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Music soothes the soul but we often use music as background noise rather than a soothing sound. Today take a moment to listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJAJA4ibEs Take a moment to pause and reflect on the familiar words of a reading, a song, or a prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer - Violin and Piano - YouTube Giving as worship
Pleas for money can sometimes be overwhelming. It is difficult to know which places are legitimate and which are not. It is difficult to know which places will spend our money wisely and which will not. It is difficult to know which will appreciate our gifts of time or money. It can even be difficult to understand why giving is a necessary part of worship. Is the church interested in us or our money? Giving is a valuable part of our spiritual life because it requires faith to give. It requires us trusting God with the things we have been given. It requires our remembering that all things belong to God. We have not earned the things we have, we have been blessed by God with the things we have. Giving them back to God is a sacred act. We must pause from our regular wants to remember God's desire for us. God wants us to be free from earthly possessions and focus on building our treasures in our permanent home. Pause - where is your permanent home? Pausing to Evaluate our relationships.
Relationships are important to our well-being. We were not created to be alone so we must learn to live with others in healthy ways. We all require relationships to live a balanced life. But, relationships require work - healthy relationships don't come naturally. We need time to reflect on the things we need to do - to change in our own lives in order to be a blessing to others. We need time to reflect on the things others are doing to us - that we might need to walk away from in order to learn to value the blessings others share with us. Having a healthy relationship with God is the beginning of having healthy relationships with others. Pause - God how is it with our relationship? Spirituality includes solitude.
We are not designed to be alone - loneliness can be destructive. But aloneness can be instructive. Moments of solitude are required to search our soul. We can't give of ourselves to others unless we are whole. Wholeness requires regular spiritual appointments with God. We must set aside time to be alone with God and allow God to cleanse us, heal us, grow us into fruitful parts of creation. Spirituality includes movement.
Going - doing - stepping. Can pausing include moving? Creation is always moving - weather changes - winds blow - rocks shift - animals migrate. We can pause from our regular routine and be a part of the movement, as we reflect, recite and receive. What does God expect when we pray?
God expects genuine interaction. A conversation with the person we trust most. One with which we can share our deepest darkest secrets. We don't have to pretend with God. We don't have to put on our best. We have to be our best self. Pause - honestly speak to the most trustworthy entity in the universe. Pause - trustingly listen. Engaging Scripture as we pause.
Why do we find it so hard to read and study scripture? It isn't that scripture is boring, actually scripture is alive. Jesus said I am the Word and Jesus is alive - living at the right hand of the father. It may be that our minds are over stimulated and unable to focus. Pause - rediscover the power behind the Word. Look for a specific topic. Read a short section. Read an entire story. This is God's story. If we want to know God we need to know the story. It starts with a pause. Have you been in a place that is totally quiet? How difficult is it to remain quiet? Do you grab you phone, turn on music, being to sing/hum a song, talk to yourself? Or do you just enjoy the natural sounds around you?
Pause right now. Close your eyes. Listen. Listen for God. "My soul, wait in stillness, only for God..." Psalm 62 Journaling is a way to slow down. It helps us reflect on the good and bad of each day. But, we are also able to see glimpses of God in the midst of all. In journaling you can write about an experience - write a reflection on scripture. You can write a page or a sentence. It's not about what you write its about the pause to reflect on God.
In Scripture, retreat is a time of soul-searching. Time not limited to remote areas, but whenever, wherever he opportunity presents itself. God is everywhere. God is a place of retreat. Retreat is a time when we stop what we are doing and focus on God. A helpful reminder of our need to stop, focus, and retreat is an icon. Something, anything that reminds us of God, of the Spirit, of pausing. Place it in a prominent place in your daily work space. Every time you see the icon pause and focus on God for a moment.
There are many online resources available to guide you in your prayers:
O God, the Holy Spirit, come to us, and among us; come as the wind, and cleanse us, come as the fire and burn, come as the dew and refresh; convict, convert, and consecrate many hearts and lives to our great good and to thy greater glory; and this we ask for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen. Eric Milner-White, England, UMH #335
Come, my Light, and illumine my darkness.
Come, my Life, and revive me from death. Come, my Physician, and heal my wounds. Come, Flame of divine love, kindling my heart with the flame of your love. Come, my King, sit upon the throne of my heart and reign there. For you alone are my King and my Lord. Amen. (The United Methodist Hymnal #466, alt.) Lord you call us to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). We confess that our minds our often distracted and focused on selfish pursuits. Forgive us, O Lord. May your Holy Spirit wash us and renew us - all of us - from our most base appetites to our fleeting thoughts. May the power of your grace cause us to be made closer into your image that our thoughts, behaviors, and words would so closely mimic Jesus others would be caught off guard by such manifestations of Your Love. Amen.
Discipleship Ministries | Prayer Guide for Courageous Conversations (umcdiscipleship.org) Jesus, you have called to love all people as you modeled for us (Matthew 5:43-44, John 3:16). Even though we don’t like to admit it, we have enemies or at least those we have made enemies through grudges or in our self-pride. Lord, reveal to us those for whom we still harbor anger, jealousy, or contempt. Help us be mindful when words and phrases that cause us pain are uttered, that we might search within for your guidance instead of resorting to fear, silence, or fighting. Today, guide me to cling tightly to your Spirit, that empowered by your grace, I would display radical grace and hospitality. Amen.
Discipleship Ministries | Prayer Guide for Courageous Conversations (umcdiscipleship.org) Gracious God, we declare with our best intentions to know and do your will. During our fleeting moments of reflection, we find that we have done only our will. In this place and at this time, we recommit to patiently listening for your still small voice though the noise of our busy lives. Holy Spirit, give us the wisdom to discern your voice of grace and truth. Give us the characteristics and disposition to embody the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in all our words and actions. Amen.
Discipleship Ministries | Prayer Guide for Courageous Conversations (umcdiscipleship.org) Psalm 62
My soul, wait in stillness, only for God - from Him comes my salvation. Waiting We wait for so many things in life. I don't always like to wait - but when I think about how much time I spend waiting I'm amazed at how often I have to wait. We wait at the doctor's office - realizing it is just a part of getting to see the person who is able to help us with our health issues. We wait for our food to arrive in a restaurant - or the food to get done when we cook at home. We wait for our friends to arrive when we've invited them over for a special evening. We wait for our favorite event - our favorite time of year - for our favorite celebration. We wait for the new items we've ordered to arrive. We wait for our favorite game to reload new attempts to beat the current level. We wait... But when we wait in stillness for God - how long do we remain? A few minutes? A few seconds? Would we wait an hour? Hum... Forgive me Lord for my impatience. I realize you are more important to me than any of the things I have on this list. Teach me to honor your time. Teach me to value our time together. Show me the value of stillness in your presence. Guide my time Lord. Amen. Father in heaven, we thank You again and again for giving us Your Son, for sending Him into the world, to show us how much You love us. We sometimes forget to be grateful; we sometimes seem to love ourselves more than we love You.
Forgive us our weaknesses, heal our sinfulness, give us an awareness of the presence of Jesus in the world and in our lives. Let us understand and teach others how holy the world is for having had Jesus live here. Let us reverence all things, since all things were created through Your Word. Let us treat one another as holy, since You treasure everyone as Your own. Help us to live as Jesus lived. Amen The Prayers of Father Killian (January 3rd) 2 Thessalonians 3:16: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”
Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Psalm 29:11: “The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.” |
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