Hear Our Prayer, O Lord

These are some of my favorite prayers from The Book of Common Prayer:

Our Father, grow us slowly, persistently, and deeply, Lord, to be people who watch without distraction,   listen without interruption and stay put without inclination to flee. Amen

Lord, teach us to dwell in the corners and crevices, to find an abundance of your love in those pockets of our lives where the poverty of our abilities crowds out our pride and ego. Amen

Guide us, Lord, through the dark places of our day that we might trust you when shadows overcome the light. Remind us that darkness is as light to you. Amen

Lord, send us forth into the day to rejoice in all things, to trust you in all circumstances, and to proclaim your coming kingdom to all people. Amen

Lord God, grant us grace to be faithful witnesses to those we encounter today. May we share your love in a way that sparks others to catch your fire. Amen

Lord God, our hands are open to you. Our ears are listening to you. Our eyes are watching you. Our hearts are trying to beat with yours. Live in us and love others through us today. Amen

Almighty God, thank you for the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us. Surround us with living saints who remind us of the sort of people we are trying to become. When we fall short of who we want to be, catch us in the arms of your grace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

I'll Be Praying For You

Has anyone ever told you - "I'll be praying for you!"  How did that make you feel?  Encouraged?  Or did you think that it was just another line to make you feel better?  Is this a phrase you say often?  If so, why?

Recently I read an article from relevantmagazine.com that revealed 5 things Christians should stop saying - one of which was "I'll be praying for you."  This caught me off guard at first because there is no way that I will stop saying this to my friends, family and congregation at Middletown Christian Church.  Prayer is the greatest gift I can give someone because God is bigger than me and still works miracles.  The writer in this article says " Perhaps instead of just letting someone know we'll pray for them, we should offer up other practical ways to serve them in love. Are they sick?  Maybe we need a warm meal. Just got laid off? Maybe they can use extra cash to pay some bills.... It can become almost routine to throw out the prayer line whenever someone shares a concern.  Sometimes we follow through on it, often we don't."

While I agree that in addition to prayer we should offer ways to practically meet the needs of others - we cannot throw prayer out the window.  When I tell someone that I am going to pray for them - I mean it. I believe intercessory prayer (prayer for others) is a gift. This is why I pray with Max every night. I want him to see that prayer is a gift we give others in their time of need. James tells us to pray for each other so that we may be healed. The healing may not come as we hope but I believe healing will be found. The most powerful resource we have as Christ followers is communion with God through prayer.  It is not a last resort.

Evelyn Underhill wrote:  "Adoration, as it more deeply possesses us, inevitably leads on to self-offering. Charity is the live wire along which the power of God, indwelling our finite spirits, can and does act on other souls and other things, rescuing, healing, giving support and light. Such secret intercessory prayer (prayer for others) ought to penetrate and accompany all our active work.  It is the supreme expression of the spiritual life on earth. It moves from God to others through us, because we have ceased to be self-centered units, but are woven into the great fabric of praying souls, the 'mystical body' through which the work of Christ on earth goes on being done."

Imperfect Progress

For those of you who know me really well - you know that I hate tax season.  From Feb 15 through April 15, you may find me on any given day standing at my kitchen counter trying to decide if I am going to extend grace & laugh or come completely unglued.  It was just last year that I told myself that this year's tax season would not be as bad because I had learned by now (16 years) to manage work, kids, housecleaning, yard work, sport's schedules, band schedules, school schedules, meetings at work, cooking, making lunches, volunteering, laundry, folding clothes, grocery shopping, saying prayers with my kids every night, exercising, did I mention laundry?  - all the while being a great mom and a great wife.  But once again, I learned I couldn't manage it all and it's ok.  Yes. I am a CPA's wife. I like to think of myself as strong but I am not. I like to think of myself as having it all together but I don't.  I like to think of myself as never getting discouraged but I do. I like to think of myself as someone who never freaks out but that's not going to happen. However, this year I did make progress although it was imperfect - it was still progress. 

You see - I learned that when discouragement looms close, God's power moves closer. Despite the demands of an overwhelming schedule, God will step in.  Where I fall short, God's power fills the gap. 

I hope today that you can experience a fresh working of God's power in your life!  And the best way to tap into that power is gratitude.  Gratitude diffuses attitude.  May you see God in a new way today.