Reliance, a prayer in the face of insecurity (CCAR 1923)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Unknown and Central Conference of American Rabbis [CCAR]

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6 March 2026 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

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20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., ביתחון bitaḥon, English vernacular prayer, teḥinot in English

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	Say among the nations: ‘The Lord reigneth.’ The world also is established; it cannot be moved. (Psalms 96:10)
	For ever, O Lord, Thy word standeth fast in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations; Thou hast established the earth and it standeth. They stand this day according to Thine ordinances; for all things are Thy servants. Unless Thy law had been my delight, I should have perished in mine affliction. I have seen an end to every purpose; but Thy commandment is exceeding broad. (Psalms 119:89-96)
	The fruits of reliance are: The repose of the heart, being freed from worldly worry; peace from agitation of the soul; and freedom from grief at the non-fulfillment of material desires. Thus can man live on earth in serenity, confidence and peace. (adapted from Baḥya ibn Pekuda’s Ḥovot haLevavot, Introduction to “Gate of Trust)
	Let this verse never depart from thy lips: “The Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our high tower’ (Psalms 46:12); nor this verse: “The Lord of Hosts, happy is the man who trusteth in Him” (Psalms 84:13). (Yerushalmi Berakhot 5.1.5, abbreviated)
	How easily do we become panic stricken! When some of the joys we seek elude us, when some plans in which we had trusted end in failure, when friends upon whom we have relied prove untrustworthy, then suddenly a sense of insecurity overpowers us. The whole world seems to grow uncertain. Nothing ,tangible, nothing secure remains. We begin to see that wealth, no matter how strongly entrenched and seemingly impregnable, is suddenly swept away. Strong nations whose might seemed endless, weaken and fall. Nothing seems firm, nothing eternal. The rock upon which we builded our house of life proves to be treacherous sand. We lean upon our house, it does not stand.
	Trust in the Lord at all times. The Lord is the Rock of Ages. When the mountains move into the heart of the seas, He alone endures. Nations come into being. They plan and scheme to conquer the earth. The Lord bringeth to naught the councils of rulers. Nations return into the darkness under His rebuke, but the words of His mouth are for all generations. His purposes endure.
	When under the stress of successive disappointments, human friendships seem to grow insecure, when life seems joyless and loveless, when to our harrassed spirits it may seem that even father and mother have forsaken us, then this truth still remains: We can put our trust in His comfort and help. His mercy and His love endure for ever.
	Eternal One, who changest not though all else vanish, from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art the same. We it is who vacillate and change. Like careless children we often forget Thee, and go astray after vain things that are of no avail. We put our reliance in the power of our arms, they weaken. We trust in our wealth, it disappears. We build upon might and power, they vanish. Then we sit upon the barren ground, amid the ruins of our world, desolate and forsaken.
	O Eternal Father, we have gone astray. We have wandered away from the Fountain of Living Waters, into the desert of illusions. Bring us back to Thee. Teach us to trust in Thee alone, to rely upon Thy purposes, and to seek Thy love. Fortify us against the disappointments of the world. Put into our hearts the unshakable confidence, that though the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, Thy love and help will never depart from us, and never wilt Thou annul Thy covenant of peace. Amen.

“Reliance” is the twenty-first prayer found in ברכה ותהלה Blessing and Praise: A Book of Meditations and Prayers for Individual and Home Devotion (CCAR 1923), pp. 74-76. Unfortunately, we do not yet know of a resource providing clear attribution of authorship for any of the prayers in this volume.

Source(s)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

Unknown

Sometimes the best we can do in attributing a historical work is to indicate the period and place it was written, the first prayer book it may have been printed in, or the archival collection in which the manuscript was found. We invite the public to help to attribute all works to their original composers. If you know something not mentioned in the commentary offered, please leave a comment or contact us.

Central Conference of American Rabbis [CCAR]

The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada.

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)

Reliance, a prayer in the face of insecurity (CCAR 1923)

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