem from Isaiah 41:17-20