PRAYING FOR THE
EARTH: Monday Prayers
-J Philip Newell
Blessed are those
who weep, for their tears will be wiped away. Matt 5.4
1.16.17 MONDAY MORNING PRAYER OF AWARENESS
Light.
Golden Light.
Fresh from the
Source.
Colours
Creation’s colours
Calling our senses. JPN Excerpt
Any poem with color in it calls to me. Any prayer that includes Creation’s colors is
even better. The colors of God call to
us – visually, orally, palpably. Take a
look outside in the early morning. The
pink aura of the sky in the East reflecting off the ivory snow. Green pines flocked with tiny crystals. The chirps and songs of birds surging in and
out of feeders. The cold of the snow,
the warmth of the fire. God is speaking
to us in so many ways, through so many avenues.
How can we fail to listen, to see, to know?
Call
to me, God, through all my senses, that I might seek your word. Amen.
1.17.17 MONDAY MORNING SCRIPTURES
Wait for God. Be strong and let your heart take
courage. Ps. 27.14
Where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt 6.23
Remember God deep
in your soul with humility and reverence. Quran-Hts.7.295
I am finding myself drawn in this
prayerbook to the scriptures from the Quran, probably because I am so very
unfamiliar with it. It is an opportunity to take a peek into the heart of Islam
and perhaps understand it more. “Remember God deep in your soul” – it sounds
to me much like “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind
and strength”. Remember with humility,
with reverence. I am mostly reverent, but humble? Not always. How far deep do I allow God to go? Is my faith just on the surface, or do I
invite God into every nook and cranny? There is much more to this simple verse than meets the eye. Go deep. God deep.
Help
me, Lord, to remember you deep within my heart and soul. Amen.
1.18.17 MONDAY MORNING PRAYER FOR THE WORLD
 |
| The yellow glow is HOPE emerging...from the center of all faiths. (Reminder: Blue, Green, Purple represent Judaism, Islam, and Christianity respectively.) |
May we BREATHE hope….for all the world and
its creatures. Not just to talk about
hope, but to bring it out from that God place deep within us, to act with hope,
to act to produce hope. Suzanne reminds
us of the earth and its creatures every Sunday during prayers. Prayers for ALL the world.
I am watching the snow fall outside my
window, wondering how I can be a messenger of hope this day. What can I DO beyond prayer? How can I put my prayers into action?
God
of Hope… may my soul breathe this day for all the world.
1.19.17 MONDAY MORNING PRAYER OF BLESSING
On this day the
blessings of earth…
To open us to life
To ground us in
life
To fill us with
life
And with wonder. -JPN excerpt
My
fingers sift through cool, moist dirt
As
I dig in rich garden soil.
Anticipation fills
my heart
for the joy of
emerging green.
The wonder of life
trapped within a seed
Waiting for
release.
Blessings. God.
I wander a mountain
trail,
Shadows and scent of pines,
Patches of
wildflower color
Next to gurgling
streams.
My stride strong,
my heart sings,
For I am grounded
by Creation,
Awed by the wonder
of God’s artistry.
Blessings.
God.
I sit in solitude,
listening.
The music of life
fills the air
Chirps and peeps,
chatters and barks.
The never-ending
roar of the ocean,
The buzz of
hummingbird wings.
The earth is filled
with life
And I am again in
wonder.
Blessings. God.
Crystals of snow,
rays of sunlight
Droplets of water, cottony
clouds.
Blessings from the
earth.
Life around us,
life in us.
Awe. Wonder.
Praise. Glory.
God. GMR
God
of the Earth…Fill me with unending wonder at the glory of your Creation. Amen.
1.20.17 MONDAY EVENING PRAYER OF AWARENESS
At the setting of
the sun
In the darkness of
the night…
We enter the dark
with our years
To seek shelter in
night’s sanctuary
To find strength
for our souls
To know peace in
our prayers and our resting. -JPN excerpt
I found myself drawn in this evening
prayer to the word ‘sanctuary’. I looked
up the definition to get more background on what is often just considered a ‘church
place’. I knew sanctuary was also a
place of refuge, a safe haven. That
concept came about when fugitives were once immune to arrest when in such a
place. While that practice no longer
applies (except perhaps in the immigration issue!), a sanctuary is considered
still a place of protection, peace, and respite.
With that in mind, to consider sleep
our ‘night’s sanctuary’ fills me with hope.
It is a time to realign our thoughts, to find strength and recharging,
to ‘find peace in our prayers’. Yet,
perhaps our sanctuary of sleep is much like our sanctuary of worship – we get
out of it what we put into it. How often
do we go into sleep turning all those worries over to God? How often do we fail to be recharged in
worship because we are processing the details of life? Sanctuary and God must go hand in hand…and
then we will find the shelter of peace.
God
of sanctuary…Grant me peace within the shelter of sleep. Amen.
1.21.17 MONDAY EVENING SCRIPTURES
God heals the
brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Ps.147.3
Do
not be afraid. I am with you always.
Matt 28:10,20
In the remembrance
of God our hearts are comforted. Quran – Thunder 13.28
FEAR NOT
Jesus says “Do not be afraid. I am with you always.’
King
David says ‘I will not fear. I will
trust God.’
The
Angels tell the shepherds, ‘Do not be afraid.’
Through
Isaiah, God speaks, ‘So fear not. I am
with you.’
Joshua
tells the Israelites, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged.’
Paul writes to the Philippians, ‘Do not be anxious about anything…’
Timothy says ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear’
Over and over, scripture tells us, ‘Don’t be afraid!’
SO WHY DO WE LET FEAR RULE OUR LIVES?
Fear of failure, fear of defeat,
Fear of pain and suffering.
Fear of embarrassment and ridicule.
Fear Not. Trust God.
God can handle our fears.
God…help me to trust and
put all my fears in your hands.
1.22.18 MONDAY EVENING PRAYER FOR THE WORLD
May we be strong in
our soul to cry at the wrongs of the nations, to weep with the bleeding earth. -JPN Excerpt
Our nation has entered a new era with
the inauguration of our new President.
It could be a scary time as we see basic human rights revoked or abused
for certain aspects of our citizenry. My
soul does cry at the wrongs uttered, praying they won’t come to fruition. Millions marched throughout the world
yesterday in solidarity with the United States, the earth bleeding in the pain
of anticipation, bleeding from the wounds of war, genocide, and cruelty in the
name of faith. We must have strength within to do what is right, what is good,
and noble, strength to voice our concerns and stand above the mob
mentality. I pray for our new government
daily. I want them to succeed, because
to fail means all bleed. I will do my
part and take hope in yesterday’s scripture: ‘Fear not. I am with you.’
God…use
my tears to wipe clean the wrongs of all nations. Amen.
1.23.18 MONDAY EVENING PRAYER OF BLESSING
Peace for the earth
and its creatures
Peace for the world
and its peoples. -JPN Excerpt
Passion.
Encouragement.
Acceptance.
Compassion.
Empathy.
Our world is desperately in need of
this word, peace. Maybe if we could
break it down into an Acronym for five simple actions, we can begin to do our
part. Each simple act of compassion,
encouragement, acceptance on behalf of someone who looks, thinks, or acts
differently from me is a beginning.
God
of Peace….May we all do our part to bring peace to our world. Amen.
All quotations are from PRAYING with the EARTH: A Prayerbook for Peace by John Philip Newell. William B Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 2011.
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