Both, Part 17
O God,
Help us to be both strong and weak.
Help us to be strong in our trust and in our hope; help us to gain strength from the knowledge that you are God and that you are working your eternal purposes out.
But help us to be weak as well; help us to be vulnerable with each other, to be non-violent in the ways we think, speak, and act, to be willing not to insist on our own way, and to look for ways to give ourselves up for others.
Never let us forget that your power is made known in our weakness.
Amen.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
A Prayer for Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Both, Part 16
O God,
Help us to be aware both of what we can see and what we can’t see.
Help us to keep our eyes open to what is going on around us in plain sight. Keep us alert to the blessings and to the challenges of living in this good and difficult world; keep us alert to what is going on in our lives and to what other people allow us to see about what is going in theirs.
Help us also to keep our eyes open to what is going on in and around us that is hidden from ordinary view. Keep us alert to what it happening in us and to others that can only be perceived through patience and through sensitivity; keep us alert to what is happening in history and in the universe that can only be perceived through faith, hope, and love.
Help us to be aware both of what we can see and what we can’t.
Amen.
O God,
Help us to be aware both of what we can see and what we can’t see.
Help us to keep our eyes open to what is going on around us in plain sight. Keep us alert to the blessings and to the challenges of living in this good and difficult world; keep us alert to what is going on in our lives and to what other people allow us to see about what is going in theirs.
Help us also to keep our eyes open to what is going on in and around us that is hidden from ordinary view. Keep us alert to what it happening in us and to others that can only be perceived through patience and through sensitivity; keep us alert to what is happening in history and in the universe that can only be perceived through faith, hope, and love.
Help us to be aware both of what we can see and what we can’t.
Amen.
Monday, July 29, 2013
A Prayer for Monday, July 29, 2013
Both, Part 15
O God,
Help us to do both with and without.
Help us to do with your great love and mercy that are the greatest blessings of our lives. Let us never take them for granted and let us never fail to live in light of them.
At the same time, help us to do without pride that thinks we are the beneficiaries of some special favor and against the presumption that assumes that we are entitled to the gifts you give us.
Help us to celebrate you and not ourselves.
Amen.
O God,
Help us to do both with and without.
Help us to do with your great love and mercy that are the greatest blessings of our lives. Let us never take them for granted and let us never fail to live in light of them.
At the same time, help us to do without pride that thinks we are the beneficiaries of some special favor and against the presumption that assumes that we are entitled to the gifts you give us.
Help us to celebrate you and not ourselves.
Amen.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
A Prayer for Sunday, July 28, 2013
The Lord’s Day
O God,
Let our worship of you today reflect the reality of the eternal life that we have in you through Jesus Christ your Son and of which we have assurance through the presence of your Holy Spirit.
Since our eternal life is an eternal life of love, let our worship of you reflect our love for you—O God, fill us with love for you!—and let our daily lives reflect our love for you and for other people—O God, fill us with love for them!
Amen.
O God,
Let our worship of you today reflect the reality of the eternal life that we have in you through Jesus Christ your Son and of which we have assurance through the presence of your Holy Spirit.
Since our eternal life is an eternal life of love, let our worship of you reflect our love for you—O God, fill us with love for you!—and let our daily lives reflect our love for you and for other people—O God, fill us with love for them!
Amen.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
A Prayer for Saturday, July 27, 2013
Both, Part 14
O God,
Help us to see both the big picture and the little picture.
Help us to keep our eyes on the trajectory of history (insofar as we can anticipate it), on the working out of your purposes (insofar as we can comprehend it), and on the totality of our life experience (insofar as we can remember it).
Help us also to keep our eyes on the impressions that we sense in this moment (insofar as we can analyze them), on the people who are in front of us in this place (insofar as we can love them), and on the events that we experience on this day (insofar as we can be immersed in them).
Amen.
O God,
Help us to see both the big picture and the little picture.
Help us to keep our eyes on the trajectory of history (insofar as we can anticipate it), on the working out of your purposes (insofar as we can comprehend it), and on the totality of our life experience (insofar as we can remember it).
Help us also to keep our eyes on the impressions that we sense in this moment (insofar as we can analyze them), on the people who are in front of us in this place (insofar as we can love them), and on the events that we experience on this day (insofar as we can be immersed in them).
Amen.
Friday, July 26, 2013
A Prayer for Friday, July 26, 2013
Both, Part 13
O God,
Help us to be of Earth and of Heaven.
Help us to be fully alive and present in this life on this planet; keep us from looking so forward to what will come later that we don’t fully experience where we are now.
At the same time, help us to remember that we are citizens of Heaven as well of Earth; let the ways of your kingdom permeate and enliven us as we live here and now.
Thank you that Jesus showed us how to live out our dual citizenship; teach us through him how to live out ours.
Amen.
O God,
Help us to be of Earth and of Heaven.
Help us to be fully alive and present in this life on this planet; keep us from looking so forward to what will come later that we don’t fully experience where we are now.
At the same time, help us to remember that we are citizens of Heaven as well of Earth; let the ways of your kingdom permeate and enliven us as we live here and now.
Thank you that Jesus showed us how to live out our dual citizenship; teach us through him how to live out ours.
Amen.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
A Prayer for Thursday, July 25, 2013
Both, Part 12
O God,
Help us to live as people who are both lost and found.
Help us to live as people who are lost so that we will experience life as a journey toward we know not where and we know not what; give us an ongoing sense of being lost so that we will keep on searching.
Help us also to live as people who are found so that we will engage in our journey with a sense of security and a sense of purpose; give us an ongoing sense of being found so that we will live and search with hope and trust.
Help us to live as people who are both lost and found …
Amen.
O God,
Help us to live as people who are both lost and found.
Help us to live as people who are lost so that we will experience life as a journey toward we know not where and we know not what; give us an ongoing sense of being lost so that we will keep on searching.
Help us also to live as people who are found so that we will engage in our journey with a sense of security and a sense of purpose; give us an ongoing sense of being found so that we will live and search with hope and trust.
Help us to live as people who are both lost and found …
Amen.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
A Prayer for Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Both, Part 11
O God,
Help us both to know and to wonder.
Help us to know what we need to know in order to live with hopeful confidence; help us to know mainly that you are and that you care.
Help us also to wonder about what we need to wonder about in order to live with awe and in humility; help us to ponder mainly the truths that you are more than we can comprehend and that your love exceeds our wildest imaginings.
Help us to live simultaneously in assurance and in wonder…
Amen.
O God,
Help us both to know and to wonder.
Help us to know what we need to know in order to live with hopeful confidence; help us to know mainly that you are and that you care.
Help us also to wonder about what we need to wonder about in order to live with awe and in humility; help us to ponder mainly the truths that you are more than we can comprehend and that your love exceeds our wildest imaginings.
Help us to live simultaneously in assurance and in wonder…
Amen.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
A Prayer for Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Both, Part 10
O God,
Help us both to think and to trust; help us to follow both our mind and our heart.
You gave us these remarkable brains with which we can think and reason and with which we can evaluate the evidence and pursue the truth; help us to make full and effective use of them.
Yet there are realities that lie beyond the abilities of our reason to understand or comprehend.
And so you gave us these remarkable hearts with which we can feel and experience and with which we can trust in those realities that, if we are to experience them, require a leap of faith.
So help us to grow toward wholeness in our approach to life; help us to use both our mind and our heart.
Amen.
O God,
Help us both to think and to trust; help us to follow both our mind and our heart.
You gave us these remarkable brains with which we can think and reason and with which we can evaluate the evidence and pursue the truth; help us to make full and effective use of them.
Yet there are realities that lie beyond the abilities of our reason to understand or comprehend.
And so you gave us these remarkable hearts with which we can feel and experience and with which we can trust in those realities that, if we are to experience them, require a leap of faith.
So help us to grow toward wholeness in our approach to life; help us to use both our mind and our heart.
Amen.
Monday, July 22, 2013
A Prayer for Monday, July 22, 2013
Both, Part 9
O God,
Help us both to stay and to go.
Help us to stay where we are if that is where we need to be; help us to be content and at peace so that we can fully live in our present location and in our present circumstances.
But help us also to go when and where we need to go; help us to be aware of opportunities to expand our lives and to touch others' lives that might require us to shift our location and/or our perspective.
Help us both to stay where we need to stay and to go where we need to go.
Amen.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
A Prayer for Sunday, July 21, 2013
The Lord’s Day
O God,
Give us the desire and the ability to worship you today with everything we are—with every motive, every thought, every action, every relationship, every atom—with absolutely everything we are.
Give us the grace to be more aware than we ever have been before of how you make yourself known to us in our worship of you.
Let us leave our time of worship today knowing both you and ourselves better; make us better able to comprehend and to celebrate the relationship you have with us.
Amen.
O God,
Give us the desire and the ability to worship you today with everything we are—with every motive, every thought, every action, every relationship, every atom—with absolutely everything we are.
Give us the grace to be more aware than we ever have been before of how you make yourself known to us in our worship of you.
Let us leave our time of worship today knowing both you and ourselves better; make us better able to comprehend and to celebrate the relationship you have with us.
Amen.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
A Prayer for Saturday, July 20, 2013
Both, Part 8
O God,
Help us both to remember and to forget.
Help us to remember our past sins and mistakes to the extent that we need to learn from them; help us to remember so as not to commit the same sins or make the same mistakes.
But help us to forget them in the sense that when we remember them we do not dwell on them and we are not overcome by guilt or regret over them; help us to forget them in the same way that you have forgotten them—to forgive ourselves as you have forgiven us.
Amen.
O God,
Help us both to remember and to forget.
Help us to remember our past sins and mistakes to the extent that we need to learn from them; help us to remember so as not to commit the same sins or make the same mistakes.
But help us to forget them in the sense that when we remember them we do not dwell on them and we are not overcome by guilt or regret over them; help us to forget them in the same way that you have forgotten them—to forgive ourselves as you have forgiven us.
Amen.
Friday, July 19, 2013
A Prayer for Friday, July 19, 2013
Both, Part 7
O God,
Help us to be both present and absent.
Help us to be present with and attentive to the world in which we live, the community in which we reside, and the people to whom we relate.
At the same time, help us to be absent in the sense that we are simultaneously present with and attentive to eternity and that we are always sensitive to the More that is present with us and beyond us.
In other words, help us to be fully where we are and who we are all the time.
Amen.
O God,
Help us to be both present and absent.
Help us to be present with and attentive to the world in which we live, the community in which we reside, and the people to whom we relate.
At the same time, help us to be absent in the sense that we are simultaneously present with and attentive to eternity and that we are always sensitive to the More that is present with us and beyond us.
In other words, help us to be fully where we are and who we are all the time.
Amen.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
A Prayer for Thursday, July 18, 2013
Both, Part 6
O God,
Help us both to cry and to laugh; help us both to mourn and to rejoice.
Help us to cry and to mourn over our losses and failures; help us also to laugh and to rejoice over them, because it is in and through them that we experience our humanity and that we experience your grace and love.
Help us to cry and mourn enough over our motives and our actions to know that we take them seriously; at the same time, help us to laugh and to rejoice enough to know that we don’t take them—that we don’t take ourselves—too seriously.
Amen.
O God,
Help us both to cry and to laugh; help us both to mourn and to rejoice.
Help us to cry and to mourn over our losses and failures; help us also to laugh and to rejoice over them, because it is in and through them that we experience our humanity and that we experience your grace and love.
Help us to cry and mourn enough over our motives and our actions to know that we take them seriously; at the same time, help us to laugh and to rejoice enough to know that we don’t take them—that we don’t take ourselves—too seriously.
Amen.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
A Prayer for Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Both, Part 5
O God,
Help us both to be aware of our sins and to be aware of your forgiveness; help us both to acknowledge our wrongdoing and to accept your grace.
Let our awareness of our sins remind us of our frailty and endow us with humility; let our acceptance of your grace remind us of your love and endow us with peace and hope.
We have lived through those times when we have not been who we should have been; help us to live in who you are and who we are becoming in you.
Amen.
O God,
Help us both to be aware of our sins and to be aware of your forgiveness; help us both to acknowledge our wrongdoing and to accept your grace.
Let our awareness of our sins remind us of our frailty and endow us with humility; let our acceptance of your grace remind us of your love and endow us with peace and hope.
We have lived through those times when we have not been who we should have been; help us to live in who you are and who we are becoming in you.
Amen.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
A Prayer for Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Both, Part 4
O God,
Help us today both to hurry and to wait.
Help us to hurry—not in the sense of frantically and carelessly barreling forward but in the sense of making effective use of our time—to do well at what we need to do; help us to make good use of our time.
Help us to wait—not in the sense of doing nothing but in the sense of living in light of the fact that your schedule is not our schedule and your timing is not our timing—so that we will do whatever we do as an act of faithfully following and serving you.
Amen.
O God,
Help us today both to hurry and to wait.
Help us to hurry—not in the sense of frantically and carelessly barreling forward but in the sense of making effective use of our time—to do well at what we need to do; help us to make good use of our time.
Help us to wait—not in the sense of doing nothing but in the sense of living in light of the fact that your schedule is not our schedule and your timing is not our timing—so that we will do whatever we do as an act of faithfully following and serving you.
Amen.
Monday, July 15, 2013
A Prayer for Monday, July 15, 2013
Both, Part 3
O God,
Help us today to be both cautious in determining what your will is and daring in pursuing your will once we seem to have adequate insight into it.
Guard us against both presumption and timidity.
Amen.
O God,
Help us today to be both cautious in determining what your will is and daring in pursuing your will once we seem to have adequate insight into it.
Guard us against both presumption and timidity.
Amen.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
A Prayer for Sunday, July 14, 2013
The Lord’s Day
O God,
Let our minds, our spirits, and our bodies—let everything that we are—be fully engaged in our worship of you on this Lord’s Day. Then, let our minds, our spirits, and our bodies—let everything that we are—be engaged in our loving you and our neighbor in this week.
Amen.
O God,
Let our minds, our spirits, and our bodies—let everything that we are—be fully engaged in our worship of you on this Lord’s Day. Then, let our minds, our spirits, and our bodies—let everything that we are—be engaged in our loving you and our neighbor in this week.
Amen.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
A Prayer for Saturday, July 13, 2013
Both, Part 2
O God,
Help us both to be concerned enough about what is going on around us that we take positive action to help and not so concerned that we fall prey to exhaustion and despair; help us both to know that it is up to us and that it is not all up to us.
Amen.
O God,
Help us both to be concerned enough about what is going on around us that we take positive action to help and not so concerned that we fall prey to exhaustion and despair; help us both to know that it is up to us and that it is not all up to us.
Amen.
Friday, July 12, 2013
A Prayer for Friday, July 12, 2013
Both, Part One
O God,
Make us both focused enough to be productive in what we should do and distracted enough to be aware of what we might do.
Amen.
O God,
Make us both focused enough to be productive in what we should do and distracted enough to be aware of what we might do.
Amen.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
A Prayer for Thursday, July 11, 2013
Listen
O God,
Help us to listen—really to listen—to one another.
Help us to take each other so seriously that we listen carefully when someone is speaking to us, because in speaking they are, to some degree at least, giving us a glimpse—and maybe even a good look—at what is in their heart. We experience few moments that are holier than those moments.
So give us great love for each other that causes us to listen with great interest to each other.
Amen.
O God,
Help us to listen—really to listen—to one another.
Help us to take each other so seriously that we listen carefully when someone is speaking to us, because in speaking they are, to some degree at least, giving us a glimpse—and maybe even a good look—at what is in their heart. We experience few moments that are holier than those moments.
So give us great love for each other that causes us to listen with great interest to each other.
Amen.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
A Prayer for Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Speak
For courage to speak the truth,
for words to speak the truth well, and
for love to speak the truth redemptively,
we ask you, O Lord.
Amen.
For courage to speak the truth,
for words to speak the truth well, and
for love to speak the truth redemptively,
we ask you, O Lord.
Amen.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
A Prayer for Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Details
"The devil is in the details," they say.
But the greater truth, O God, is that you are in the details.
So help us to see and to know how you are involved at the deepest levels and in the smallest things--in the quarks and the coincidences, in the waves and the choices, and in the chromosomes and the embraces.
Help us to see you in all the details, O God--and to marvel ...
Amen.
"The devil is in the details," they say.
But the greater truth, O God, is that you are in the details.
So help us to see and to know how you are involved at the deepest levels and in the smallest things--in the quarks and the coincidences, in the waves and the choices, and in the chromosomes and the embraces.
Help us to see you in all the details, O God--and to marvel ...
Amen.
Monday, July 8, 2013
A Prayer for Monday, July 8, 2013
Community
O God,
Thank you for the gift of community.
Thank you for the ties that bind us together; thank you for the differences that make us interesting.
Help us to do what we can to foster and to build community; help us to celebrate both our sameness and our diversity.
Help us to build up and not to tear down, to help and not to hurt, and to pull toward and not to push away.
Amen.
O God,
Thank you for the gift of community.
Thank you for the ties that bind us together; thank you for the differences that make us interesting.
Help us to do what we can to foster and to build community; help us to celebrate both our sameness and our diversity.
Help us to build up and not to tear down, to help and not to hurt, and to pull toward and not to push away.
Amen.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
A Prayer for Sunday, July 7, 2013
The Lord's Day
In our worship of you, O God, whether it be on this day or any other day, make us aware of and alert to any glimpse, any inkling, and any indication of your reality and of your presence.
Thank you for the great grace you show in even your slightest revelations of yourself to us.
Thank you for how we grow when we have to strain and stretch to see you.
Amen.
In our worship of you, O God, whether it be on this day or any other day, make us aware of and alert to any glimpse, any inkling, and any indication of your reality and of your presence.
Thank you for the great grace you show in even your slightest revelations of yourself to us.
Thank you for how we grow when we have to strain and stretch to see you.
Amen.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
A Prayer for Saturday, July 6, 2013
Variety
For variety in cultures,
for variety in experiences,
for variety in tastes,
for variety in languages,
for variety in perspectives,
for variety in approaches--
for variety in people, O God--
we thank you.
Amen.
For variety in cultures,
for variety in experiences,
for variety in tastes,
for variety in languages,
for variety in perspectives,
for variety in approaches--
for variety in people, O God--
we thank you.
Amen.
Friday, July 5, 2013
A Prayer for Friday, July 5, 2013
Peace
For the peace that is beyond our understanding, we thank you and we ask you, O God.
For the peace that is abundant enough that we can share it, we thank and we ask you, O God.
For the peace that is able both to accept and to transcend tragedy, we thank and we ask you, O God.
For the peace that enables us to live in the temporal and toward the eternal, we thank and we ask you, O God.
Amen.
For the peace that is beyond our understanding, we thank you and we ask you, O God.
For the peace that is abundant enough that we can share it, we thank and we ask you, O God.
For the peace that is able both to accept and to transcend tragedy, we thank and we ask you, O God.
For the peace that enables us to live in the temporal and toward the eternal, we thank and we ask you, O God.
Amen.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
A Prayer for Thursday, July 4, 2013
Freedom
O God,
Help us to use our freedom in the best ways possible.
Help us to use it to—
--grow toward being the person that you made us to be;
--serve you with all that we are; and
--help others in any way that we can.
Help us to use our freedom to live well, to love better, and to give more.
Amen.
O God,
Help us to use our freedom in the best ways possible.
Help us to use it to—
--grow toward being the person that you made us to be;
--serve you with all that we are; and
--help others in any way that we can.
Help us to use our freedom to live well, to love better, and to give more.
Amen.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
A Prayer for Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Know
O God,
Thank you for what we just know, not because it can be proven or because we have been convinced, but because somehow, through experience, through the resulting gift of insight, and through your gracious guidance, we just know.
Thank you for those situations when we just know what is right.
Thank you for those people who we just know we can trust.
Thank you for those writers that we just know are helpful.
Thank you for those times when we are mature enough through experience and affected enough by your grace, love, and Spirit that we just know.
Amen.
O God,
Thank you for what we just know, not because it can be proven or because we have been convinced, but because somehow, through experience, through the resulting gift of insight, and through your gracious guidance, we just know.
Thank you for those situations when we just know what is right.
Thank you for those people who we just know we can trust.
Thank you for those writers that we just know are helpful.
Thank you for those times when we are mature enough through experience and affected enough by your grace, love, and Spirit that we just know.
Amen.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
A Prayer for Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Dreams
O God,
For dreams that have come true, we thank you.
For nightmares that have not come true, we thank you.
For dreams that we are still pursuing, we ask that they be dreams worth pursuing and we thank you for whatever pieces of fulfillment we pick up along the way.
For nightmares of which pieces have the potential to invade our waking hours, we ask for faith to be ready for them and for courage to face them.
Our dreams reflect our hopes while our nightmares reflect our fears; we give all of it over to you.
Amen.
O God,
For dreams that have come true, we thank you.
For nightmares that have not come true, we thank you.
For dreams that we are still pursuing, we ask that they be dreams worth pursuing and we thank you for whatever pieces of fulfillment we pick up along the way.
For nightmares of which pieces have the potential to invade our waking hours, we ask for faith to be ready for them and for courage to face them.
Our dreams reflect our hopes while our nightmares reflect our fears; we give all of it over to you.
Amen.
Monday, July 1, 2013
A Prayer for Monday, July 1, 2013
Trust
For people that we can trust—thank you, Lord.
For insight to know who we can trust—thank you, Lord.
For experience that teaches us who we can trust—thank you, Lord.
For wisdom that knows in whom to put our total trust—thank you, Lord.
Amen.
For people that we can trust—thank you, Lord.
For insight to know who we can trust—thank you, Lord.
For experience that teaches us who we can trust—thank you, Lord.
For wisdom that knows in whom to put our total trust—thank you, Lord.
Amen.
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