 June 30 Prayer
1 Kings 19:11-13 On top of a great mountain In powerful God encounters His Presence is so real His Voice so clear When we do not hear and we cannot see Where do we go? There is the cave Called the heart When we draw in even There when we are hidden enshrouded with death God draws near A gentle whisper and He is there In the rise and fall of our breathing He is there In the placing of your feet upon the floor to take a step once more He is there The wind, the earth and the fire will come and go But the gentle whisper we must listen carefully for. Pause to listen to your own breathing to pray ; ‘Have your way dear Lord this day To speak and show me the way And let my eyes gaze upon your face in earthy matters that I may see your grace there. ‘When you send forth your breath, we are created, and you renew us again.’ Ps.104:30 Renew the hearts of your people we pray to breathe your gentle spirit in us today. Amen DB  June 29 Prayer
Acts 12:1-11 When you think it’s over and there is no way out of this and the doors are shut Suddenly when you least expect it there is a tap on your shoulder An extended hand to guide you up All the chains fall away to the ground that have held you bound for such a long time The gates will open up before you now Until you can realize that you are already free Because someone prayed God listens and miracles can happen~ Let us pray for the impossible today; Lord, You hear our prayers and You see the suffering of all that are held captive. In whatever challenge and situation they face today, show them the way out that you have prepared for them. May they take your hand and know your presence will guide them, heal them and provide for all that they need. Where there is fear may we take courage Where there is doubt may we receive faith. For God, You are mighty and do great wonders. May we each have this kind of faith to follow you and pray for others today. Amen DB Psalm 77:13-14  June 28 Prayer
When Jesus starts to go over to the other side of the sea the crowds begin to thin. Who will follow when the direction changes? When things are not working in the same way, in the same place. To follow a different way takes courage. It takes strength and trust. It takes love to know love. Oh Lord, May we, your people have the openness to change and be able to let go of where we are stuck. To follow you and to go where you go. It may not always be clear when the way seems undetermined. Yet there is this inner compass that your spirit provides. Pause to center your very being on his spirit of clarity in you. Praying… Lord, I will follow you wherever you go. Make my heart ready to let go of the devices that hold me down, going round and round stuck in the moment, so I may not miss the change of direction you are taking me. I pray for those that are stuck in a place of hopelessness and indecision. May a lightness come with a clear path appearing as to where you are leading. Open up the ways for us to follow more freely and trust you more completely. Wherever you go Let your love lead us and your peace keep us. Amen Matt. 8:19-22 DB  June 26 Prayer
Saturday slow down A Slow down in the fast city Autos roar above and behind me Joggers feet keep a gentle rhythm to their own hearts beat The swishing of ebikes passing by above the harbor Birds fly in their predestined v formation leading the way for others to follow Tanned brown skins walking small black dogs People walking with backpacks and phones and carts to carry their goods back home A mother with babe swaddled tightly in her front pack A little child in a blue green jumper running on wobbly legs A parade of humanity passing me by There in the slow down I see Jesus In the faces and in the races In the skyscrapers reaching high into the heavens until you can no longer see them We are all passing by Someone we are Somewhere we will be This moment is a gift wherever you are And if you look into the eyes of the passer by you may see another for the first time Like the woman reaching to touch the hem of his garment There may be the one reaching out to you to take a second glance letting your eyes meet in the slow down Today, May we look with compassion upon the world that Jesus lives in. DB  June 25 Prayer
There are promises waiting to be fulfilled in all of us God promises They will not fail us. They will come in impossible situations, In the wilderness and the desert They will come out of hard rocks and crumbled down ruins. Just when you think it is over and your thirst overwhelms you A pool of water appears to drink from God is the one who will keep his word We are the ones who will walk before him Blameless In our failings and in our doubts, in our shame and unbelief We come we keep on walking And looking.. Let the truth of who you know God to be rise up within you Take his hand and let him restore your faith To see his promises are true, that your inheritance will last forever. ‘You will not be disgraced in the hard times for you will have more than enough Day by day he will look after you Your Sounds of grief will turn into songs of thanks The wilderness and wastelands will become His gardens and eden returns Comfort, joy and gladness will be found there.’ Ps.37:18-19, Is.51:1-3 Rest here to pray; Lord, I give to you all that is inside of me right now concerning my future and my past . I say I believe but I need you to comfort my heart in the places of grief To restore what has been taken away from me. Help me to walk before you once again Without the shame of doubt but with an open heart full of hope and thanks to see your promises fulfilled in me. May I see those around me that are hurting in the wastelands of life and offer them some of the water you have given me to drink. Point them to the source of your living water that will never run out. To see that your promises of greatness is to be birthed in everyone, When we believe. Lord, we believe! Amen DB Gen.17:1-2,15-22, Gen. 21:14-19  June 24 Prayer
‘Christ has no body now on earth but yours.’ St. Teresa of Avila This phrase stunned me the first time I heard it. It still does. I’m a nobody that becomes a somebody with eyes that he sees from with feet in which he walks and with hands in which he blesses the world. A nobody that is a somebody a name called when being formed in a dark womb For something for someone To be given Something beautiful made from dust Insignificant turned into a greatness becoming light for the way. Christ has no body now on earth but yours. You are his treasured possession Formed to be given away As he was Only now you get to walk this way with him In you. Breathe in, deeply this spirit of life as you humbly hold the image of Christ breathing in you. Pray… ‘May my eyes see as you see, My heart to feel what you feel May my hands and feet be given to light the way into your light. Lead me, Lord Jesus, speak blessings through me today. Let me not return to thinking and acting as if I was nobody. Let your light shine through my words, my acts and my heart to love you more and allow you to give me away as your body. Christ in me the hope of your glory In Jesus We pray’ Amen DB Is.49:1-6,ps.119:91  June 23 Prayer
A blessing for when you make it God sees and hears and cares When you make it to the top of the mountain He is there Look around Look far Look behind you He was there all the time guiding your every step Look for the Lord and find his strength Continually seek him Remember his wonders, his justice The commitment he has made with you When you make it to the top Remember this feeling, This consolation, When the darkness of uncertainty returns Remember that he sees, he cares and he knows what to do. Remember his promise ‘I am with you always,’ remember to have sure footsteps to climb this mountain again. Praying, Thanks be to You our God You never deprive your guidance for those who you set firm on the foundation of your love. Set us firm Lord Set us sure So we may lead the way for others to climb with you. Amen DB Psalm 27:4,8-9 Ex.2:23-3:4  June 22 Prayer
When the journey is too much for you Sometimes life comes in swirls. Everything can seem to be too much. You miss the momentary delights when the clouds are gloomy, when the fog closes in around you- Then comes an angel to touch you, that tells you to get up and eat.’ May this blessing come upon you to inspire you. May you recapture your soul with a time to nourish and with time to eat at his table. Let all that gloom and worry dissipate as a light starts to break through. Let the gentle rain of grace fall upon you as morning dew. There are new possibilities ahead of you even through the journey is a long one, and we really do not know what it will entail. May this blessing of hope cause you to rejoice. May the blessing of endurance sustain you through affliction. May Prayer give your heart the preservation that you need. And the awe of God is your inspiration for the journey. We walk not this journey alone. You may suddenly feel the touch of an angel in the least places that you did not expect. We pray; ‘Thanks be to Jesus, the Son who is always by our side, To The Father who is for us and the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.’ Amen Peace and grace to you today. DB 1King 19:7-9, Rom.12:12-18  June 21 Prayer
‘Go, leave your home, that which has become a familiar place and follow where I lead you… There I will make your name great and you will become a blessing.’ Gen.12:1-9 Trusting God fully means going into the unknown and sometimes it is in the uncomfortable places where he leads us. Sometimes we are required to climb a mountain to get over our stubborn ways of thinking. Who can go there? ‘The clean of hands and pure of heart, shall climb the mountain of the Lord and stand in his holy place.’ Ps.24:3-5 What feels and looks like a mountain to you right now? Sit there a while and allow God’s presence to meet you. Praying... “Lord, You are with me here at the bottom of the mountain and I believe that you will lead the way to climb. We trust you now to renew our minds and make our hearts pure so we may truly see you going ahead of us. We ask for clear eyes and sure footedness to follow. When we are falling behind we look for your extended hand pulling us onward. May we be quick to listen today and not judge our brother or sister along the way. Keep us close to you Jesus, The Holy Spirit is our guide map and compass. Till we reach the top where a new vista opens up before us, where we reach your holy place of acceptance and peace. Make us a blessing and hope for our world. Give us the wisdom, power and authority to pray, your kingdom come and renew the face of the earth. Amen. DB  June 19 Prayer
Saturday Slow Down ‘He gives rest to the weary’ I did not realize how in need I am of rest until I sank into another hour of sleep. The sea is blanketed with the white morning fog and I can rest comfortably here. No need to chase after the sun. It will appear at the appointed time. So must I Today I will not rush. I will arrive at the planned events but not in a hurried state. I will take another drink from the cup of living water for my soul. Drink deeply into every fiber of my being. Today I will be ruthless about eliminating hurry from my life.* I will allow and accept and attend to the presence of being. I ask the Holy Spirit to be my guide, take my hand and restrain me from rushing too fast. I pray… Protect us, cover us and comfort us with your presence to give us a lightness and joy in seeking the kingdom of God. May we taste and see the goodness of the Lord, the treasure before us, the gift of being with one another. May we find rest on an unhurried day. Amen DB Ps.34, Matt.6:33, Jerm.31:25 *Dallas Willard |