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:
My soul is depressed, Lord;
- Psalm 119
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
Perhaps it's not the case today, Lord,
but there are times, there are seasons
when my soul's depressed...
Sometimes my heart is heavy
and hope seems very scarce...
Some days are shrouded in sadness
and all I want to do is hide from others,
from you and even from myself...
Some nights are darker than the skies above
as I wait for the breaking light of dawn
- and in fear of what it might expose...
When my soul's depressed, Lord,
I want to pull the shades on every window
and hide beneath the covers
from every eye that might meet mine...
Perhaps not today, Lord,
but there are times, indeed,
when my soul's depressed...
When those days, those seasons come,
will you lift me up, Lord?
Will you reach out your hand to mine
and with your strong arm pull me up
and out of the forest of my fears,
the traps of my self-doubt,
the blues that haunt my heart?
When my soul's depressed, Lord;
Lift me up with a word of faith
to help me trust in your presence,
in your desire to free me from my fears...
Lift me up with a word of love
to help me see within my self
the beauty of your image dwelling in my soul...
Lift me up with a word of hope
to cut the darkness with your light
and help me trust the peace you offer...
Lift me up with a word of light
to help me know where you would lead me
and what you ask of me this day...
Lift me up with a word of healing
to soothe the ache within my soul,
the hurt within my heart, the chill deep in my bones...
Lift me up with a word of trust
in those who counsel me, who care for me
and guide me through my darkness...
Lift me up with a word of peace
to free my soul from all that troubles me
and locks me in my fears...
Lift me up with a word of wisdom
to clear my mind of doubt and all that keeps me
from trusting in your promise...
Lift me up with a word of strength
when I am weak and cannot move
for fear of stumbling and somehow failing...
Lift me up with a word of mercy
to refresh my heart, my soul, my spirit
in the grace that only you can give...
Lift me up with a word of wonder
to open my mind and heart again
to believe in you and in your love for me...
Lift me up with a word of courage
to help me speak what's in my heart today
and take the steps that lead where I need to go...
Lift me up with a word of joy
to kindle in my heart the trust I need
to open up to friendship, care and love...
Lift me up with a word that comes from you to me,
to help me trust you know my name, my heart
and what I need to live and love...
Lift me up with a word of power
to raise my soul from its lonely depths,
to lighten my heart and bring me joy...
Lift me up, Lord!
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
strengthen my faith even as I'm giving up;
show me how to hope in you when I'm in despair;
help me know your love and care for me
in times when I despise myself...
Fill the quiet of my prayer with your peaceful presence
and my heart with faith and trust that you can do all things:
that you can do what I fear can't be done;
that you can heal what I fear can't be healed;
that you'll forgive what I fear won't be pardoned;
that you can give what I fear I'll never have;
that you can change
what I fear will never change within me or about me...
Reach out your hand to mine, Lord,
and with your strong arm pull me up
and out of the forest of my fears,
the traps of my self-doubt,
the blues that haunt my heart...
Lift me up, Lord,
according to your word!
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
open my lips to praise and thank you
for what I've prayed thus far
and for your helping me to pray...
Lift me up, Lord, according to your word...
To ponder and pray over...
When my "heart is heavy and hope is very scarce,"My soul is depressed, Lord;
lift me up according to your word...
- Psalm 119
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
spend some quiet time with the scripture verse above...)
Perhaps it's not the case today, Lord,
but there are times, there are seasons
when my soul's depressed...
Sometimes my heart is heavy
and hope seems very scarce...
Some days are shrouded in sadness
and all I want to do is hide from others,
from you and even from myself...
Some nights are darker than the skies above
as I wait for the breaking light of dawn
- and in fear of what it might expose...
When my soul's depressed, Lord,
I want to pull the shades on every window
and hide beneath the covers
from every eye that might meet mine...
Perhaps not today, Lord,
but there are times, indeed,
when my soul's depressed...
When those days, those seasons come,
will you lift me up, Lord?
Will you reach out your hand to mine
and with your strong arm pull me up
and out of the forest of my fears,
the traps of my self-doubt,
the blues that haunt my heart?
When my soul's depressed, Lord;
lift me up according to your word...
Lift me up with a word of faith
to help me trust in your presence,
in your desire to free me from my fears...
Lift me up with a word of love
to help me see within my self
the beauty of your image dwelling in my soul...
Lift me up with a word of hope
to cut the darkness with your light
and help me trust the peace you offer...
Lift me up with a word of light
to help me know where you would lead me
and what you ask of me this day...
Lift me up with a word of healing
to soothe the ache within my soul,
the hurt within my heart, the chill deep in my bones...
Lift me up with a word of trust
in those who counsel me, who care for me
and guide me through my darkness...
Lift me up with a word of peace
to free my soul from all that troubles me
and locks me in my fears...
Lift me up with a word of wisdom
to clear my mind of doubt and all that keeps me
from trusting in your promise...
Lift me up with a word of strength
when I am weak and cannot move
for fear of stumbling and somehow failing...
Lift me up with a word of mercy
to refresh my heart, my soul, my spirit
in the grace that only you can give...
Lift me up with a word of wonder
to open my mind and heart again
to believe in you and in your love for me...
Lift me up with a word of courage
to help me speak what's in my heart today
and take the steps that lead where I need to go...
Lift me up with a word of joy
to kindle in my heart the trust I need
to open up to friendship, care and love...
Lift me up with a word that comes from you to me,
to help me trust you know my name, my heart
and what I need to live and love...
Lift me up with a word of power
to raise my soul from its lonely depths,
to lighten my heart and bring me joy...
Lift me up, Lord!
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
strengthen my faith even as I'm giving up;
show me how to hope in you when I'm in despair;
help me know your love and care for me
in times when I despise myself...
Fill the quiet of my prayer with your peaceful presence
and my heart with faith and trust that you can do all things:
that you can do what I fear can't be done;
that you can heal what I fear can't be healed;
that you'll forgive what I fear won't be pardoned;
that you can give what I fear I'll never have;
that you can change
what I fear will never change within me or about me...
Reach out your hand to mine, Lord,
and with your strong arm pull me up
and out of the forest of my fears,
the traps of my self-doubt,
the blues that haunt my heart...
Lift me up, Lord,
according to your word!
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
open my lips to praise and thank you
for what I've prayed thus far
and for your helping me to pray...
Lift me up, Lord, according to your word...
To ponder and pray over...
do I turn to the Lord in prayer?
Do I ask the Lord to lift me up when I'm down?
Do I turn to the Lord's word when I'm depressed?
Do I trust that God can do all things
and that God desires to heal me and bring me peace?
Do I trust in others who love and care for me
when I'm down and depressed?
What word from the Lord might I need to lift me up today?
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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