August The Eighteenth

LORD, We thank Thee for Thine inward voice,
Which ever and again calleth us away from the clamor and dusty strife of this life
Into the cool, quiet groves of eternity.

We thank Thee that close around us,
Ever pressing in upon our dim brains,
Is Thine eternal world, full of peace and joy.

We thank Thee that a hundred times a day
We may take refuge therein,
Feel Thy cool fingers soothing our fevered foreheads,
Look steadily into Thy quiet eyes,
Drink in unto our souls from that gaze
The strength and peace of eternity - Amen.

-- JOHN S. HOYLAND

Photograph by Gordon Parks, Life magazine archives, 1953

April The Twenty-Seventh

FATHER, The path ahead is dark,
And we know not where Thou wouldst have us to go.
Give us, oh, give us, Thy gracious guidance
And a tranquil trust in Thy love,
That we may walk forward through the gloom,
Unfaltering, fearless, and confident,
Having within us that divine light
Which maketh clear as day the darkest midnight,
Guiding the traveller who shall trust in Thee
Safe through impenetrable forests and over trackless mountains - Amen.

-JOHN S. BOYLAND