Covenant Prayer

By Michael Stalcup

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     ​after John Wesley

I am no longer mine but wholly yours,
so wield me as you will: assign my rank
among the great or small; fling wide the doors
to honor or humiliation, thanks
or accusation—take my hand and lead
me through; permit me influence and fame
or have me follow you unseen and freed
from weights I cannot bear—but let your name
be glorified; spare me from suffering
or let it shape me; bless or break my plans;
extend my days or martyr me; I bring
my life into your scarred and sovereign hands.
     Whatever comes, my heart will rest content
     for you are mine—your blood my covenant.​

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Michael Stalcup is a Thai American missionary living in Bangkok, Thailand. His poems have been published in Commonweal Magazine, Ekstasis Magazine, First Things, Presence, Sojourners Magazine, and elsewhere. He co-teaches Spirit & Scribe, a workshop helping writers to integrate spiritual formation and writing craft. You can find more of his work at michaelstalcup.com.

'Covenant Prayer' first appeared in First Things. It has been republished here with the author's permission.

Michael's other work on Foreshadow:
Sometimes Mercy (Poetry, September 2022)

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