Pause for Prayer: THURSDAY 9/27

On the Cape for a couple of days, Lord,
and I packed for a late September chill,
but today was a beauty, 
warm and sunny - a pure delight -
thank you, Lord!

You know how grateful I am for these bonus days:

these leftover almost-summer days

come to surprise me as fall’s first frost

makes ready to nip away my memories

of August and July…

Like finding a ten-spot in a pair of old jeans,

a warm day falls from your pocket, Lord:

an unexpected grace, a boon, a blessing,

the last taste of a season passing,

and a pledge what will come again...

The warmth of these bonus days

reminds of other ways you find to show me

that just when I think it’s all over

– it’s not…

There comes a gift, a wink, a hint from you

of one more day, one more chance,

one more reason for taking one more step

towards you and the peace you promise…

Lord, I pray your pocket’s filled with little gifts

just big enough to catch my eye, turn my head

and steal my heart away from hopelessness

just long enough for me to hear you whisper in my ear:

   Hang in there...  

   you’re not alone… 

   there’s another day…

   I’m by your side all through the night 

      until a new day comes…

   take another step… 

   trust for just a moment…

   and know that I am with you without fail…

Surprise me with your grace, Lord,

with unexpected  gifts to bring me hope,

to guide me when I’m lost,

to lead me where I fear to go,

to give me strength for one more day,

one more night, one more hour,

one more step in your direction,

closer to your heart, your word,

your peace…

Surprise me with your grace, Lord,

and nudge me on until I find the gifts

the simple gifts that spill from your own hand…

And let no gift of yours go unnoticed, Lord,
unseen, unheard, unopened…

When self-pity, envy, anger

keep me from what grace

you've dropped in my lap,

shake and wake me to your presence,

alert me to the help you bring,

the help I need and want and pray for…

When I least expect and need you most,

surprise me like a summer’s day

that dawns in late September:

bathe me in your peaceful light and from within,

warm me with your presence…

A frost will surely come
and sooner than I want it,

but when it does, 

remind me of your pocketful of gifts

and all the ways you might surprise me with your love,

today and through what seasons come,
for in every season you are there
and I am yours, 
in every season, Lord...

Amen.

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