The One Word Prayer

By Harriett Meeker
December 18, 2022
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Greeley, CO

The sounds of Christmas are ringing bells, joyful carols, and ho-ho-hoing Santas. But another softer sound can become a one-word prayer, an ushering in of inner calm and “peace on earth” for you this season.

It may have been one on the first sounds the infant Jesus heard from Mary and Joseph on that Christmas night as they “wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger.” After all, how many mothers in every language, land, and time have soothed their baby’s cries with a low and comforting one word prayer of “shhhh?”

How often did the Lord’s parents cradle him with a long, soft “shhhh” in the first hours of his life? As they showed him off to the visiting shepherds? When they trekked into Jerusalem eight days later to present their child in the temple and name Him as they’d been instructed? Did Simeon pacify Jesus’ cries with that single syllable of a one-word prayer?

We can’t know, of course, but it is easy to imagine. And it is so easy to turn it into a simple one-word prayer, especially when the stress mounts. It can be a balm among all the tumult. Or a prayer to God, a prayer for the tranquility of Christ to rule in your heart. It can even be a gentle stop sign of sorts, a spiritual hand to hold up against the noise, a way of saying, “Please, be still.”

Try quietly uttering this prayer as you enter God’s house for worship. When you lay your head on your pillow after a long hard day. As you let the phone go to voicemail, because you—just can’t.

You may even try using this prayer during your daily routine, as you walk the dog, or drop into your favorite chair and open your Bible. Let it subdue your racing mind, steady your breathing, slow your heartbeat. Offer it to all the distractions that tend to crowd out the beauty of the season, and the presence of the Lord. Shhhh!