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:
Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give you peace.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
-John 14
Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give you peace.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
-John 14
(Before moving on to the reflection below,
spend some quiet time with the scripture verse above...)
I hear you, Lord,
I hear your words and pledge
but my heart's still troubled, still afraid,
still anxious and finding it hard to live in the moment,
to keep from living in the past,
from worrying tomorrow's woes
before they're even here:
it's hard to keep it in today...
I'm so caught up in my troubles
I can't see the peace your offer:
the peace that's here and now,
the peace I needn't wait for
the peace that you've embedded in my soul,
much deeper than the aches and wounds
I carry in my heart...
I bend beneath the burdens weighing heavy on my back
and stacked in piles filling up my mind with thoughts
confounding and confused...
My problems become blinders blocking out the light
that shines with clarity and wisdom
and I'm lost within myself, locked in,
afraid to try the door, to walk the path that leads me
from this self-incarceration to the freedom of your peace...
Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give to you...
I hear you, Lord,
I hear your words and pledge...
I hunger for a morsel of the bread of peace,
the loaf you break to share with me;
and I thirst for just a sip of peace, poured
like wine from the finest vines...
If I could open up to taste, to sip, to know
how rich, how sweet the gift that's yours alone to give,
then I'd begin to feast upon the peace that heals
and feeds the broken, fearful heart...
Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives
do I give you peace...
Your peace is freely given,
it can't be bought...
Your peace is surrendered,
it can't be won...
Your peace comes with pardon,
no strings attached...
Your peace is forgiving
it never holds a grudge...
Your peace is forever,
I hear your words and pledge
but my heart's still troubled, still afraid,
still anxious and finding it hard to live in the moment,
to keep from living in the past,
from worrying tomorrow's woes
before they're even here:
it's hard to keep it in today...
I'm so caught up in my troubles
I can't see the peace your offer:
the peace that's here and now,
the peace I needn't wait for
the peace that you've embedded in my soul,
much deeper than the aches and wounds
I carry in my heart...
I bend beneath the burdens weighing heavy on my back
and stacked in piles filling up my mind with thoughts
confounding and confused...
My problems become blinders blocking out the light
that shines with clarity and wisdom
and I'm lost within myself, locked in,
afraid to try the door, to walk the path that leads me
from this self-incarceration to the freedom of your peace...
Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give to you...
I hear you, Lord,
I hear your words and pledge...
I hunger for a morsel of the bread of peace,
the loaf you break to share with me;
and I thirst for just a sip of peace, poured
like wine from the finest vines...
If I could open up to taste, to sip, to know
how rich, how sweet the gift that's yours alone to give,
then I'd begin to feast upon the peace that heals
and feeds the broken, fearful heart...
Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives
do I give you peace...
Your peace is freely given,
it can't be bought...
Your peace is surrendered,
it can't be won...
Your peace comes with pardon,
no strings attached...
Free my heart of trouble, Lord,
let my heart not be afraid...Your peace is forgiving
it never holds a grudge...
Your peace is forever,
it grows, it does not die...
Shield my troubled heart, Lord,
Shield my troubled heart, Lord,
and chase away my fears...
Free my heart of trouble, Lord,
Free my heart of trouble, Lord,
let my heart not be afraid...
Take my broken heart, Lord,
Take my broken heart, Lord,
and heal it with your peace...
Calm my anxious heart, Lord,
Calm my anxious heart, Lord,
and soothe it with your peace...
Refresh my drooping heart, Lord,
Refresh my drooping heart, Lord,
and restore my faith in you...
Free my heart of trouble, Lord,
Free my heart of trouble, Lord,
let my heart not be afraid...
Take my heart of stone away
and give me a heart of flesh...
Cleanse my selfish heart, Lord,
and give me a heart for others...
Fill my heart with peace, Lord,
Fill my heart with peace, Lord,
as only you can give...
Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives
do I give you peace.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid...
my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives
do I give you peace.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid...
I hear you, Lord,
I hear your words and pledge...
Give me a taste of your peace, a sip of your peace,
and a hunger for peace that takes me
beyond my troubles, beyond my fears
to a place where my heart rests in yours...
Help me to learn to love your peace
more than my old ways and habits;
help me let go what I cling to
that my heart and mind and arms be open
to all you have to offer me...
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
help me let go whatever keeps me from your peace...
In the stillness of my prayer help me hear
the peace that sounds already in my heart,
an echo of the peace that beats in yours
and longs to heal and fill my soul...
In the silence of my prayer, Lord,
help me let go the worries of my past
and my fears about tomorrow
and keep me in today, within your heart,
within the peace you leave for me,
the peace you give to me,
the peace that only you can give...
I hear your words and pledge...
Give me a taste of your peace, a sip of your peace,
and a hunger for peace that takes me
beyond my troubles, beyond my fears
to a place where my heart rests in yours...
Help me to learn to love your peace
more than my old ways and habits;
help me let go what I cling to
that my heart and mind and arms be open
to all you have to offer me...
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord,
help me let go whatever keeps me from your peace...
In the stillness of my prayer help me hear
the peace that sounds already in my heart,
an echo of the peace that beats in yours
and longs to heal and fill my soul...
In the silence of my prayer, Lord,
help me let go the worries of my past
and my fears about tomorrow
and keep me in today, within your heart,
within the peace you leave for me,
the peace you give to me,
the peace that only you can give...
To ponder and pray over...
What troubles and fears disturb my inner peace?Am I living in the problems of my past?
Am I consumed with worries about tomorrow?
Do I need to pray to "keep it in today?"
Have I let my problems blind me to the presence
of God's peace?
Will I pray for a taste, a sip of that peace,
to make me hungry and thirsty for it?
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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