Let’s be real here. When we’re truly struggling, it can be hard to put words to the unrest in our soul. Connecting with our Creator can feel insurmountable. In trying times, I find that I fall back on the simple repetition of a mantra, a hymn from childhood or a memorized line of scripture. When putting my struggle to words is too much, I find comfort in simple repetition.
About 15 years ago, my mom introduced me to a gentle, healing mantra—or a “songful prayer,” as my friend and coworker Angie Pierce Jennings would call it—by Stephen Iverson. It repeats the following mantra:
“Lord God, heal me.
Heal me, oh my Lord.
That I might fulfill
all your plans for me.”
My mom paired these simple words with memorable movements to turn this songful prayer into an embodied prayer, allowing us to physically move with the spirit. That embodied prayer has helped me find healing after several surgeries, through heartaches large and small, and during the grieving process after the death of my grandmother.
I invite you to listen to Stephen Iverson’s moving song here, and then consider:
What needs healing in me today?
What plans does God have for me?
How might I fulfill those plans if I were healed from whatever is holding me back?
—Andi Lewis, Prairiewoods marketing coordinator