In God Makes the Rivers to Flow; An Anthology of the World’s Sacred Poetry & Prose, Eknath Easwaran includes a selection from Hazrat Inayat Khan entitled “Prayer for Peace.”  I’ve written the following poem-like reflections inspired by this selection.

Send Us Thy Peace

Send us Thy peace, O Lord,

            that our lives may become a divine vision,

            and in Thy light all darkness may vanish.

—Hazrat Inayat Khan

The world is in turmoil.

The coronavirus spreads.

People are dying.

We are told to stay at home, keep our distance from friends, neighbors, strangers.

The economy is in decline.

Unemployment soars.

The borders are closed.

International flights are cancelled.

People are talking about blocking the state lines.

Restaurants are closed.

Bars are closed.

Salons are closed.

Parks are closed.

Schools are closed.

Colleges and universities have sent their students home.

The president blames the Chinese.

Conspiracy theories arise on all sides.

States are declared disaster areas.

National guard is deployed.

The news is dark.

The future is bleak.

We expect this crisis to last a while.

There is no end in sight.

We live in fear.

We need your peace, O Lord, more than ever.

We need your peace in our hearts.

We need your peace radiating out from our hearts.

We need your peace to guide our actions.

We need your peace to guide our words.

We need your peace to find satisfaction with what we have,

what is truly important,

and release our need for what we do not have.

We need your peace so in this darkness we experience your bliss,

we experience your joy,

we experience your presence.

We need your peace to endure our trials and tribulations,

to tolerate our difficulties,

to remind us that your grace is sufficient for us all.

We need your peace to transform our lives,

so that we may be bearers of your light,

so that your light may shine in the darkness revealing eternal beauty.

We need your peace so that in this time of separation,

we may realize the unity beneath it all,

we may recognize our oneness with every being on the earth,

and we may join together, working as one

so that health and safety may reign throughout the world.