 September 30 Prayer
“Comfort the discouraged, Encourage those who are weak, be patient with everyone. See to it that’s no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.”1Thess.5:14-15 When life is hard and everything is not alright who do you turn to? How do you hold the unanswered questions ? The psalmist cries out; “.... with my morning prayer I wait upon You .Why, O Lord do you reject me, why hide from me your face? Our God does not become weary of hearing our cries. He is patient with the weak and longs to comfort his children. He is not threatened by our questions and lack of understanding.. We say I will follow you, Jesus, wherever you go. But when we make mistakes and fail where do we run to, away or closer to him? Stop and receive his grace in the place of your mistakes as we pray and receive a blessing from his word today. Lord,we confess our mistakes in looking back to what we had and the way we expect things to go. We want to do all things for the love of God and not for the love of ourselves. Help us to see the illusions that we are holding unto and then be able to let them go. Let us do it over again only with a greater awareness of your voice and direction. We rest in knowing you are here in the middle of things not going the way we desire or have planned. We look for your grace in the unexpected events that cause us to wonder. “Now May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And May your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” vs23-24 Amen  September 29 Prayer
This is one of my returning prayers from St. Ignatius when things are difficult or hard to understand. May you receive all the graces and consultation as you enter a new day. “Take lord and receive my liberty My memory , my understanding And my entire will All I have and call my own You have given all to me To you, lord I return it Everything is yours, Do with it what you will Give me only your love And your grace, That is enough For me.  September 28 Prayer
“An argument started amount the disciples, ….Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.” Welcome this child , welcome me …. Whoever is not against you is for you“.Luke 9:46-50 How could the followers of Jesus be in the middle of a dispute? Is this hard to imagine in our day and age? Thinking we are better than another, trying to be the first one heard. Why does Jesus place a child before his followers? If we could only be as a little child once again and rest in the arms of our lovingGod. To know where we have come from and trust that we have all that we need. Whatever and whoever is blocking your way from the peace of Christ, begin to release to the One that welcomes you as you welcome Him. He already knows your most intimate thoughts. Psalm 71-TPT “It is You O Lord, who are my Hope, my trust and my secure shelter. It was you who supported me from the day I was born, loving me, helping me through my life’s journey. You’ve made me into a miracle; no wonder I trust you and praise you forever! Many marvel at my success, but I know it is all because of you, my mighty protector! For you are my only hope, Lord! I’ve hung on to you, trusting in you all my life.” Everything we have is from God and everything we are we give back to Him. May we find our refuge in knowing this and trusting our life to a loving God. Let us see others not as our enemies but our allies working together for the greater good and glory of God. Lord we ask that you would free us from the chains of judgment, injustice and prejudice. Keep us safe, Give us grace to persevere in love through Jesus our peace. Renew in us a childlike heart to see the best and seek the best in ourselves and others. We welcome you in our whole beings in our imaginations and intuitions so we may trust and follow you this day. Lead us from death into life, from falsehood to truth, hate to love. Nothing will ever atop us from loving and praising you! Our hope is in You. Amen  September 26 Prayer
Psalm 46 ‘There is a river— it’s streams delight the people of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High. God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns.” There is a river within, a constantly flowing stream, a holy dwelling place to live. There He is in the midst. In the raging, stormy sea, the quaking earth. He is over all the nations. He causes wars to cease, breaks down our weapons, snaps the bows and spears that shoot arrows of hate and fear. “ Be still and know that I am God, exalted over all the earth!” “Surrender your anxiety! Stop your fighting, Be silent and cease your striving, and you will see that I am God.” vs.10 There is a river that flows within. He is within us, the river of life flow and peace-- Prayer; Here I am Lord, weak and out of control, striving against the gale force winds. I surrender to your current, to be in the stream of your design, so I may be able to take the twists and turns of the river within. Wherever it may take me, I will be still and remain inside the boat and allow you to guide me there. For you are all around me and above me and below me. I surrender my weapons, my fighting, my striving to change what I cannot change. I look for You in everything I encounter this day and find your life flow of peace within. We all pray for the storms and wars to cease. Open the eyes of the nations to see that You are God and the only source of life and peace. May we flow in your river today so that others may find you here.  September 25 Prayer
‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven….He has put a sense of past and future into their minds.’ Eccl.3:1-11 We all have been called into this world for a season,and a time with a purpose to fulfill. We each have desires and longings to see the next season unfold, a long awaited promise to be revealed. At just the right time, wait for it, look for it. Wisdom teaches that where you are now will surely pass just as that bright star left in the morning sky begins to fade and a new horizon gently appears. Look for the gift that you are to make, to give of yourself physically in the present and imaginatively in the future. And be here now, right where you are. Hold these seasons together inside of you so that you may recognize the new when it rises up to greet you. Pause to Pray; Here we are Lord, in our own individual seasons of life, work and relationships in the world. Take all that we have and all that we are as your gifts to give to the world. We give you our longings, our desires to see what is ahead and look to what is here now. Let us see what our time is for and embrace it fully this day. Show us how to be in this season of our lives and let go of stones that have been so we may gather the stones that shape our way onward. We thank you for your unique creation of humanity that expresses the trinity here on earth. May we seek you more and love you more deeply today. Amen May you each live fully alive to the glory of God!  September 24 Prayer
We arise and place our hope and trust in You , O Lord. ‘When we look to this earth what do we gain? It seems all is in vain. Everything is the same, the cycles of life with nothing new. Repetition becomes tiresome and what has been is what will be and what has been done is what will be done.’ Ecc.1:2-11 Thanks be to God that we can have a hope here now in the midst of this suffering world. God recognizes the yearning for more as He created this earth for glory. He created you to reveal His glory on this earth! Rom.8:18-21 God's ways are limitless , He never tires to make the sunrise and the sunset, doing it again and again. The stream flows into the sea as the never ending rhythm of life and death continues. Leaves falling in autumn, new sprouts bursting forth in spring. He does it again and again and there will always be something new to discover when our eyes are open to see his glory. Pause here to pray O Beautiful Creator of the universe, Would you give us a new Hope this day to see things in a new way. For that which becomes mundane may we have new energy to enter it and be with you in our doing. May we rise up and allow you to unveil your glory through us to the world around us, Help us to approach our reality with your hope. Whatever we face in our lives let us know your grace is there with strength to encounter it. May we ever hold this hope in our hearts as a gift of love from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We love you! Amen  September 23 Prayer
‘Every word, every promise from our faithful God is pure and proves to be true. He is a wraparound shield of protection for all his lovers who run to hide in him. Never add to his words, or try to second guess them or he will show up your lies.’ Pr.30:5-6 God’s word is true and will last forever. All things fade away, the grass, the flowers, everything is momentary in this life.Is.40 But God is unchanging,that we can stand on. ‘With God in our hearts nothing is lacking. God is enough,’Teresa of Avila writes.‘Be patient with God in your heart’, He is working his pure word in you. When we run to him for refuge we are filled again with truth, the truth of who we really are covered in his shield of grace. Every lie and false narrative we have lived under will be brought to light when we come to him. Let him fill you with his true and pure word this day as we pray and fix your eyes and thoughts, meditating on that which is true, noble, reputable, authentic, gracious, the best and not the worst, the beautiful and not the ugly, things to praise and not things to curse. Do this and the God, who makes all things work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Ph.4:8-9Msg ‘Beautiful and true God, we breathe in your pure word into the depths of our being. Let us know your holiness within us, so that every lie that we hold unto about ourselves will be dispelled. With every exhale we let go of these falsities and take in your word that stands forever true in us. Fill us up with more of the knowledge of the Holy One, so we may be able to overflow with truth that only comes from you and not the world. Thank you that you are enough for today. Give us courage to turn away from all things that are false in our world. Praise be to the beautiful and true One Your word or promise stands forever. Amen  September 22 Prayer
There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God. Sometimes I am there, too … And that is all we can manage these days and also all that really matters: that we safeguard that little piece of You, God, in ourselves. —Etty Hillesum, 1914-1943 Christ be near, Christ with me, in my heart and in my mind. JESUS calls us his brothers, his mother, his very own family. ‘Those that hear the word of God and do it.’Lk. 8 Our faith is built upon knowing God, who He is in you. The inner dwelling of Christ in you, the place to draw upon inner truth. If Christ is my brother then what does that make me? If He is with me then where does that put me? If Christ is closer to me than a brother or friend, he is closer than I am to myself. My very being, my body, my mind, and my heart becomes a holy sanctuary, a sacred temple. Pause to imagine a place where God dwells In stillness and beauty. Let that place be in you as we pray. ‘Christ Jesus the anointed One, you are our all in all, our holy place, our everything. We bow down with humble hearts to even believe your word that you have made us holy. That through our union with You, will carry out God,the Father’s perfect plan on this earth. We surrender to your tremendous love that cascades over us now. May we glorify your grace as you unfold your plan through us this day. May we safeguard that inner quiet, the still place where you dwell within us. Keep us from the pull of the world that drags us downwards and make our faces look upwards towards your glory. May we hear your word today and do it! Amen 1Cor. 6:19-20, Eph.1  September 21 Prayer
‘Jesus said go and learn what this means; I desire to show mercy, not sacrifice. I have come for the sick and not for the healthy. I invite the outcasts of society, not those who think they are on the right path. Come and follow me.’ Matt.9 Pause to ponder these words and pray with an open heart to learn. Jesus, I want to follow you in your ways and not in any of my ways that do not show mercy. I confess my unhealthy attitudes toward others and myself. I receive your mercy today in the parts of me that need healing. Lord have mercy. You are the great physician that comes to us all to show mercy and mend our hearts. We pray for healing for all of those that are sick, the afflicted, the weak, and the helpless. May we be kept from thinking we are better than, but recognize our own needs first. In receiving your healing touch may we then go out and bring healing to others. Let us seek your face always, and be radiant. Let us tell of your greatness and mercy. May we be image bearers living worthy of our call to live in love, as You have loved us. May we be a message of healing, reconciliation, and peace that is only found in you, Jesus Christ. Show us the pathway to follow that will restore us and make a way to heal and mend. We look to you as our physician and the One that will heal our sick and broken world. Glory be to the one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. Eph.4,5, Psalms 34:5 Walk in his peace this day and let your face be radiant with love and joy! Amen  September 20 Prayer
‘Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek His face and be strengthened, seek his face always.’ ‘God your ways do not always look like the way we expect or plan for. Help us to trust in your ways that exceed above what our imaginations hold. For you have told us that your ways are not like ours, they are deeper and higher beyond what we could ever think up on our own. Your presence is always here and always near. Let us look for your face this day. In the sky and in the sea, in creation all around us your face shines forth. Let us look for your face in the one we meet, the one we live with, the one we are at odds with. Let us take the greater path, the one that always leads to you, the truth of love. Let us take your hand and let you guide us to see into another realm where you are always present. We thank you that we do not need to rely upon our own strength to figure things out for you have already done this for us.’ Praise be to the one who has overcome the world! “Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above what we ask for…” Eph. 3:20-21, Isaiah 55:6-9 Go and find His path for you this day and rejoice along the way, |