I Say a Little Prayer

I Say a Little Prayer 

As a child, I remember Dionne Warwick and her silky, smooth voice singing, “I Say a Little Prayer” written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.  It has a great melody, and the music is  perfect for choreography.  I put on a pretty great show in front of the long mirror as I sang along to the 45rpm  (Yeah, I said it!) with the addition of the earth-moving choreography.  No doubt, Carol Burnett would call and ask me to be on her show. When I figured out that she had invited Dionne Warwick instead, I was happy.  Dionne had done all the work and deserved the spot.  

Fast forward to 2020.  I still love Dionne Warwick and her silky, smooth voice singing, “I Say a Little Prayer.”  In fact, as I get out of bed after a night of peaceful and/or restless sleep, literally, I say a little prayer.  My prayers are short and to the point and may include: “Help me, Lord;”  “Okay, God-up and at ‘em!;” “ Allllllrighty!  Let’s find something good about today!”;  and  “Lord, I got this!”  Then there are those days that the prayers begin like this:  “Oh, Lord.  What day is it?”; “God, I just cannot;” “Lord God, Almighty.  Will it ever get better?”; and my least  favorite  petition-“God, why are so many people hurting?” 

My guess is there are a lot of prayers coming from people right now as their homes have been destroyed through fires and fierce storms.  My guess is there are a lot of prayers coming from people who have suffered the loss of loved ones through needless violence because of the color of their skin.  Then there are the prayers of people who have been affected by Covid-19  that are being evicted from their homes because they have no income to pay rent or buy food for their family.  Health care and needed medicines?  I think you know the answer.   

It seems that we are in shambles right now, and when you don’t know of anything else to do, you pray.  Prayer brings us together so that we can make a difference to help people who are unable to help themselves during such trying times.  Prayer leads us to ACTION.  So when I hum or sing along with “I Say a Little Prayer,” my prayer really is “I Say a Little Prayer for YOU”-second person plural.  Then I follow with what am I going to do today to make a difference?!?!?!? 

Together, we are strong.  Together, we support each other.  Together, we help those that are in dire straights.   Together, we will stand. 

Musically yours, and always saying a little prayer for you,

Becky Jones-Worship and Music Coordinator