I have written of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1907-1945) before. Twice, actually. I can’t help myself. There are at least two good reasons to return to his prayers. First, there is an abundance of prayers written by Dietrich during his two-year imprisonment in Germany during World War II. While many of these prayers were written expressly for his fellow inmates, they also have relevance for our time. Second, Dietrich is one of my all-time spiritual heroes. His courage and tenacity to live with authentic faith in the face of monstrous evil challenges me to deeper trust. He was a Lutheran pastor during the rise of the Third Reich in Germany. He resisted the Nazi takeover of the German Evangelical Church and eventually was sent to prison for his part in the resistance movement. He was held in various prison cells and concentration camps from 1943-1945 before his execution by the Nazis a month before the German surrender.
One of those who corresponded with Dietrich, Eberhard Bethge, an ally in the resistance movement, compiled his Letters and Papers from Prison. Bonhoeffer maintained a lively correspondence with family and friends, despite censorship from the Nazis. Some of the letters had to be smuggled in and out of prison. He wrote faithfully to his parents, who lived this agony with him, and exchanged love letters with his fiancé Maria. He surprised even his closest friends by writing imaginative theological poems. He even drafted an outline of a book on Christianity for a postwar secular age. He speculated on the role Christianity might play in a world “come of age” that no longer needs God. Even in his darkest moments, he wrote, “Jesus is alive. I have hope.”
The following prayer was intended as a morning prayer for his fellow prisoners. This one you may want to post somewhere: