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My Prayer – 8 June 2006

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 we are told to rejoice always and to pray without ceasing. Frank and I believe that this Bible passage teaches us that prayer is much more than giving thanks for our meals or being down on our knees in prayer.

Everything that we do is to be so attuned to God’s will that it becomes a continual prayer. This is reflected in the following poem that I wrote many years ago:

My Prayer
By Mary T. Hoffman
(Written 8 October 1982)

When writing poetry, Dear Lord,
Your Presence is so near;
Or painting in my studio –
Is that your voice I hear?

Lord Jesus, guide my actions
So everyone may see,
And all my work’s a witness,
That I belong to thee.

May You be glorified
In all the work I do.
My writing and my painting,
I owe it all to You.

This ceaseless praying must also include everything that we eat, wear, and use. As far as possible, Frank and I try to live in God’s original intent as described in Genesis 1 of the Bible. With the huge variety of vegan food available today, there is no excuse for consuming any products derived from other animals.

I pray that one day soon the use of any animal-derived products will be seen as uncivilized and archaic.

Genesis 1:29-31 states:

29 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food "; and it was so.

31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

~ New American Standard Bible
 

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