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:
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
- Psalm 105
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
So many things keep me from prayer, Lord...
So many things, large and small,
pull me in a dozen different directions
and slowly, surely, my time for prayer
slips to the bottom of my list of things to do
and then I'm too tired or I forget
to find a quiet place, a quiet time
to find the peace I long for...
Who doesn't want peace, Lord?
Who doesn't want some peace and quiet?
Who doesn't want a breather, some respite
from the craziness each day can bring?
I know the peace of prayer and yet I fail,
again and again, to take the simplest steps
to lead me where some moments spent in prayer
can turn an awful day to awesome
just for sitting down and resting by your side...
Help me to turn to you in prayer every day, Lord:
help me set aside some time to be with you - and keep it;
help me find a quiet place to stop, to sit, to breathe,
to close my eyes and seek your presence in my heart...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
I can't, like the psalmist, promise I'll pray constantly!
But I can promise to stop for prayer today, Lord
- and again, one day at a time.
I can promise to find a place to sit and be quiet today , Lord
- and again, one day at a time...
I can promise to take some deep breaths today, Lord
- and again, one day at a time...
I can promise to reflect on your word today, Lord
- and again, one day at a time...
I can promise to share my day with you in prayer today, Lord
- and again, one day at a time...
I can promise to show up today, Lord
- and again, one day at a time...
And if I pray in this way, Lord,
then indeed, I'll constantly seek your face
- one day at a time...
If I seek your face constantly,
I'll more easily find you all through the day
in my neighbors and strangers;
in my work and my rest;
in my heart and yes, in my prayer...
If I constantly seek your might and your strength
I'll more quickly draw the grace and courage,
the faith and trust I need
to move from dawn to dusk
and through the dark of the night...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
So many things keep me from prayer, Lord,
and what keeps me from prayer, keeps me from you;
and what keeps me from you, keeps me from hope;
and what keeps me from hope, keeps me from life...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
Even when I'm busy with good things
when I'm faithful to the work that's mine to do,
when I'm doing what I must to make a living,
even then, Lord, I need to make time for prayer:
to seek your strength and your face,
your watchful eye upon my day;
to seek the wisdom of your word
to help me know which way to turn
when so many things, large and small,
draw me in a dozen different ways...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
Slow me down, I pray, Lord,
on the busiest, most difficult of days
and in your quiet presence, with your grace,
help me come to you in prayer - one day at a time...
In the stillness, Lord, help me plan my day,
to pray each day - and again, one day at a time...
May my prayer give me strength to live each day
according to your word, with the light of your wisdom
guiding me, constantly, to seek your holy face...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
- Psalm 105
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
spend some quiet time with the scripture verse above...)
So many things keep me from prayer, Lord...
So many things, large and small,
pull me in a dozen different directions
and slowly, surely, my time for prayer
slips to the bottom of my list of things to do
and then I'm too tired or I forget
to find a quiet place, a quiet time
to find the peace I long for...
Who doesn't want peace, Lord?
Who doesn't want some peace and quiet?
Who doesn't want a breather, some respite
from the craziness each day can bring?
I know the peace of prayer and yet I fail,
again and again, to take the simplest steps
to lead me where some moments spent in prayer
can turn an awful day to awesome
just for sitting down and resting by your side...
Help me to turn to you in prayer every day, Lord:
help me set aside some time to be with you - and keep it;
help me find a quiet place to stop, to sit, to breathe,
to close my eyes and seek your presence in my heart...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
I can't, like the psalmist, promise I'll pray constantly!
But I can promise to stop for prayer today, Lord
- and again, one day at a time.
I can promise to find a place to sit and be quiet today , Lord
- and again, one day at a time...
I can promise to take some deep breaths today, Lord
- and again, one day at a time...
I can promise to reflect on your word today, Lord
- and again, one day at a time...
I can promise to share my day with you in prayer today, Lord
- and again, one day at a time...
I can promise to show up today, Lord
- and again, one day at a time...
And if I pray in this way, Lord,
then indeed, I'll constantly seek your face
- one day at a time...
If I seek your face constantly,
I'll more easily find you all through the day
in my neighbors and strangers;
in my work and my rest;
in my heart and yes, in my prayer...
If I constantly seek your might and your strength
I'll more quickly draw the grace and courage,
the faith and trust I need
to move from dawn to dusk
and through the dark of the night...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
So many things keep me from prayer, Lord,
and what keeps me from prayer, keeps me from you;
and what keeps me from you, keeps me from hope;
and what keeps me from hope, keeps me from life...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
Even when I'm busy with good things
when I'm faithful to the work that's mine to do,
when I'm doing what I must to make a living,
even then, Lord, I need to make time for prayer:
to seek your strength and your face,
your watchful eye upon my day;
to seek the wisdom of your word
to help me know which way to turn
when so many things, large and small,
draw me in a dozen different ways...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
Slow me down, I pray, Lord,
on the busiest, most difficult of days
and in your quiet presence, with your grace,
help me come to you in prayer - one day at a time...
In the stillness, Lord, help me plan my day,
to pray each day - and again, one day at a time...
May my prayer give me strength to live each day
according to your word, with the light of your wisdom
guiding me, constantly, to seek your holy face...
Seek out the Lord and his might;
constantly seek his face...
To ponder and pray over...
What are the things, the situations, the distractions
that keep me from prayer?
How different might be my day, my night,
were I to make time for prayer a priority on my schedule?
How might my choices and decisions be different
if I made them in prayer?
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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