Today’s prayer arrived when I was still and silent. I didn’t move, or even try to remember it at the time, but afterwards, to my great surprise, I was able to write it down. This has never happened before, so I was truly grateful.
What great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on him? (Deuteronomy 4:7; NLT).
Don’t strive for God
In prayer,
For He is near,
Sharing every longing,
Loss,
And tear;
Bearing all our pain,
And grief,
And fear:
Beside us,
And within – Alreadyhere.
The LORD is here! (Genesis 28:16; GNT).
References
Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38; NLT).
In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19; NIV).
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 is with us (Matthew 1:23: NLT).
There is …one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).
We are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).
Whilst praying a few day ago, these little verses came into my mind. I had to write them down immediately, or they would have slipped away as if they had never existed.
Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge (Psalm 62:8; NLT).
Pour out your heart:
Concealment is vain.
Tell God the truth,
For He shares your pain.
Pour out your heart:
Say all that you will.
Tell God the truth,
For He loves you still.
He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).
References
He knows the secrets of every heart (Psalm 44:21; NLT).
You desire honesty from the womb (Psalm 51:6; NLT).
In all their suffering he also suffered (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).
Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done (Philippians 4:6; NLT).
This prayer came to me early last Thursday morning for the lovely friend to whom it is dedicated.
God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28; NLT).
May this narrow path of sickness
Bring some good to those I meet.
As you help me bear my anguish,
May they trust, and start to pray.
May this narrow path of sorrow
Bring some good to those I greet.
As you help me face my passion,
May they follow you each day.
May this narrow path of hardship
Bring some good to those I join.
As you help me sense your presence,
May they come to share your way.
I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News (Philippians 1:12; NLT).
References
Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:14; NIV).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).
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; NLT).
The Annunciation, by Benozzo Gozzoli, Narni Town Hall, Wikimedia.
Most unusually, this prayer started to arrive during the relaxation at the end of my gentle, online movement class last Thursday. All I had to do was to keep repeating the first four lines, so as not to forget them before I could write them down. The rest followed relatively easily:
We are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16; NIV).
Live with God,
And walk with Him.
Serve with God,
And share with Him:
Share His pity,
Strength and peace,
His light and truth,
Which never cease,
His raging fire,
And tenderness –
For God is love,
So let’s say, “Yes”.
Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38; NET).
I want your will to be done, not mine (Matthew 26:39; NLT).
References
They will be called ‘children of the living God’ (Romans 9:26; NIV).
Yahweh is tenderness and pity (Psalm 103:8; NJB).
The Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:4; KJV).
The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).
God is light (1 John 1:5; NLT).
The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV).
The Lord your God is a raging fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; GW).
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:16; NLT).
Special note: Saying, “Yes”, to God
Saying, “Yes”, to God, as in today’s prayer, has a long history. It references Mary’s response when the Angel Gabriel asked her to become the mother of Jesus.
In the Latin Vulgate Bible, which dates back to the eight century, we read how Mary give her “fiat“, or “Yes“, to the angel:
Dixit autem Maria ecce ancilla Domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum (Luke 1:38; Vulgate, my emphasis).
In Latin, the word, “fiat“, means, “Let it be done”, so here is a typical English rendering of this verse:
Then Mary said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38; CPDV).
However, I prefer the simplicity and absolute directness of the NET translation, which precisely captures the deep, underlying significance of Mary’s fiat:
So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38; NET).
All this, and more, lies behind today’s prayer about saying, “Yes“, to God.
Acknowledgements
My thanks to the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, for introducing me to the concept of saying, “Yes”, to God, and to the existence of fiat rosaries. Here is a link to their website: walsinghamcommunity.org.
Thank you, also, to Blue Letter Bible, without whose parallel translations, including the Vulgate, I couldn’t run this blog. Here is a link to their website: blueletterbible.org.
I owe further thanks to the Catholic Diocese of Arlington for helping me to explore the origin and significance of the word “fiat“. For those who want to know more, here is a link to their website: arlingtondiocese.org.
The Rosary Hospital
Finally, here is a picture of my shrine, with my fiat rosary in the foreground:
This prayer arrived very early last Thursday. It was so difficult to express in words that I came close to giving up, only finishing it this morning:
Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28; NLT).
Resting in prayer:
Silent and dark.
Turning to God:
One mind, one heart.
Bowing in prayer:
Wordless and deep.
Trusting in God:
Shared love is sweet.
Yielding in prayer:
Body and soul.
Joining with God:
Our Maker and goal.
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14; NIV).
References
Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker (Psalm 95:6; NLT).
Yield your hearts to the LORD (Joshua 24:23; NIV).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
The Rosary Hospital
I’m now well-launched on my second large batch of rosaries, which will all be Fiat rosaries this time. Here is a chunky, very tactile one with a recycled cross. I enjoyed making it yesterday:
Today’s blog came as a complete surprise. A few days ago I was praying whilst touching my icon of Christ, when it arrived in a split second. I scribbled it down as best I could, and within ten minutes it was finished. Its conclusion left me stunned.
Behold, I am with you every day, even unto the end of time (Matthew 28:20; ABPE).
Lord,
To be constantly aware
Of your presence,
Always in communion with you,
And being completely honest with you
All the time,
Sharing everything I experience,
Feel, think, do and say
With you,
And enjoying times of silence together
When there is nothing
Either of us needs to say
Is healing.
I am the LORD who heals you (Exodus 15:26; NLT).
References
You desire honesty from the womb (Psalm 51:6; NLT).
Look now; I myself am he! There is no other god but me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one can be rescued from my powerful hand! (Deuteronomy 32:39; NLT).
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
The LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).
Confide in him at all times, ye people; pour out your heart before him: God is our refuge (Psalm 62:8; DBY).
As for me, I will confide in thee (Psalm 55:23; DBY).
Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign LORD (Zephaniah 1:7; NLT).
Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7; NLT).
Yesterday I continued working on an article about forgiveness. I wanted to post it today, but was too tired to finish it. So instead I chose a short prayer I wrote a while ago, and never found a good opportunity to use:
There is …one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).
God dwells in stillness,
Timelessness,
And silence,
Over, in,
And through
All He creates.
With endless longing,
Mercy, love,
And patience,
He watches, listens,
Pities, shares –
And waits.
The Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).
God gave me this prayer today, so, although it’s late, it’s absolutely specific to Good Friday. I’ve never prepared a blog so quickly before, so please forgive its rawness, and any errors, which I will try to correct over the next few hours. Normally, you just receive the finished version.
God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16; NLT).
Let me join your constant prayer
For all the world, with faithful care,
One mind with you, Lord, as you share
Our troubles.
Let me join your ceaseless prayer
For all the world, with tender care,
One heart with you, Lord, as you share
Our sorrows.
Let me join your endless prayer
For all the world, with steadfast care,
One soul with you, Lord, as you share
Our anguish.
Let me join your fervent prayer
For all the world, with loving care,
One flesh with you, Lord, as you bear
Our torment.
He took up our pain and bore our suffering (Isaiah 53:4; NIV).
He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12; NIV).
Additions later in the day:
11.09am: Continuing to think about and work on today’s blog, this is how Isaiah 53:12 is translated in the Literal Standard Version of the Bible. I thought some of you might find it interesting, especially because of how the present tense is used in the final phrase:
“He exposed His soul to death, And He was numbered with transgressors, And He has borne the sin of many, And He intercedes for transgressors” (my emphasis).
11.17am: When we pray, we join in with Jesus’ constant prayer for all the world. It’s like logging on to a ceaseless Zoom meeting with Jesus leading, and with all the other people who are praying at that moment. So let’s not log off at the “end” of our prayers – let’s just stay logged in all the time!
After having the dream described in yesterday’s blog (see https://wp.me/p45bCr-dIF), this poem came to me very insistently a short while afterwards:
I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me (Psalm 51:3; NIV).
Recognising all the wrongs
I silence in my anxious mind,
Help me to disclose my shadow,
Sharing it with you each day.
Facing up to all the guilt
I stifle in my fearful heart,
Help me to reveal my shadow,
Sharing it with you in prayer.
Owning up to all the shame
I smother in my anguished soul,
Help me to express my shadow,
Sharing it with you through dance.
So, may I expose my shadow
To your constant, healing light.
Please forgive my endless sins,
And give me, Lord, another chance.
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O LORD (Psalm 25:7; NLT).
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more (Isaiah 43:25; NIV).
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:18-19; NIV).
References
I know every thought that comes into your minds (Ezekiel 11:5; NLT).
Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely (Psalm 139:4; NIV).
He knows the secrets of every heart (Psalm 44:21; NLT).
The LORD’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive (Proverbs 20:27; NLT).
Speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
You desire honesty from the womb (Psalm 51:6; NLT).
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O LORD (Psalm 25:7; NLT).
These verses came to me earlier this week when I was praying without words. I wanted so much to ignore them and keep on drawing nearer to God, but they were so insistent that I had to open my eyes and write down what I was being given:
Today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43; NLT).
Father, While my mind is still,
Please let me rise
To you, in heaven.
Jesus,
While my eyes are closed,
Please let me see
Your shining face.
Spirit,
While my heart is hushed,
Please let me hear
Your wordless sighing.
Threefold God, Though I am dust,
Please let me share
Your peace and grace.
May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace (Titus 1:4; NLT).
References
His face shone like the sun (Matthew 17:2; NLT).
The Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words (Romans 8:26; RSV).
I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am only dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27; NASB20).
O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1; NLT).
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9; KJV).
The Rosary Hospital
Yesterday I enjoyed improving two of my own rosaries, which have been awaiting my attention for the last few weeks. I feel much happier about them now.
