A Concord Pastor Comments: Praying 10 minutes today: FRIDAY 8/3

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:
Let the words of my mouth
   meet with your favor, Lord,
keep the thoughts of my heart
   always before you...
-Psalm 19

(Before moving on to the reflection below,

spend some quiet time with the scripture verse above...)

Oh, the words of my mouth, Lord -

you hear everyone of them!

You hear my words

even before I think to speak them;

you know what I'm about to say

before I take a breath or open my mouth;

you know the words that stick in my throat

but echo in my heart;

you know the words I whisper,

just loud enough for only a few to hear...

You know the words I don't say

when it's best I keep them to myself;

you know the words I'm afraid to say,

though surely I ought to speak them;

you know the words I've kept quiet all these years,

the words that ache to come to speech;

you know every word my heart, in silence, speaks...

And, Lord, you know the words I speak out loud...

You know the words I speak in love,

in friendship, peace and consolation:

the words that heal and help make whole.

And you know the words I speak in haste,

the words that harm and hurt

and dash the hopes of those who hear me...

You know the words I speak to reconcile,

to forgive and ask for pardon.

And you know the words I speak in haste,

out of anger, in frustration,

words that separate, divide and wound...

You know the words I speak to tell the truth

and the words of lies I tell to cover my own faults;

and you know the unjust words I speak

in prejudice, from fear and in resentment;

you know the words that leave my lips

when I fail to think before I speak,

the words I wish I could take back

before they're heard and do their damage...

You know the words I pray, Lord,

giving you my praise and thanks;

you know the voice that pleads for mercy

when my words have failed your love;

you know the words of my confession,

my contrition and and my penance;

you know the words I join with others'

in the prayer your people offer...

Let the words of my mouth
meet with your favor, Lord,
keep the thoughts of my heart
always before you...

Help me clean up my language, Lord,

that all my words find favor

in the hearing your heart gives mine...

Help me speak from a clean heart, O Lord,

and bring to speech the best

      of what my heart needs and wants to say...
Teach me your word of mercy, Lord,
   to share with those who hear me...

Teach me your word of kindness, Lord,
   that it shape the thoughts of my heart
      and the words that spill from my lips...

Teach me your word of wisdom, Lord,
   that my speech be wise and pleasing to you
      and good counsel to those who listen...

Teach me, Lord, the word your heart speaks
   that it might echo in everything I say and do,
      in all my thoughts and deeds...

In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
   speak your word of truth
      and with it shape and mold my heart...

In the stillness, teach me to listen
   and to hear, today, the word I need to hear,
      the word I need to speak, the word I need to share...

To ponder and pray over...

What words of my mouth fail to meet with the Lord's favor?

How might the Lord help me clean up my language

that my words find favor before him?

What words do I grieve having uttered?

What words have I kept silent that ache to be said?

What words might I speak to bring others healing and joy?

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?

(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.