12/17/12

Praying 10 minutes today: TUESDAY 12/18


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:   
Resplendent and unfading is Wisdom,    and she is readily perceived
      by those who love her, 
and found by those who seek her...

Wisdom 6




(Before moving on to the reflection below,
   spend some quiet time with the scripture verse above...)

 
As foolish as I can be, Lord, I'm keen enough to know 
   how much I need the gift of wisdom...
 
Teach me to desire Wisdom, Lord,    that I might seek her and find her,
that one day I might come to love her 
   just for who she is...

Teach me to keep watch for her,
   to keep a quiet vigil in my mind and heart, in my prayer,
that I might hear her when she comes, making her rounds,
   when she knocks upon my door to visit me
      in all my confusion, in all my foolishness, 
         in all the ways I need her counsel and advice...

Help me prefer Wisdom 
   to my own desire to be right;
help me choose Wisdom 
   above my proud and jealous ways;
help me follow Wisdom
   lest I chase down wealth and power;
help me long for Wisdom
   as companion for my soul;
help me consult with Wisdom
   to shape all my decisions;
help me seek out Wisdom
  as the measure of my choices...

Be generous with your Wisdom, Lord,
    and in these short, dark December days
let her light shine full upon my path

   that I might walk at her direction,  
      wherever she may lead me...

Let Wisdom's light illumine my path
   that I might learn how much I need her,
      how much she has to teach me,
         and all the ways that she might guide me...  

Let her bring order to my chaos,
    faith to answer doubt, reason to my foolishness
       and truth to keep me in your grace...

Let her touch my mind and heart
    with your kind counsel, with knowledge of your ways,
       with the strength your Spirit offers

          and with insight pure and clear...

Let Wisdom be my best companion,

   the star that leads me faithfully to you;
let her company be my joy, my peace
   and all she teaches be the word by which I live...

In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
   help me humbly recognize my foolishness,
      the haste of my decisions, the waste of what I know
         to be what's true and just and noble...

In the stillness, Lord,  
   attune my mind and heart to Wisdom's voice 
      and to the ways she penetrates my soul's desires...

Let her come to me in prayer, Lord:
   give me the grace to open at her knock 
      and to welcome in her many gifts;
   let Wisdom be my soul mate, the queen of all my thoughts,
      the crown upon my heart and the light upon my path...

To ponder and pray over...
What foolishness in my life begs for Wisdom's grace?
What unwise choices and decisions have I made
   and how might they have been different, if wiser?
Were Wisdom to visit me today,
   would I welcome her presence and what she has to teach me?
How most, today, am I in need of Wisdom?  
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.

 
 
   
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2 comments:

  1. Thank you for your beautiful reflections. I found you through a comment on one of the blogs or social sites I visit. Don't recall which one.

    Your reflections have been a great source of help for me. Thank so very much for continuing to feed us through your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mary Ann, thanks for your comment and kind words. Writing this page is one of the joys of my life and I'm grateful that so many find it helpful in their spiritual lives.

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