A voice in the storm
My wheezing computer was not quite up to the job this morning, so I read a book over breakfast instead of going online. In this particular instance it probably did me more good. It took me back over 1000 years to August 10 991 where a local army commander in Essex faced an invasion force of Vikings across the River Blackwater. By all accounts he was a giant of a man, and when he was invited to pay tribute to the invaders and avoid a battle he boomed across the water :‘do you hear, pirate army, what this army says? They will give you spears as a tribute’. In the end the invaders were turned back, but Byrhtnoth and many others lost their lives. When the giant lay dying on the field of battle he was a giant no more, and prayed the following prayer:
I give thanks to thee, God of the nations
For all the benefits I have met with in this world
Now I have, merciful God, the greatest need
That you should grant my spirit favour
That my soul might journey to thee
Into your keeping, prince of angels
May journey in peace
When we are laid low by sickness or injury, even the most giant among us feels very small. Those who have once had a giant voice to shout in the face of adversity can find they are left with little more than a whisper. When that moment comes, what matters is what we say with the whisper. Today I am grateful for inspiration from a an army commander in Essex over a millennium ago who points us in the right direction.
Image of Byhtnoth by thenorthernrealms.blogspot.com
