Praying with Poetry – Refrain

I loved co-leading a “Poetry and Prayer” retreat with Amy Scott Robinson recently at Launde Abbey, learning from Amy as she helped us to explore different forms of poetry. One of those is the biblical poetic form of the refrain, which is a wonderful way to express ourselves to God. And it’s easy to write one; I promise!

As Amy shared, what’s so wonderful about the poetry in the Psalms (ancient Hebrew poetry) is that it doesn’t depend on patterns and rhythms of words, but patterns and rhythms of ideas. It uses synonyms and antonyms, metaphors and refrains, all of which we can see in translation. Isn’t that amazing! We who aren’t able to read Hebrew don’t miss out.

A form of poetry in the Psalms is refrain—a repeated line or phrase that adds emphasis and rhythm in a poem or prayer:

Psalm 136
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

Here’s a refrain that I wrote while on the retreat with Amy (and thus I did it in a short space of time). I hope you see how the repeating of lines helps us to consider again the idea – maybe it helps us move more from the head to the heart?

From Job 1:21

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

When sorrow strikes at the season’s end:
A call to obey and relinquish…
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.

From a distance I see new gifts to welcome
while bidding the familiar farewell.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

When I led this prayer exercise recently for Coracle’s Space for God (which happens regularly on a Tuesday), I was delighted with some of the refrains shared at the end of our time together. Here’s one from Jamie:

Identity

You are all fair, my love
There is no spot in you.

Created with intention and beauty
I see the goodness of God in you
You are all fair, my love

Washed clean and made new
Clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
There is no spot in you

You are all fair, my love
There is no spot in you