My cynical side comes out whenever I watch Hollywood celebrities sing carols on Christmas Specials. Do they have a clue when they sing the lyrics, “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, Hail the Incarnate Deity.” I react similarly when I hear well-known entertainers sing “The Prayer.” I get that it’s an evocative song with stirring lyrics, but do they believe what they sing? God only knows! “The Prayer” was originally written for the soundtrack of a children’s musical, “The Magic Sword—Quest for Camelot.” In the film, mother (Lady Juliana) sings a prayer as her daughter (Kayley) rides off to the Forbidden Forest in search of the Magic Sword. Later, it was reworked into a duet sung by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. “The Prayer” was written by David Forbes and Carol Bayer Sager in 1997. Carol, a long-time songwriter, said, “It was my favorite lyrics.” Then she added, “Safety is what I’ve been searching for all my life.”
Safety is a universal human quest. We all want to be safe. The song repeats the line three times, “Give us faith so we’ll be safe.” We have no ironclad guarantees that nothing bad will ever happen to us, but we are assured in Scripture that we are safe in God’s care. The Psalms are replete with references to God’s safety, “You, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Ps. 4.8). In the words of Proverbs, “Whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Prov. 29.25).
The Prayer
I pray you’ll be our eyes, And direct us where to go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know.
Let this be our prayer
As we go our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe.
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.