The Handling of My Hand

As I go off to work again this morning, I want to share a prayer for the day from Esther de Waal’s book The Celtic Way of Prayer.  Part of the significance of this prayer to me is the phrase “Bless to me, O God, The handling of my hand”.  I work with my hands.  I use my hands to bring healing and repair to broken down mouths.  Often the people who come need more than just their teeth repaired.  My part in repairing broken people often seems pretty insignificant in the light of the fact that the parts that really need fixing are somewhere deep inside.  But I also believe that God can use the handling of my hands in ways beyond the superficial repair of teeth.  So God, I give you my hands again today – use them for your work. 

Bless to me, O God,

My soul and my body;

Bless to me, O God,

My belief and my condition;

Bless to me, O God,

My heart and my speech,

And bless to me, O God,

The handling of my hand;

Strength and busyness of morning,

Habit and temper of modesty,

Force and wisdom of thought,

And Thine own path, O God of virtues,

Till I go to sleep at night;

Thine own path, O God of virtues,

Till I go to sleep this night.