“And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (Mark 12:30; NLT).
Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you (John 6:27; NLT).
Father,
I love you.
Whatever today may bring,
Please give me
The physical,
Mental,
Emotional,
And spiritual energy
I need,
So I can handle it all –
With you.
Through Jesus’ name,
Amen.
The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you (Deuteronomy 33:27; NLT).
Father,
During contemplation,
Please help me
To relax
Into your everlasting arms,
Rather than striving
To enter your presence.
Through Jesus’ name,
Amen.
He never changes (James 1:17; NLT).
Father,
I experience you
In so many different ways –
As an overwhelming darkness,
Or a blinding light;
A warm and loving presence,
Or a raging fire;
A peaceful, silent union,
Or an ecstasy of joy.
But in fact,
It’s only me who changes –
For you are always
The same.
The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever (Psalm 121:8; NLT).
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders” (Luke 15:4-5; NLT).
The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you (Deuteronomy 33:27; NLT).
Lord,
Thank you for keeping watch over us,
As we explore our world.
When we wander off, so far
That we can’t hear your voice
Calling us home,
Please come to meet us
In the wilderness,
And bring us back to safety,
In your arms.
Through Jesus’ name,
Amen.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36; NIV).
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10; NLT).
“My Father’s house has many rooms” (John 14:2; NIV).
“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold” (John 10:16; NRSV).
Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favouritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34-5; NLT).
Lord,
You set us free,
And give us life
To the full.
Thank you
That we don’t all
Have to think,
Believe,
And behave
Alike –
Whatever anyone says!
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong with our lives (2 Timothy 3:16; NLT).
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-3; NLT).
Holy Spirit,
As I read my Bible,
Please help me
To understand,
Learn,
Remember,
Change,
And grow,
So my reading
Produces good fruit
In my life.
I ask this
In Jesus’ precious name,
Amen.
“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33; NLT).
“How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me” (Luke 13:34; NLT).
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20; NLT).
Lord,
If we don’t know you,
We face the trials of life
Essentially alone,
Although you always wait
To embrace us,
Whilst weeping over our pain,
And spiritual darkness.
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1; NLT).
Teach us to realise the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom (Psalm 90:12; NLT).
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow (James 1:3; NLT).
Lord,
Having faith
Means knowing
You are with us,
And that we are always safe
In your hands,
No matter what suffering
Life brings
To test us.
Whatever we experience,
Please help us to grow
In wisdom,
And endurance.
Through Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Last night I had a vision, in a dream: I was looking down into a pool of darkness at a seething mass of cells, growing at breakneck speed.
And as I watched, they developed into embryos, primitive faces gazing up towards me.
Then they were new-born babies, children, teens; adults, middle-aged, then old, then skulls.
Then they were gone; and all I saw was darkness. The vision in the dream was over, and I woke.
It left me stunned, for this might be how we appear to you, Lord, to whom a thousand years pass like a day.
How short, our days of constant change! How inescapable, our swift advance to death!
Following what I saw, here is today’s prayer:
Teach us, dear Lord,
The brevity of time,
So we may grow in wisdom,
Experiencing each moment
To the full,
And staying close to you
At every step –
No matter what life brings.
References
* For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours (Psalm 90:4; NLT).
* How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! (Job 14:1; NLT).
* Teach us to realise the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom (Psalm 90:11; NLT).
* I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10; NLT).
* Come close to God, and God will come close to you (James 4:8; NLT).
* Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NKJV).
The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you (Deuteronomy 33:27; NLT).
Lord,
Sometimes
I drift off
During contemplation –
How blissful it is
To sleep
In your loving arms!