In her uplifting book, Prayer in the Night, Tish Warren shares reflections on each phrase of a prayer from the Compline service of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. The various intercessions seek God's work amid a variety of human difficulties: loneliness, illness, weariness, even dying. She offers a foundation for the prayer and all constructive faith as she writes,
“If this Compline prayer walks us slowly through a long, dark night, this last line- "and all for your love's sake. Amen." -is the glint of sun rising in the East. The unshakable reality of love breaks across the shadows of vulnerability and death, and we see that this prayer can only be prayed if there is a God who loves us. We weep because we can lament to one who cares about our sorrow. We watch because we believe that Love will not abandon us. We work because God is restoring the world in love. We can sleep because God governs the cosmos out of love. Every sickness can be transformed by love. When we're weary, we are given rest because we are loved. Love meets us even in death, bearing blessing. In our suffering, we are comforted by Love. In affliction, God dwells with us in love. And every joy in life flows freely from the deep source of God's love.” (p 165, my italics for emphasis; Photo by K. Roller on unsplash.com)
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