Keep me from bitterness. It is so easy
To nurse sharp bitter thoughts each dull dark hour!
Against self-pity, Man of sorrows, defend me,
With Thy deep sweetness and Thy gentle power.
And out of all this hurt of pain and heartbreak
Help me to harvest a new sympathy
For suffering human kind, a wiser pity
For those who lift a heavier cross with Thee…
Amen.
Anonymous
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Prayer Book 1944
From “Endowed by Their Creator”: A Collection of Historic American Military Prayers 1774-Present
