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:
When you turn back to him
with all your heart,
to do what is right before him,
then he will turn back to you
and no longer hide his face from you...
- Tobit 13
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
spend some quiet time with the scripture verse above...)
Would you turn away from me, Lord?
Would you hide your face from me?
Or am I the one who turns and hides
while you seek me out in so many ways?
Do I play hide and seek with God?
I can't hide from you, Lord, no matter how hard I try.
There are times when I try to slip out of sight
but you never take your eye from me,
so faithful is your vigil over my life...
But there are times I try to hide, Lord,
because I'm ashamed of what I've done or failed to do;
embarrassed by my words or deeds, I try to hide
until I've put myself back together.
But I can't hide from you:
you alone, in your mercy, can see and heal and mend
what's hidden, wounded and broken within me...
Like a child I pretend that if I turn my back to you,
if I run and hide, you won't see me
and I'll escape the truth of your gaze...
But it's the light of your truth that reveals my need
to stand before you, face to face,
to turn back to you with all my heart:
to let the light of your truth brand my soul with your mercy
and heal me with your grace...
Then, redeemed by your love I'll have no need
to hide from your face
or to hide my face from you...
Then, with my heart turned around
I'll hear your word of truth,
I'll hear you call my name,
I'lll hear you call me to do as you ask:
to love you with all my heart and mind and soul
and to love my neighbor as myself...
Help me stop playing games, Lord:
no more hide-and-seek!
I know you watch my every step:
not to catch me when I fail
but to lift me when I fall;
not to stalk my every move
but to strengthen me in faith;
not to weigh my every deed
but to wait my heart's return...
Guard my every step, Lord,
lest I fail or fall, lest I weaken in faith,
lest my heart resists your care for me...
When you turn back to him
with all your heart,
to do what is right before him,
then he will turn back to you
and no longer hide his face from you...
Help me turn back to you with all my heart:
to begin again, to start fresh,
to live a day at a time in your sight...
When I do what is right before you, Lord,
it's my joy to stand before your face.
Help me do what's right,
what's honest and just, what's pure and true,
what's loving, forgiving and reconciling...
Help me turn my heart to you:
show me the light of your truth;
show me the warmth of your face...
In the quiet of my prayer right now,
help me be honest
and hide nothing from your merciful eyes...
In this quiet time,
let me turn back to you with all my heart
and pledge to do what's right before you...
Turn back to me, O Lord,
and let your face shine upon me...
To ponder and pray over...
Do I play hide and seek with God?
I can't hide from you, Lord, no matter how hard I try.
There are times when I try to slip out of sight
but you never take your eye from me,
so faithful is your vigil over my life...
But there are times I try to hide, Lord,
because I'm ashamed of what I've done or failed to do;
embarrassed by my words or deeds, I try to hide
until I've put myself back together.
But I can't hide from you:
you alone, in your mercy, can see and heal and mend
what's hidden, wounded and broken within me...
Like a child I pretend that if I turn my back to you,
if I run and hide, you won't see me
and I'll escape the truth of your gaze...
But it's the light of your truth that reveals my need
to stand before you, face to face,
to turn back to you with all my heart:
to let the light of your truth brand my soul with your mercy
and heal me with your grace...
Then, redeemed by your love I'll have no need
to hide from your face
or to hide my face from you...
Then, with my heart turned around
I'll hear your word of truth,
I'll hear you call my name,
I'lll hear you call me to do as you ask:
to love you with all my heart and mind and soul
and to love my neighbor as myself...
Help me stop playing games, Lord:
no more hide-and-seek!
I know you watch my every step:
not to catch me when I fail
but to lift me when I fall;
not to stalk my every move
but to strengthen me in faith;
not to weigh my every deed
but to wait my heart's return...
Guard my every step, Lord,
lest I fail or fall, lest I weaken in faith,
lest my heart resists your care for me...
When you turn back to him
with all your heart,
to do what is right before him,
then he will turn back to you
and no longer hide his face from you...
Help me turn back to you with all my heart:
to begin again, to start fresh,
to live a day at a time in your sight...
When I do what is right before you, Lord,
it's my joy to stand before your face.
Help me do what's right,
what's honest and just, what's pure and true,
what's loving, forgiving and reconciling...
Help me turn my heart to you:
show me the light of your truth;
show me the warmth of your face...
In the quiet of my prayer right now,
help me be honest
and hide nothing from your merciful eyes...
In this quiet time,
let me turn back to you with all my heart
and pledge to do what's right before you...
Turn back to me, O Lord,
and let your face shine upon me...
To ponder and pray over...
How do I try to hide from the Lord's face?
Why do I try to hide? What do I try to hide?
Where in my life do I need to turn back to the Lord
and do what is right in his eyes?
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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