Find a quiet time and place to pray... take a few deep breaths...
be still... and know that God is near...
Jesus told them:
Do not worry about tomorrow;
tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.
- Matthew 6
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
spend some quiet time with the scripture verse above...)
Even as I begin to reflect on your word, Lord,
I know I have worries about tomorrow, and next week, and...
well, let's just say I worry about a lot of things, a lot of the time...
And though you tell me not to worry,
to "be not afraid,"
worries and fears still fill up my mind, burden my heart
and trouble my soul...
I'm so easily occupied by worry
and my fears hold me hostage:
my worries distract me from you, Lord,
from others, and from moments of joy
so close to hand, even right in my lap...
Do not worry about tomorrow;
tomorrow will take care of itself...
You tell me not to worry,
that tomorrow will take care of itself
and I know you're right, Lord!
At least I know that worrying,
or worrying more, or worrying harder or longer
won't remove or resolve whatever it is about tomorrow
that I'm worried about...
There may well be things I need to do today
to prepare for tomorrow and face it responsibly
but worrying right now won't help me tomorrow,
it will only distract and unsettle my soul...
Worry wearies my mind and turns my focus
from this day's concerns, this day's needs,
so tomorrow finds me spent and tired,
looking for the energy, needing the strength
I worried away, the day before...
Do not worry about tomorrow;
tomorrow will take care of itself...
Saddest of all, worrying about tomorrow
clouds my vision and closes my eyes to
this day's blessings, this day's joys
and to all the ways you're with me, Lord,
in the hour at hand...
How often have I missed the grace, the strength,
the peace of your presence by my side
when my head and heart were lost
in worry over what has not yet come to pass?
How many blessings,
how much peace of mind have I lost on one day,
fretting and fearing, imagining the worst about the next?
I need your help - today, Lord!
I need deeper faith in you, trust in you
and in your promise to be with me always...
Do not worry about tomorrow;
tomorrow will take care of itself...
Strengthen my faith and help me let go my worries:
let me drink in the peace you have for me today,
the comfort you offer me today,
the joy that will never come again
the way it comes to me today...
This day's worries and fears
will have nothing to offer when a new day arrives:
let your presence today be the strength I look back to,
let your word today be the wisdom I rely on
when tomorrow comes 'round to knock on my door...
Help me keep it in today, Lord, because, truly,
this is the day you have made,
the day you've given me,
this is the only day I have,
the day when, in this quiet time of prayer,
you are near, you are here, you are with me...
In your company, in your peace,
I have nothing to worry or fear of the day to come...
Do not worry about tomorrow;
tomorrow will take care of itself...
Help me trust, Lord,
that you know more about tomorrow than I:
that even as tomorrow is safe in your hands
so am I safe in those same hands today...
Help me keep it in today, Lord:
be my strength for living this day,
my wisdom for accepting this day,
my peace for surviving this day
and be my hope for trusting that tomorrow
you'll be with me as surely
as you're with me - today...
To ponder and pray over...
What worries and fears do I need to let go of to "keep it in today?"
Will I trust in, look for and accept the gifts God has for me today -
and receive and enjoy them?
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.
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Subscribe to A Concord Pastor Comments
Thank you-
ReplyDeleteI need to keep this prayer close with me today-
but, I AM still worried-
ReplyDeleteabout tomorrow, and beyond-
and I am wearied from worry, but I still do it-
help me, Lord, please.