Prayers to calm my racing mind

This morning I woke up around 5:30. Normally, I can get back to sleep with little difficulty - especially when I have an hour left before the alarm goes off! But the last two days have been different - I wake up with my mind racing, and I can't turn it off. Yesterday morning, I tossed and turned and drifted in and out until the alarm went off. This morning, I decided to get up, and to do something that tends to fall by the wayside when things get frantic: spend some time with God in prayer.

It was tough to quiet my racing mind and just be. To help me focus, I got up and grabbed my copy of Women Pray: Voices through the Ages, from Many Faiths, Cultures, and Traditions, edited by Monica Furlong.

I love the book, but I tend to find myself drawn to the following two prayers. This morning was no exception.

The prayer has great power
Which we pray with all our strength.
It makes an embittered heart mellow,
A sad heart joyful,
A foolish heart wise,
A weak heart strong,
A blind heart clear-seeing,
A cold heard ardent.
It draws God who is great into a heart which is small.
It drives the hungry soul up to the fullness of God.
It unites the two lovers, God and soul, in a place of bliss,
Where they converse long of love
Mechthild of Magdeburg

Every day is a fresh beginning,
Listen my soul to the glad refrain.
And, spite of old sorrows
And older sinning,
Troubles forecasted
And possible pain,
Take heart with the day and begin again.
Susan Coolidge