The Healing of the Blind Man and the Raising of Lazarus Date: first half 12th century (possibly 1129–34), metmuseum.com.
This prayer arrived when I was praying without words very sleepily last Saturday morning. Having just learned how to make videos here after 10 years of using WordPress every day, here is a recording of it, in case that’s better for you than print: IMG_3546
We praise you, Lord (Psalm 21:13; GNT).
We praise you, Lord,
And worship you;
We learn from you,
And follow you;
Believe in you,
And long for you: Our Teacher.
We love you, Lord,
And serve with you;
We trust in you,
Rejoice in you;
Depend on you,
And pray to you: Our Master.
We grieve with you,
And yield with you;
Accept with you,
Endure with you;
We suffer and unite
With you, Our Saviour.
He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:6; NLT).
References
You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am (John 13:13; NLT).
Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! (Luke 17:13; NLT).
Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:11; NLT).
Something extra
Here is a link to a gallery of photos which tell the story of a beautiful, short walk we enjoyed last Saturday. I apologise for having messed up my sharing of this yesterday, and hope it will work properly. I can’t claim to be a mistress of technology! Just click on the live link if you would like to view it: https://wp.me/P45bCr-eaC.
One day, recently, soon after beginning to pray, this short poem arrived. I was even able to finish writing it before I had to get up, for which I was very thankful. After breakfast, I sorted out the references. Then it was time to face whatever the day would bring.
Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine (Luke 22:42; NLT).
Yahweh,
May I say, like Christ:
“I want to do your will, not mine”,
Then I’ll give thanks, whatever comes,
Accepting not my will, but thine.
Yahweh,
May I pray, with Christ:
“I want to do your will, not mine”,
Then I’ll rejoice, whatever comes,
For I will be your living shrine.
God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple (1 Corinthians 3:17; NLT).
References
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NIV).
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing (Psalm 143:10; NLT).
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; CSB).
Should we accept only good things from the hand of God, and never anything bad? (Job 2:10; NLT).
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NIV).
Today’s prayer arrived yesterday, shortly after I woke up:
Be silent before the LORD, all humanity (Zechariah 2:13; NLT).
I worship you in silence, Lord,
In stillness, and in darkness,
All alone;
Astonished by your majesty,
Your changelessness, your power,
All unknown;
And yet you are so gentle, Lord,
Your love so warm and bright,
So pure and sweet,
And so I dare to worship you,
Repeat your name, rejoice,
And kiss your feet.
A woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume (Luke 7:37-8; CSB).
References
Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? (Romans 11:33; NLT).
We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty (Job 37:23; NLT).
He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle (Isaiah 42:3; NLT).
He loves us with unfailing love; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
This prayer began to arrive last Tuesday, during a physiotherapy session. I had to remember it whilst having treatment on my back, neck and knees until I could jot it down afterwards. Fortunately, the following day gave me time to work on it.
“I myself will be a wall of fire around it,” declares the LORD, “and I will be its glory within” (Zechariah 2:5; NIV).
All around me, and within,
Free from blame, Lord, and from sin,
You are with me, come what may:
I’ll listen for your voice today.
Deep within me, and without,
Free from dread, Lord, and from doubt,
You are with me, come what may:
I’ll hear you gladly, and obey.
So, before me, and beside,
You instruct me, Lord, and guide,
Always with me, come what may:
So I’ll give thanks, rejoice and pray.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NIV).
References
There is …one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).
I am with you always (Matthew 28:20; NLT).
This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him (Matthew 17:5; NLT).
God is with those who obey him (Psalm 14:5; NLT).
He guides me along right paths (Psalm 23:3; NLT).
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).
God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds (Job 33:14-15; NLT).
Forgotten dreams
In prayer yesterday, I saw that when I can’t remember a dream, I can be sure that it contained nothing I need to know about or deal with at present.
The same is also true when I remember a dream, but no significant theme or emotion stands out. After thanking God for these quiet dreams, I simply let them go. Experience shows that any vague fragments I recall will quickly fade from consciousness.
Recurring dreams
Even if I miss or forget something significant, I’m confident that it will emerge repeatedly in my dreams until I’m ready and able to catch hold of what it has to teach me. This is because the contents of my unconscious mind (memories, traumatic experiences, hidden desires, buried emotions etc), are constantly present, even though I’m not conscious of them. They bubble away beyond awareness, constantly influencing all I feel, think, say and do. They affect how I understand and judge my past, how I react to events in the present, and how I approach the future. They help to determine how I experience life, and how I relate to others.
If I had to face all the contents of my unconscious mind at once, I’m sure I they would overwhelm me. I would become very disturbed, and break down. On the other hand, if I tried to avoid facing them altogether, I would be unable to change, grow and move forward in my life.
Gradual healing, through dreams
Given time, I believe that every significant unresolved experience, trauma and emotion buried in my unconscious mind will gradually be revealed in my dreams. This natural process will continue until I have remembered them all, named them, and written them down. This will enable me to face them one at a time, bring them into the light of my prayers, and asking God to heal them. Thus, through dreams, these issues will no longer remain hidden in darkness, until symptoms such as panic, loss of temper, or despair erupt uncontrollably and without warning, apparently from nowhere.
Cause for rejoicing
So when I check my notebook each morning, I rejoice to see what has been harvested from my unconscious mind during the night. Despite no longer remembering the dreams themselves, their major themes have been safely retrieved and made accessible, ready for prayer. This is all I need.
No surprises for God
Of course, there are no surprises for God in all that surfaces; only for me. This is because God already knows the thoughts of my heart and everything about me that is hidden from conscious awareness. With dreams as my way forward, it’s wonderful to know that even my unconscious mind is being healed.
O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me (Psalm 139:1; NLT).
References
I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness – secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name (Isaiah 45:3; NLT).
Yesterday I woke very early, which gave me lots of time to pray and write. This is what I was given:
Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us? (Luke 24:32; NLT).
May every human heart, Lord, burn,
And may we take your hand, and cling,
Accepting all that life will bring
Each day.
May every human heart repent,
And ask you to forgive our sin,
Embracing you, our closest kin,
Each day.
May every human heart rejoice,
And follow you, our Shepherd King,
The One from whom new life will spring
Each day.
Everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life (1 Corinthians 15:22; NLT).
References
The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. May the name of the LORD be blessed! (Job 1:21; NET).
Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near (Matthew 4:17; NLT).
Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother (Matthew 12:50; NLT).
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23; NLT).
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep (John 10:11; NLT).
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-3; ESV).
He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them (2 Corinthians 5:15; NLT).
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (Romans 6:4; NIV).
Fun with fermentation
Alongside writing and making rosaries, I love making fermented foods. Recently I began making fermented oats, which are delicious, and have lots of probiotic health benefits. Here is a photo of my second fermentation, which I started yesterday:
I’ve also just begun making my first ever leaven (yeast), by fermenting raisins. It’s so interesting to watch the process, and to see the changes every day with these living foods:
Although this little prayer began to arrive early one morning, I didn’t finish it until almost midnight on the same day. As I wrestled with it, I felt in my bones that it wasn’t going to work. However, I didn’t give up on the original inspiration, and eventually today’s blog emerged. I wonder why the simplest prayers are so often the very hardest to write?
I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things (Ecclesiastes 7:25; NLT).
You are my reason for living:
Lord, may I seek you each day.
You are my reason for loving:
Lord, may I worship, and pray.
You are my reason for giving:
Lord, may I serve you in all.
You are my reason for dying: Lord, I’ll rejoice when you call.
Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! (John 12:26-7; NLT).
If welive, welivefortheLord; and if we die, we die forthe Lord. So, whether welive or die, we belong to theLord (Romans 14:8; NIV).
The RosaryHospital
Today I had a second try at making a simple prayer circlet, but this time I used nine beads in each section, whilst marking the beginning and end of each group with small crosses.
There are no static beads in this circlet, apart from at the join. It’s much slacker than a normal rosary. This should make it easier to pray with whilst walking, or carrying out simple tasks. Only one hand is needed to hold the circlet and move the beads along. I’m right-handed, so I can easily pray with it in my left hand. Having just finished my circlet this evening, I’m really looking forward to trying it out tomorrow.
Here are two shots of today’s circlet. The first is atmospheric, taken in my bedroom late at night, while the second shows more detail:
