When the World Goes Quiet
When midnight’s sirens haunt the troubled air,
And distant wars upon our lanterns gleam,
The weary world bows down in silent prayer,
As shadows gather thick as sorrow’s dream.
The trembling earth beneath dark heavens sighs,
Where smoke and grief like mourning veils ascend;
Yet still a whisper through the tempest cries—
A voice of mercy calling hearts to bend.
For when proud nations thunder loud with might,
And restless souls forget the path of peace,
The faithful kneel beneath the watchful night,
And find in humble prayer their sweet release.
The ancient saints who walked through trials of flame
Still echo through the chambers of our days:
Brave Daniel spoke the everlasting Name
While lions slumbered at his steadfast praise.
Three souls within the furnace fearless stood,
Though tyrants raged with fury cold and wild;
And Jericho’s proud walls of stone and wood
Fell trembling when God’s trumpet gently smiled.
Elijah called from Carmel’s lonely height,
And heaven’s fire fell blazing from above;
While Hannah’s tears, like stars within the night,
Were gathered in the gentle hands of love.
From Galilee’s dust-worn and humble way
To olive groves where sorrow’s cup was known,
The Son of God in agony did pray,
And bore the weight of grief not His alone.
So now when iron thunder shakes the land,
And fearful tidings blaze on glowing screens,
The soul must choose on which sure ground to stand—
The cry of war, or prayer that walks between.
Then quiet falls where faithful hearts unite,
And trembling voices rise through ash and flame;
The heavens lean to hear the broken night
That softly whispers God’s eternal Name.
For though the mountains shake and kingdoms fall,
And restless nations roar upon the sea,
The prayer of one small heart may yet move all—
And bend the gates of heaven’s mystery.
Thus peace begins where humble spirits bow,
Where weary knees upon the earth are laid;
And hope awakens in the silent now
Where faithful souls in reverence have prayed.
For when the world grows quiet in its pain,
And heaven hears the tears that softly flow,
The light of mercy breaks the night again—
And peace begins where kneeling hearts shall go.
O Sovereign Lord who formed both star and sea,
Whose breath first called the dawn from ancient night,
Incline Thine ear to hearts that bow to Thee,
And guide this wandering world toward Thy light.
Where wars divide and sorrow clouds the land,
Let mercy fall like rain upon the plain;
Give wisdom, Lord, to every ruler’s hand,
And heal the hearts grown weary in their pain.
Protect the weak, the orphan and the poor,
Lift up the souls who tremble in their grief;
Be Thou the peace no weapon can obscure,
The harbor where the storm-tossed find relief.
Let every knee in humble hope be bent
Till earth remembers where true mercy lies;
For still Thou reign’st in glory heaven-sent,
And hear’st the quiet prayers the faithful rise.
Through Christ our Lord, whose love shall never cease,
Grant unto all Thy everlasting peace.
Amen.
Written by Marguerite Grace
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verse, possies, sonnets, and short stories 