February 4 Prayer
“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, For my hope is in him. Pour out your heart to him… Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him to act.” Ps.62:5,Ps.37:7 When you approach God what kind of being are you coming to? On Mt.Sinai Moses met God as a blazing fire, and the sound of his voice was too loud to bear that the people would beg it to stop. And now we read In Hebrews there is the better word. The sound of Jesus, his voice calling us to come. For all to come. No exclusion, But an invitation to come truly as you are. Come and be purified in a fire that burns away our glittering images that we uphold, our addictions and attachments that we hold too dear out of order our desires We come to the one who has sprinkled us clean Giving us a clean conscience To receive what is life giving to our souls Forgiveness, peace and reconciliation Come now to the life giving beauty of God Do not fear him Bring to him your complete self Jesus makes a way Forgive yourself Make peace there with your enemies Fears, false images, all that robs you from a full life of joy. Follow the better way The blessed way The way of wholeness and peace The with-God life He is for you Not against you Listen to his voice Come to love Come to life~ ‘Lord Jesus we come Just as we are Sprinkle us now and fill us overflowing With your love and presence Make us whole, complete beings, true to ourselves and true to you May we go out with joy and spread your love Always returning Coming back to you.’ Amen Hebrews 12:18-24 February 3 Prayer
To walk the way of blessing is to make the way for peace. Sometimes that leads to a valley of humiliation, and the crucible of humiliation is found there. Trouble and trials will come And when they do we must trust in God Who makes a way for peace In us, with each other and with him. Shalom,means Wholeness, Healing our lame ways, our sins and struggles with weakness. God is our Faithful father who loves us And wants the best for us. He is not a hands off parent but one who cares about the outcome. So no wonder the writers in Hebrews and James tell us that discipline and correction is actually good for us. A training so to speak, that transformation of character may take place. That Peace may find a way in us. ‘So fully embrace correction when it comes For it will bring a harvest of righteousness and peace if you yield to it.’ ‘Accept whatever happens to you, in periods of humiliation be patient. For in fire gold is tested.’ Pause to offer exactly what you are feeling with the troubles and trials you are facing. Embrace it and allow his presence of peace to fill you now. ‘So let us strive for peace with everyone,moving toward God, on his path that is made straight before us. See that no one is deprived of grace and no bitterness springs up in you.’ May we make a way for peace and see his divine healing come. The way of blessing is the way of peace. “We choose Shalom today and say yes to You,Our loving Father, who will lead us in this blessed way. We place our full trust in You today Have your way of peace in us we pray.” Amen Hebrews 12:4-14, Jam.1:2-7, Sirach 2:1-6 February 2 Prayer
‘Peace be with you” These were some of the last words Jesus spoke to his followers. They were afraid and hiding behind locked doors. Jesus stands there in the middle of the room, He stands here with us now. In the middle of our rooms of fear, in hiding from what could happen, the unknown. ‘Peace be with you’ Simeon an old man, had a revelation by the holy spirit to wait for the promised one. Everyday he is waiting, looking and when Jesus comes he embraces him, holds him close to his chest and says, ‘I have enough’ then he speaks a blessing and raises the child up for the whole world to receive. ‘Peace be with you.’ Receive the Christ who is enough. Let him come into you and be enough for you. Let him be your peace in every place you hide. Let him bring his graceful light to heal the darkness in you. Seek Him and Hold onto him until his light fills your empty longing soul and let his peace radiate forth to walk this blessed way. Make peace with him now as you pray; Father who loves me, Jesus who is always with me, Holy Spirit, I receive your revelation today. Come fill every empty place in the rooms of my heart in the recesses of my hidden self. I ask for wholeness now, to receive your peace, your very presence. I crave you, embrace you, and let you become a part of me. “‘Everything is yours, my entire will and all that I call my own, do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace for that is enough for me.” (Ignatian prayer) May we all walk in the blessed way of peacemaking within ourselves and with our world. Peace be with you! Amen Jn.20:19-21, Lk 2:25-35, Ps.24:1-6 February 1 Prayer
We are made complete, made whole, made perfect through faith. It is not a lonely faith but one that rides on the wings of those who have gone before us. A faith that raises us above the darkness giving a power to climb the unfathomable mountain, and to walk through the deep valleys- There is a wholeness and a place of peace that we are invited into. We are never alone on this journey. “The Lord gives his people strength The Lord blesses them with peace.” Where do you need strength and wholeness? Where do you desire to see peace in your soul and in the world? let this blessing of peace rest upon you today. Let it become your strength and a way forward into wholeness. Joining in with all the peacemakers that have gone before you to make a way for you to walk Lord, may the door open wide for us to enter in and take hold of the ribbon of peace laid out before us. May we extend this ribbon of peace to the ones who come after us. To the ones who are fractured and desperate to be made whole. We give to you our weakness, inadequacy and fear and trust in the faith and power that you give to us anew each day. May we climb into God, the only true place of peace, so we too may become peacemakers. Peace dwellers who find completeness there in oneness, being made whole. May we receive the blessing from the ones who have gone before us and the ones who journey with us now. Free us up to become so complete in you, O Lord, that we may carry a faith not for ourselves alone but might our very own shadows be cast for the ones yet to follow and find the perfect way of peace.’ Amen Hebrews 11:32-40, Ps.29:11,Eph.2:14 |