Being Light

Light of the World, guide our steps with Your brightness, Your mercy and Your peace. Call us to follow You, to become the light that You radiate and share, heart to heart, with each of us. Teach us to immerse our thoughts, words and actions with the brilliance of Your grace so that we, too, may give light to those who sit in darkness. By Your Holy Name, Amen.

Serving Your Purpose

You have told us, God, that we are blessed to be a blessing. You also revealed to us that we each have been created for a purpose, hand delivered, if You will, to contribute something specific from You to the earth and its inhabitants. With that kind of legacy embedded in our very being, how can we help but delight in discovering what gifts, skills and knowledge You have given us? How can we not get excited about what a difference we can make on Your earth and among Your people? Please help us focus on what it is You would have us do with our being while we are here. Please remind us what is different about Your purpose, what serving You and Your people looks like. Please continue to delight in us as we learn how to serve You better each day. Amen.

Faith is the Assurance

The Full Measure of Forgiveness

Judgment and forgiveness go hand in hand, God, and we are reminded of this everyday. What we give comes back to us, what we learn becomes a part of us. What does judging each other accomplish? What does forgiveness offer in enduring hope and gratitude? These are the questions Your spirit raises in our souls, questions that cannot be ignored, no matter how hard we try.

Thank You, God, for the blessing of Your full measure of forgiveness. Something we must always remember is that You forgive us because You choose to, even before we have recognized our need for this grace and asked You for it's mercy. What a wonderful example to live by. We, too, can forgive each other because we choose to. We can offer that forgiveness in our hearts long before someone who has wronged us recognizes their mistake and seeks to make amends. The great surprise is that forgiveness isn't about someone else making things right, but about us living in a right relationship with You. Amen.

Spariousness

How big is the universe, God? How much farther do You extend past these borders for which we have no sight? We tend to filter who You are through the narrow field of vision with which we view ourselves and each other. How could You possibly be anymore that a very big person with the same faults and limitations as we each possess? How we perceive You, interact with You, is usually based in childhood stories which we have never outgrown. It is amazing that Your spirit has any room to work based on that simple fact alone.

What we need Your help with, God, are grown up images of You that we can carry with us as we walk out the door to work each day. Who You are is so big that we will never completely comprehend You until we see You face-to-face in heaven, but until then, we need to allow You to be God, Our God, a God as big as we can possibly see, feel, and experience You.

Your vastness isn't that hard to spot if we will only pay attention. The universe itself is Yours, and the Earth You have shared with us clearly took a grand effort, both in scale and loving detail. Your mystery and grace are evident, but our eyes must train themselves in Your vision, Your hope, to truly see with mature eyes the wisdom and beauty with which You present us each day. Amen.

God's Stillness

The psalmist tells us to be still and know that You are God. Call us to this place of stillness in You, God, as we pray for Your direction and purpose in our daily being. Our very breath is from You, inhaling and exhaling the loving grace with which you formed every single one of us. Keep us in this stillness, this mysterious, miraculous place of knowing that You are God, and that we come from You and will always be connected to each other through You. Amen.

Saltiness

God, You are a Great Chef, knowing just how much seasoning creates the best possible mix of flavors. Jesus talked about us, Your people, being salt here on earth, being Your seasoning within our communities. But how can we do that if we only stay to ourselves in Christian gatherings? You haven't called us to cling to other people who also follow Your word, but it is much easier to do so, much more comfortable really. But to do so means we are not following Your word at all. We are called to be about Your work, wherever that leads us. We are called to bring our flavor to the world. We are called to be salt, called to be flavorful in places that lack the zest of Your spirit. We are salt when we blend ourselves with people who may not be a part of our usual circles. We are salt when we seek out people and situations in which we can share Your recipe for living in relationship with You.

Continue to train us as Your chefs, God, understanding the balance of Your seasonings in their measure. Amen.

Fearlessness

Isaiah tells us You have said, "Fear not, I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine."

Do You really mean this God?

Do You really mean we don't have to be afraid to live in a world that seems to have a whole lot of reasons to run, hide and never look back? Please show us better choices than being afraid. Please show us how to love instead.

Do You really mean we we are redeemed, that we are considered whole, wonderful, all that You want us to be? It is usually easier to pick at ourselves, and each other, as if being imperfect is an art form to be developed at every turn. Please show us how to cherish each other as Your beloved daughters and sons.

Have You actually called us, each by our own names? My government has a number for me, so do all the accounts by which I maintain my home. Other people locate me through my street address and telephone numbers. But You, You know my name and have called to me through time and space to remind me of Your love for me.

Am I really Yours, God? What does it mean to belong to You? What does it mean to belong to each other? Please help us to feel belonged. Please help us to share that feeling with the people in our lives.

Thank you for Your worlds through the prophet Isaiah, God. Thank You for how You are releasing us from our fear, redeeming, naming and calling us today. Amen.

Naming God

By what names do we know You to be, God? Sometimes I need You to be the strong, fierce Leader on whom Moses relied while shepherding the Israelites through a forty year wilderness experience. Other times, I hope that You are simply a Kind Listener, knowing I need to just talk, let my heart be open so it can be emptied of the hurt and sadness that are bursting its seams. You have sat next to me many times as my Great Companion, watching the waves roll onto the beach, contemplating the sun as it sets on the horizon. You have also shown Yourself as Creator, giving order to chaos, manifesting in abundance, in one grand sweep of Your spiritual paintbrush. You are a Grand Director, whispering cues to us, Your performance artists, gently guiding us through our dialogue. When we pay attention, we see just how easily and effortlessly Your play comes together, all the parts intermingling and reflecting Your skills as our Author.

Please encourage us to keep searching for more names we know You to be God. Amen.

Caring for Each Other

Nurturing, loving God, walk with each of us now as the parent who knows us best, and delights in each step we take in our lives. Show us what You do to be so much for us. Show us who You are in every way possible so that we may replicate Yourself in our own behaviors toward each other. Caring for each other isn't as hard as we make it to be. Yet we do make this greatest gift from You a burden, something to sway away from at the most important times. Using what people look like, sound like and think like to excuse ourselves from being good neighbors, as You taught us through Jesus, doesn't excuse us from following that example and doing Your will. Expecting everyone to be like us before we offer support, food, shelter, kindness, even prayer, limits our own hearts from growing, and prevents a moment of hope from growing in someone else.

Forgive us, God, when we care more about what doesn't matter when we have the chance to act on what does. Thank you for the blessings with which You shower us all. Please help us open our hearts to being instruments of Your loving kindness. Amen.

Seeking Advice

Great Counselor, today I need Your advice. My heart is heavy with confusion, grief and despair. Where should I turn for direction, clarity, comfort and hope? Where do you reside in my world that I may find Your answers to the questions I am considering that seem to have no answers? If You are a refuge, God, please be my place of rest and hope now because I need Your solace and peaceful strength to sustain me. Please hear my concerns, please offer me wise counsel to see me through this time. Amen.

Transitions

In an ever-changing, ever-progressing world, I am grateful for the knowledge that You are always with me. Who You are never changes. Seasons, jobs, relationships, places we live, places we leave, remain constant in their rhythms, but cannot always be relied on to be as we perceive or remember them. I know that few things can be counted on, but You are one of those things. Indeed, You are the most important of all. Amen.

So We Are Called

Here I am God. Please send me, please use me, please let me be the one to do Your will. Please lead me to be a leader among Your people. Not just people who know You, but people who simply are a part of my life, people in my neighborhood, my community, who are in need or who want to share in making Your creation a wholly good and wonderful place for all of us. Please help me to do this work to which You have called me. But please, God, also gently encourage me to keep focused on You as my inspiration, my hope, my desire for all that is right, honorable and just. Your voice whispers my name and I hear You in my heart. Your spirit calls to me and I answer with grace in action toward my fellow travelers. Amen.

Thank You, God

Thank you, God, for Your peace which passes all our ability to understand. Thank you, God, for Your generosity, Your goodness and Your kindness at every turn. Thank you, God, for reaching out to us first, over and over again, as we continue this mutual relationship of love and trust with You each day. Thank you, God, for standing still, steady and firmly in place, as we fumble our way back to You when we have meandered off the path You have created for us to walk with You. Thank you, God, that we never have to wonder where You are. Amen.

Let Justice Roll Down

God of justice and mercy, welcoming Your presence into our lives means facing the simple truth that we are not always fair, kind, helpful or even decent toward one another, let alone just or merciful. We all too often believe justice is for those with whom we disagree, as in punishment and retribution that is seemingly deserved by human rules. Mercy is for people like us, people who didn't mean what they did or said, despite the results. The real truth, God, is that Your justice is based in and tempered by grace. Your mercy is fully measured with love. Please make us instruments of Your understanding, of how to see each other with Your heart and soul. Amen.

Always God

Sustainer God, we come to You today with all of who we are and have been in tow. Sometimes the weight of everyday routines become burdensome, tedious, overwhelming. We pray for something to shake us up, surprise us, enlighten us to newness of life. You never fail to hold us steadfast on the journey, through work, caring for ourselves and each other, tending to all the details that make up our days. You always remember to shower us with the delights of Your creation, extravagant and new each day. When we are tired, ready to give up or give in, take our hands, point to the sparkling, starry night, the pounding waves of the ocean and the dawning skies of morning. Direct us to keep looking for You and finding Your continuously creating spirit. Amen.