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:
because we see the appearance
but the Lord looks into the heart...
- 1 Samuel 16
The truth is, Lord, it sometimes worries me
that you look right into my heart
and see everything that's there...
Everything...
When I come to you in prayer
I sometimes try to hide my faults and failings
because I don't want you to see them --
and there are times I don't want to look at them myself...
Sometimes, the knowledge of my mistakes
keeps me from prayer
because I know there's nothing I can hide from you...
You see everything in my heart and, yet,
you love me and forgive me,
again and again...
because I know there's nothing I can hide from you...
You see everything in my heart and, yet,
you love me and forgive me,
again and again...
Trusting that you love me even when I sin
gives me courage to look more honestly
at what's good and not-so-good within me...
And because you know me so well, so intimately,
you know how I came to be the person I am,
you know all the blessings and all the burdens
that have shaped and formed me...
You know who and what have helped me be faithful to you
and you know the roots of my weaknesses,
my sometimes tragic flaws through which I stumble,
fall or lose my way...
I'm grateful, Lord, that you "get me,"
especially when I'm afraid that no one else does.
You understand me
even when I don't understand myself.
You know how I need to be strengthened,
how I need to stretch and grow.
You know my stubbornness and my fears,
my worries and my anxieties:
and you also know how to soften my stubborn will,
to undo my useless fears,
to counsel me in my worry
and calm me when I'm anxious...
Help me surrender, Lord,
to how you want to help and heal me...
Help me let go my tight hold
on what was and what is
and in my letting go, open my mind and heart, my hope
to what can be, to what you have in store for me
if I surrender to your grace,
to your word, your will and your way...
And as you are understanding with me in my stubbornness
and strong for me when I'm afraid,
as you counsel me when I'm worried and
and give me peace when I'm anxious,
so let me be for others,
especially for those whom I "don't get,"
for those who irk me and try my patience...
Not as we see does God see,
because we see the appearance
but the Lord looks into the heart...
In the stillness of this prayer, Lord,
let me breathe in your spirit of peace
and exhale whatever chokes my hope...
Help me trust that as completely as you know me,
just as fully do you love me
that you are near, here by my side,
that you "get me" and want me
and desire my happiness and joy...
Help me to be still, Lord,
and to know that you're my God...
You know who and what have helped me be faithful to you
and you know the roots of my weaknesses,
my sometimes tragic flaws through which I stumble,
fall or lose my way...
I'm grateful, Lord, that you "get me,"
especially when I'm afraid that no one else does.
You understand me
even when I don't understand myself.
You know how I need to be strengthened,
how I need to stretch and grow.
You know my stubbornness and my fears,
my worries and my anxieties:
and you also know how to soften my stubborn will,
to undo my useless fears,
to counsel me in my worry
and calm me when I'm anxious...
Help me surrender, Lord,
to how you want to help and heal me...
Help me let go my tight hold
on what was and what is
and in my letting go, open my mind and heart, my hope
to what can be, to what you have in store for me
if I surrender to your grace,
to your word, your will and your way...
And as you are understanding with me in my stubbornness
and strong for me when I'm afraid,
as you counsel me when I'm worried and
and give me peace when I'm anxious,
so let me be for others,
especially for those whom I "don't get,"
for those who irk me and try my patience...
Not as we see does God see,
because we see the appearance
but the Lord looks into the heart...
In the stillness of this prayer, Lord,
let me breathe in your spirit of peace
and exhale whatever chokes my hope...
Help me trust that as completely as you know me,
just as fully do you love me
that you are near, here by my side,
that you "get me" and want me
and desire my happiness and joy...
Help me to be still, Lord,
and to know that you're my God...
To ponder and pray over...
What things do I know about myself that I'd like to keep from God?
Does anything keep me from trusting that God "gets me,"
that God loves me?
Does anything keep me from trusting that God "gets me,"
that God loves 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.
Tweet
Subscribe to A Concord Pastor Comments
Your 10 minutes a day of prayer have really made a difference in my life and a great number of them really strike a chord with me... this one in particular because there are so many things in my life that I try to hide from God and that I struggle to turn over to him and just bare my soul. The idea that God can look right into my heart is kind of frigthening because I don't know if I want Him to see all that is there... I know that I need to go to confession and get right with God but I don't think I've ever really been to confession in my entire life and I don't even really know how that process works which is why the idea scares me so much and I've been putting it off. Maybe one of these days I'll work up the courage.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words, Anonymous. With regard to confession, let me suggest that you approach a priest you trust and feel comfortable with (or ask a friend to suggest a particular priest) and approach him (either anonymously in the sacrament or in conversation face to face, and tell him what you wrote here: that you want to come to the sacrament to reconcile with God but that you're not sure of how to do this. He'll be glad to assist you and make this the time of grace and peace it's meant to be. You're in my prayers!
ReplyDelete