Loving Father, who made this earth so fair; open our eyes to see its wonders and our hearts to feel its beauty. In our days of refreshment and recreation draw us nearer to you through the things which you have made.
May the joy of your sunshine, the quiet of your forests, the murmur of your streams, and the steadfast strength of your everlasting hills teach us the deep secret of your peace.
Calm our fretful spirits. Deepen the current of our shallow lives. Renew in us faith and courage, physical strength, and spiritual vision, that we may know ourselves to be safely held in your strong hands, and may joyfully conform our lives to Your great purposes. From this life, so near to nature’s heart may we drink in new strength to help us reach others.
Give us your secret, and the power to share it with others; that we may return to the world and its duties stronger, simpler, and wiser; and may become more worthy messengers of the one who saw His Father’s goodness in the sparrow’s flight, and His Father’s love in the beauty which clothes the lilies of the field. Amen.
-Hugh L. Burleson