Prayer for Peace to Rain

Prayer, to me, is about service and becoming a more efficient, creative instrument of The Divine. Here is my personal testimony.

In my experience, prayer and Self-knowledge go intrinsically hand in hand, forming the bedrock of a rich, sustainable, inner life. Honed through many trials and tribulations, prayer is an integral part of my spiritual and creative practice, hard-wired into the sound of silence, the expansion of inner space and the movement and prompting of the creative spirit. Connecting to the realm of prayer reminds me to breathe in the clear, clean mountain air, drink directly from The Source and allow the noise of the busy world to drop away.

I use the power of prayer as a vehicle of praise and gratitude, an intentional way to help others and as a practical portal to access higher levels of consciousness and the world of infinite supply through which we can manifest all manner of possible things. Life is a mystery. We never know when, why or how a divine spark of creativity will strike or where an initial creative impulse will lead…

On 5^th January 2020, the American-Iranian conflict was raging, as were the Australian Bushfires. At the end of a condolence call to my friend in Adelaide, I said “We must pray for rain” and offered up a prayer to see if I could write something. that would speak to the moment. The words came swiftly:

Prayer for Peace to Rain

Pray for the rain to come again

To quench the flames and soothe the pain

Pray to unite our world entire

To stave off war and quell the fire

May healing rain and fury cease

Pray for our planet, pray for peace

Reflecting on the prayer, led to a clear, spiritual call to action, to mount and choreograph a Vigil for Our Planet around the torchlit, healing waters of The Roman Baths in Bath where I live. What better place to hold this timely, spiritual gathering than in a historic site, with a sacred spring in the heart of a beloved World Heritage City? The event would be in aid of the Australian Bushfire appeal. I hesitated to take on such a major undertaking, but it was the words of Greta Thunberg “Our planet is burning” that compelled me to commit and do all I possibly could to realise this wonderful vision.

The Vigil for Our Planet was duly dedicated to our children and our children’s children – a call to action to people of all faiths and none to stand together as one. Date and time: 8^th March, International Women’s Day, 8.00-9.00 pm.

Organising the event was a deep act of faith and it was prayer that gave me the courage and strength to dare to walk forward into the unknown, trusting that my hand was held in the unseen world and that I was being guided in my mission at each step. The project was blessed with a groundswell of generosity and warm-hearted community support from my friends, sponsors, volunteers, musicians, performers and ongoing prayer throughout from the Benedictines at Prinknash Abbey in Gloucestershire.

On the night. we were a reflective, prayerful gathering of around eighty people, quietly holding the light in the magical setting of The Roman Baths. The programme of words, music and silence included a Maori water prayer, Prayer for Peace to Rain set to music and sung by a local duo, Sinnober, and the work of two Australian poets, one a member of the Aboriginal community and another who evacuated his home due to the bushfires in New South Wales. At a practical level, the vigil raised over £1,000 in donations, proceeds going to the World Wildlife Fund and the British Red Cross.

I invite you to stand with me in praying for peace to rain and holding the vision of a global Vigil for Our Planet. Who will carry the torch next? Every single vigil, however small, will help to build the dream and help create a better, brighter world for ourselves, our loved ones and the treasured generations yet to come.

Lizzie Davies

Lizzie Davies is a committed change agent and innovator who has been actively involved in promoting peace through the arts for over twenty five years. She is a writer and performance poet and the originator of the Candala, an illuminated art form to light up our world. A trauma survivor, she is passionate about the power of beauty and the creative spirit to overcome unimaginable loss and suffering and has just completed writing a self-help book on her unique practice of resilience training.