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...
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
A word to reflect on...
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The Lord lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
- Psalm 145
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
But I know you ask me to live and love as you do
and it's not easy for me to recognize myself in these same words...
So I ask for your help today, Lord:
help me be more like you, help me better "fit to a T"
how you ask me to live, how you call me to love...
Help me be gracious today, Lord,
especially with people around me
whom I easily take for granted:
my spouse, my children, my parents;
my friends and neighbors; my coworkers;
and those who serve my needs all day long.
With all of these, help me be gracious and kind
in my words and deeds, in my attitude,
in my attention to the people I live and work with...
Help me be slow to anger and merciful today, Lord,
to anyone who's offended me,
anyone who's wronged or failed me:
help me see the breadth and depth of your mercy
when I offend or wrong or fail you...
Help me good and compassionate today, Lord,
and not just to my friends and loved ones
but to the people who bother and annoy me,
the people who drive me up the wall,
the people I try to avoid.
Help me be as good and compassionate with others
as I would have them be with me...
Help me today, Lord, to be faithful and holy in all my words:
help me tell the truth and keep my word;
help me bear witness to what's just and fair;
help me keep my language and my humor clean;
help me speak whatever wisdom's mine to share;
help me speak the words that others truly need to hear;
and help me know when I should butt out and shut up...
Help me be holy and just at my job, Lord:
may I return a fair and full day's work for what I earn.
Keep me honest in my business dealings
and just in how I treat my customers and colleagues.
Let my faith and prayer make holy any work I do, Lord,
on or off the clock, at home or on the job,
for all my deeds should give you praise and glory...
When others call upon me, Lord, today,
let me hear their needs and any silent plea for help.
Open my eyes and ears, my heart and hands,
to those around me and let me never be too busy
to lift up those whose spirits are falling,
to raise up those bowed down by burdens and sorrow.
As you are near and hear me when I call upon your help
let me be there for others, Lord, as you are there for me...
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
help me see your face in the psalm above
and give me the desire share with others
the mercy, kindness, and compassion you offer me...
In the stillness of my prayer, Lord,
help me see the moments today and every day
when I might be gracious and slow to anger,
when I might be faithful and holy
and ready to help and lift up those
who call upon my help...
Be near to me right now, Lord:
hear and answer me, lift and raise me up
when I call upon you in truth...
The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The Lord lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
- Psalm 145
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
spend some quiet time with the scripture verses above...)
Well, this psalm describes you to a T, Lord -
a perfect portrait!Well, this psalm describes you to a T, Lord -
But I know you ask me to live and love as you do
and it's not easy for me to recognize myself in these same words...
So I ask for your help today, Lord:
help me be more like you, help me better "fit to a T"
how you ask me to live, how you call me to love...
Help me be gracious today, Lord,
especially with people around me
whom I easily take for granted:
my spouse, my children, my parents;
my friends and neighbors; my coworkers;
and those who serve my needs all day long.
With all of these, help me be gracious and kind
in my words and deeds, in my attitude,
in my attention to the people I live and work with...
Help me be slow to anger and merciful today, Lord,
to anyone who's offended me,
anyone who's wronged or failed me:
help me see the breadth and depth of your mercy
when I offend or wrong or fail you...
Help me good and compassionate today, Lord,
and not just to my friends and loved ones
but to the people who bother and annoy me,
the people who drive me up the wall,
the people I try to avoid.
Help me be as good and compassionate with others
as I would have them be with me...
Help me today, Lord, to be faithful and holy in all my words:
help me tell the truth and keep my word;
help me bear witness to what's just and fair;
help me keep my language and my humor clean;
help me speak whatever wisdom's mine to share;
help me speak the words that others truly need to hear;
and help me know when I should butt out and shut up...
Help me be holy and just at my job, Lord:
may I return a fair and full day's work for what I earn.
Keep me honest in my business dealings
and just in how I treat my customers and colleagues.
Let my faith and prayer make holy any work I do, Lord,
on or off the clock, at home or on the job,
for all my deeds should give you praise and glory...
When others call upon me, Lord, today,
let me hear their needs and any silent plea for help.
Open my eyes and ears, my heart and hands,
to those around me and let me never be too busy
to lift up those whose spirits are falling,
to raise up those bowed down by burdens and sorrow.
As you are near and hear me when I call upon your help
let me be there for others, Lord, as you are there for me...
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
help me see your face in the psalm above
and give me the desire share with others
the mercy, kindness, and compassion you offer me...
In the stillness of my prayer, Lord,
help me see the moments today and every day
when I might be gracious and slow to anger,
when I might be faithful and holy
and ready to help and lift up those
who call upon my help...
Be near to me right now, Lord:
hear and answer me, lift and raise me up
when I call upon you in truth...
To ponder and pray over...
Is the psalm's portrait of the Lord a portrait of me?Where along this day's path might I be more like the Lord?
Who are those I'll meet today who will most challenge
my living what this psalm calls me to?
Of all the Lord's attributes here,
which one do I most need to work on?
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.
Tweet
Subscribe to A Concord Pastor Comments
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please THINK before you write
and PRAY before you think!