A man of peace and of prayer.

I remember hearing the name "Dag Hammarskjöld", but confess I knew little about him until I ran across this lovely prayer and was prompted to learn a bit more about him.

Hammarskjöld was called “the greatest statesman of our century" by President John F. Kennedy. He served as the second Secretary General of the United Nations and gained a reputation as a peacemaker. He is the only person who has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously; he died in a plane crash in 1961 at the age of 59. If the sentiments he expressed in this prayer helped to shape his life, I can understand why he gained a reputation as a man of faith and a man of peace.

You who are over us,

You who are one of us,

You who are also within us,

May all see you in me also.

May I prepare the way for you,

May I thank you for all

that shall fall to my lot,

May I also not forget the needs of others.

Give me a pure heart-that I may see you.

A humble heart-that I may hear you,

A heart of love-that I may serve you,

A heart of faith-that I may abide in you. Amen.

- Dag Hammarskjøld