Category Archives: Times of Seeking

A Prayer from the Iona Community in Scotland

You keep us waiting.
You, the God of all time,
Want us to wait for the right time in which to discover
Who we are, where we must go,
Who will be with us, and what we must do.
So, thank you…for the waiting time.

You keep us looking.
You, the God of all space,
Want us to look in the right and wrong places for signs of hope,
For people who are hopeless,
For visions of a better world that will appear among the disappointments of the world we know.
So, thank you…for the looking time.

You keep us loving.
You, the God whose name is love,
Want us to be like you –
To love the loveless and the unlovely and the unlovable;
To love without jealousy or design or threat,
And most difficult of all, to love ourselves.
So, thank you…for the loving time.

And in all this you keep us,
Through hard questions with no easy answers;
Through failing where we hoped to succeed and making an impact when we felt useless;
Through the patience and the dreams and the love of others;
And through Jesus Christ and his Spirit, you keep us.

(Prayer of the Iona Community in Scotland)

Also posted in 2011 Prayerbook, Special Times of the Year, Times of Discernment, Times of Need | Comments closed

God of the Covenant

God of the covenant,
in the mystery of the cross you promise everlasting
life to the world.
Gather all peoples into your arms,
and shelter us with your mercy,
that we may rejoice in the life we share in your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

—Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

http://www.anglican.ca/lent/

Also posted in 2011 Prayerbook, Special Times of the Year, Times Together | Comments closed

A Prayer for the Gift of Understanding

Lord Jesus Christ, grant me the gift of understanding. Help me to understand the feelings of others, the desires of others, the goals of others. At the same time, help me to understand myself in my actions and reactions. Widen my vision beyond my own small world to embrace with knowledge and love the worlds of others. Help me, Lord, to always see you at work in my own life and in the lives of others. Bless me with insight, acceptance and love that is tempered by you who are all things to all men. Help me to understand, Lord. Amen.

http://www.2heartsnetwork.org/love.htm

Also posted in 2011 Prayerbook, Special Times of the Year, Times of Need | Comments closed

Come to Me

COME TO ME with all your weaknesses: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Rest in the comfort of My Presence, remembering that nothing is impossible with Me.

Pry your mind away from your problems so you can focus your attention on Me. Recall that I am able to do immeasurably more than all you ask or imagine. Instead of trying to direct Me to do this and that, seek to attune yourself to what I am already doing.

When anxiety attempts to wedge its way into your thoughts, remind yourself that I am your Shepherd. The bottom line is that I AM taking care of you; therefore, you needn’t be afraid of anything. Rather than trying to maintain control over your life, abandon yourself to My will. Though this may feel frightening—even dangerous, the safest place to be is in My will.

Luke 1:37; Ephesians 3:20-21; Psalm 23:1-4
By: Sarah Young-Jesus Calling Devotions
Submitted by: Angela Brown Meadors, Saint Louis University Medical Center

Also posted in 2011 Prayerbook, Times of Need | Comments closed

For Undeserved Deliverance from Self-Inflicted Wounds

Joshua! Joshua! Save me!
Reach down your pierced hand
And lift me from the maelstrom,
Or come and hold me in its midst.

I’ve heard of your great love and mercy.
Let those I love see you with me.
Though I have brought this upon myself,
I hear that you may help and love me.

Your love and mercy stand forever.
I believe. Have mercy on me
As I crash against the rocks,
While those I love look on.

Do not despise those I love.
They are awed by my offenses
As your law stirs fear within them.
Therefore they are stricken still.

Joshua, restore me to them,
For you offer restoration and reconciliation.
Heal the wounds I’ve inflicted on myself,
And blot out my transgressions forever. Amen.

by Michael David Elam

Also posted in 2011 Prayerbook, Times of Need | Comments closed