Wearied by the Changes and Chances of This Fleeting Life

A prayer for weary souls from The Scottish Book of Common Prayer (1929)

Profile photo for Ryan Wentzel
By Ryan Wentzel
March 27, 2025
Painting by Ferdinand Hodler

Prayers with the language of weariness catch my attention. Below is a striking prayer from the order for Compline (prayer before rest at the end of the day) in the The Scottish Book of Prayer (1929).

Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the silent hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting life may rest upon your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

***

Source: Adapted from The Scottish Book of Common Prayer (Edinburgh: Cambridge University Press, 1929).

The Weary Pilgrim

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Ryan writes for weary pilgrims learning to follow Jesus through the wilderness. For nearly nine years, he served as a lead pastor at a church in Escondido, California. He currently works as a chaplain with a hospice organization in San Diego.

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