Evening Prayer and Scripture:
O gracious light,
pure brightness of the ever-living Father in heaven,
Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we seek you , O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Lord, let us feel your presence as we intently seek you.
Restore our brokenness and frazzled mind to one of
peace and contentment in simply being with you. Amen.
~Recall the bible verse “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Be still, calm, peaceful, open to the presence of God…
breathe in… breathe out…
Abba… I belong to you…
Healer… speak the word and I shall be healed…
Shepherd… bring home my lost soul…
Holy One… keep me true…
Lord… here I am….
Jesus… have mercy on me…
Scripture
1 Thessalonians 5:17
pray without ceasing
Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
3pm Meditation
THE ABSOLUTE
A spiritual exercise by Anthony de Mello
God says, “Give me your heart.”
And then, in answer to my puzzlement,
I hear him say.
“Your heart is where your treasure is.”
My treasures—here they are:
persons . . .
places . . .
occupations . . .
things . . .
experiences of the past . . .
the future’s hopes and dreams.
I pick each treasure up,
say something to it,
and place it in the presence of the Lord.
How shall I “give” these treasures to him?
In the measure that my heart is in past treasures
I am fossilized and dead,
for life is only in the present.
So to each of those past treasures,
those golden yesterdays, I say goodbye.
To each I speak, explaining that,
grateful though I am that it came into my life,
it must move out
—or my heart will never learn to love the present.
My heart is in the future too.
Its anxious fears of what will be tomorrow
leave little energy to fully live what is today.
I list these fears
and say to each, “Let the will of God be done,”
observing what effect this has on me.
knowing in my heart
that God can only will my good.
My heart is in my dreams, ideals, hopes,
which make me live in future fiction.
To each of these I say, “Let the will of God be done.
Let him dispose of you as he sees fit.”
Having reclaimed the portion of my heart
that was captured by the future and the past,
I now survey my present treasures.
To each beloved person
I say with tenderness, “You are so precious to me.
but you are not my life.
I have a life to live,
a destiny to meet
that is separate from you.”
I say to places . . . things . . . I am attached to,
“Precious you are, but not my life.
My life and destiny are separate from you.”
I say this to the things
that seem to constitute my very being:
my health,
my ideologies,
my good name, reputation,
and I say it even to my life,
which must succumb some day to death,
“You are desirable and precious,
but you are not my life.
My life and destiny are separate from you.”
At last I stand alone before the Lord.
To him I give my heart.
I say, “You, Lord, are my life.
You are my destiny.”
Noon Scripture and Prayer
Bible Song: Psalm 141:1-4, 8-10
I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me;
hear me when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil
so that I take part in wicked deeds
along with those who are evildoers;
do not let me eat of their delicacies…
But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord;
in you I take refuge-do not give me over to death.
Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,
from the snares they have laid for me.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety.
Prayer
Faithful God, I can only hope, and so I pray, for a faith rooted and resting in you, completely satisfied in your grace. While I’m not saved from suffering in this world, do forge in me a steady confidence in you. May I look only to your salvation, believing you alone, trusting you in all things, yielding my whole life to you in all obedience. In Christ alone, amen.
9am Scripture and Prayers
God’s beautiful love for us never changes, never falters, and never ends.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1
– Prayers
God’s faithfulness toward us goes on forever.
“Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!” Psalm 117:1-2
– Prayers
God is God: worthy of praise, awesome in creative power, and full of goodness.
“Know that the Lord is God!
“It is he who made us, and we are his.” Psalm 100:3
– Prayers
God is the greatest hope and encouragement for a worn-out soul.
“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my god.” Psalm 42:11
– Prayers
God is the best and truest antidote to any fear.
“In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
In God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?” Psalm 56:10-11
– Prayers
God is a nurturing Shepherd who knows just what we need.
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1
– Prayers
God is our best defender.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
— Prayers
God is a trustworthy provider with our best interest at heart.
“Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.” Psalm 37:3-5
– Prayers
God is right here with us, listening to us and eager to help.
“The Lord is near to all who call on Him to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, He also hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm 145:18-19
-Prayers
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