March 17 Prayer

March 17 Prayer
St.Patrick prayed,
‘Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ all around me….’

...Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me,
‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.’ Jer.1:4-9

How did two historical fearful and weak men,
Jeremiah and Patrick become known as
fearless and courageous prophets and messengers of God?
Both suffered injustice, both were stripped down and
separated from their familiar lives.
They were left to die, yet somehow God reached out to touch them,
and gave them a call with a message to speak.

Wherever you find yourself today there is a word
to be spoken over you.
A word to be given through you.
God sees you and knew you even
before you were formed in the womb.

Allow some space to be still and
let God speak his words over you.
Allow him to touch your own mouth with
confidence and courage to release
His words through you.

‘Christ be with me,
Christ in the mouth of those who speak of me,
Christ in the heart of those who think of me,
Christ be in my listening ,
Christ be in my speaking,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Chris all around me.

We know Lord that you are ‘faithful in all your words
and holy in all your works.’

May our suffering of injustice be met with Christ in us.
May we meet you, Christ in your passion,
for you have suffered the greatest injustice of all,
to be forsaken in a way we will never be,
And all for love, for us .

We give you now all our disappointments, loneliness,
and defeats to draw us more deeply into communion with you.
May your hope be born anew in us out of these depths
and may we never be afraid again.

Let us pray along with the German theologian Juergen Moltmann,

‘Lord, I am a prisoner - a prisoner of hope!’

May we go out with confidence knowing Christ is in us!
Amen
DB
Jer.1:4-9, Is.49:8,Ps.27:13-14