Find a quiet time and place to pray... take a few deep breaths...
be still... and know that God is near...
A word to reflect on:
surely he will speak of peace
to his people and to his faithful...
- Psalm 85
I do listen, Lord.
Especially when I stop to pray:
I listen…
I strain to hear your voice,
a word of your wisdom and counsel,
your consolation and compassion…
I trust that you call to me in the stillness,
that you call me by name,
and if my ears don't hear you I pray my heart does
in this quiet time and place...
In my prayer I find a respite
from the noise that fills my day and I believe
there's more to be heard in pure silence
than in a thousand words...
Could it be, Lord,
that the first word you speak to me is
the silence?
And if it is, I'll take more time to ponder, to wonder
what I hear in the silence,
what I hear from you,
what echoes in my mind and heart...
The silence breathes your presence, Lord,
like an old friend whose quiet company
speaks volumes more than any conversation…
But some days, some nights,
I need a word,
I want a word from you,
I need to hear your voice...
When you speak to me, Lord,
open my heart to hear you,
open my soul and let your word echo within me,
open my mind to your wisdom and counsel,
open wide whatever closes me off to your voice
and the word you speak to me...
And when I hear a word from you,
help me test its truth, and even more,
help me trust it comes from you
and not from me...
I listen for your voice in the scriptures, Lord,
and I find joy when a verse, a phrase, a word
hits home
as though you spoke it just for me...
I listen for your voice, your message
in what I hear from those around me,
in what I hear in the church's prayer,
in what I hear from those who truly care for me...
I listen for your word in what I read and study,
in how the seasons change and turn
and in any thing of beauty that appears along my path...
Some days, Lord, not often enough,
I listen for a word of challenge you might speak:
a word to stand me up, hold me to account,
and draw me closer to you
and to my neighbors and their needs...
Whether I hear it or not,
I know you speak peace, Lord:
surely peace is on your lips each time
you break the silence with your voice
and bless my ears with its sweet sound...
Peace you speak, and courage;
pardon and forgiveness; hope and healing:
your words all layered in mercy, linked
from your lips to my heart by love
that calls me by name and by no other...
In some way, Lord, in some way of your choosing,
let me know that your heart speaks to mine
and let me hear, if only in the silence,
that my waiting for your word is not in vain...
In this moment of prayer let my heart be quiet,
quiet enough to hear the silence speak,
still enough to hear your voice, O Lord...
I'm listening for you
and for whatever word you have for me this day
and I pray you'll let me hear it...
I know you are near, Lord, that you are here,
that you are with me...
Speak, Lord, I love to listen to your voice.
See, Lord: here I am...
To ponder and pray over...
What word am I waiting to hear from the Lord in my prayer?
Will I trust today, in prayer, that the silence
is the Lord's first word to me?
Will I trust today, in prayer, that the silence
is the Lord's first word to me?
What will I ask of the Lord today?
From this prayer time, what word or phrase will I keep with me
to carry through the rest of my day?
From this prayer time, what word or phrase will I keep with me
to carry through the rest of my day?
(After you spend some time with these questions,
pray the reflection above one more time...)
Here are some tips for praying 10 minutes a day. If you find these daily prayer reminders helpful, please let me know - and share them with others. You'll find an archive of these daily posts here.
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