4/11/13

Praying 10 minutes today: FRIDAY 4/12


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 numbers all the stars
   and calls each of them by name...
- Psalm 147






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

Lord, if you know all the stars
   and call each of them by name
then surely you know each of your sons and daughters
   and so surely  --  you know me...

You know me, Lord, better than anyone else:
   and surely you know me better than I know myself...

From before all time you knew me, Lord:
   you knew who my parents would be,
   you knew the day of my birth,
   you knew my blood type and the color of my eyes,
      the shape of my head, the size of my ears, 
         the turn of my nose and the look of my face...
From before all time you knew me, Lord
   and you loved me even then...

You know every thought I'll have before I think it.
You know where my mind will go before I begin to wonder.
You know which of my thoughts I don't want you to know
   and the thoughts I try to keep from myself.
You know my best thoughts and my worst thoughts,
  my pipe dreams and my serious plans. 
Even while I'm sleeping you know my mind:   
   you know my dreams - and you understand them!
And you know my nightmares, too, Lord,
   and the fears I carry from sleep to the light of day...

You know my schemes and designs, 
  and the thoughts I'm embarrassed to acknowledge before you.
You know my loves and my lust,
   my generosity and my greed,
      my selfish and my selfless sides...

You know my strengths and my weaknesses,
   my good deeds and my sins,
      my true resolve and my half-baked promises...

You know the truth of who I am, Lord,
   and you know the lies I tell myself and others
      - and the lies I try to tell you...

You know every broken piece of my life
   and how much I need your mending hand,
      your healing help...

You know where I've been, Lord,
   and how I've followed and failed in walking your path.
You know where I belong, you know where I am,
   you know what I'm doing here, 
      for weal or for woe.
And you know where I'm going
   even when that's a mystery yet to me...

You know how much I love you, Lord,
   and you know when and how and why 
      I love you less than I ought...

Yet still you love me, Lord, and never fail
   to call my heart to greater, deeper love of you,
      of my neighbor and of myself...

You know me inside-out and try as I might,
   there's no hiding from your watchful eye, 
      no running from your arms' reach.
There's no escaping your strong arm's embrace
   no matter how much I struggle when, thinking like a fool,
      I imagine I might do better on my own...

You know and call the stars by name, Lord,
   but there's so much more to know in each of us, your own,
      and so much more to love in every heart you've made...

In the quiet of my prayer, Lord, call me by name:
   let my heart hear your voice 
      and let me know your love...

And as I learn your love, so shape my heart
   to know you and love you in return...

In the stillness, Lord, teach me:
   to love as I am loved,
   to desire to know you as I am known,
   to find my joy in you who know me -- and love me still...
            
To ponder and pray over...
There is nothing about me unknown to God...
There is nothing within me hidden from God...
There is nothing ahead of me outside God's loving care...
   Will I make the time today to begin to try to take in
      how much God loves me?
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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