I have not the courage to search through books for beautiful prayers ... Unable either to say them all or choose between them, I do as a child would do who cannot read -- I say just what I want to say to God, quite simply, and [God] never fails to understand.- Saint Thérèse of Lisieux … [Read more...]

Let There Be... (Photo credit: drp)I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.Ephesians 1:18I pray that your hearts will be flooded with lightI turn towards You, Lord.I open up my heart and ask for Your light to warm my cold soul.I know I can’t see the cobwebs clinging to the corners or the dirt in the crevices of my heart without Your glow.I know I am empty, void of love for others…and for You.Only when Your light beams inside me, purifying my soul, will I be able to reflect Your love to others. Your light illuminates where I need to go.Your radiance invites me to rest in Your arms and snuggle close to You.What a powerful image this is:not to be lost in darkness, not just to have a glimpse of Youbut to be flooded in Your light. To be so saturated in Your brightness that all shadows disappear and I know Your way is the only way.To stand with … [Read more...]

Heart-shaped cloud (Photo credit: aivas14)“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.” Ephesians 3:17 (NLT)Christ will make his home in your heartsLord Jesus, come live with me.I want You to feel welcomed in my heart.To find a warm inviting place to dwell.To be so close to the center of my being. To make a home in my heart.Lord Jesus, I put out the welcome mat of trust and watch for Your arrival.I am in awe and humbled that You actually want to reside within me.I anticipate light, laughter, and lots of love to fill every chamber of my heart. I don’t want to hide anything from You.Come and stay awhile. No, what I mean to say is: come and stay with me eternally.Not as a guest, but reside here forever.My home. Your home. One.My heart. Your heart. One.May our hearts beat as one. … [Read more...]

Image via WikipediaWhat they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is a spider’s web. Job 8:14 (NIV)A spider’s web.Lord, once again I put my trust in something other than You.I turn my focus outside of You and lay my hope into human hands.Even worse, I take control all by myself with false self-confidence that I could do it on my own.I know that foundation is weak,I know it may fail even before I begin.I hold my breath…Take one stop onto that thin ice…and think maybe… maybe this time….Yet like this verse I put the weight of my burdens on the fragile spider web and expect it to hold up.Lord, the world weaves a tapestry of spider webs. The sinister spider invites me to believe in the safety on its web. I see the fascinating intricate patterns masquerading as strengths. I cling to them before their stickiness adheres to me. I trust in what I easily see instead of what I know to be true.Or I grip onto my own plans instead of waiting for Your clear guidance.Your word in the book of Job is … [Read more...]

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. Mark 1: 16-20At once Without delay Lord that is how I want to respond to You.At onceWithout delayNo doubtsNo hesitationNo maybe laterNo let’s talk about thisNo whining about too much to doNo postponing until it is more convenientNo forgetting my good intentionsNo because I have more urgent things to doNo excusesAt onceWithout delayMay I pay attention and seek You in every detailed moment of my life.May I turn and listen to You immediately when I hear You call.May I follow You without hesitation, keeping my … [Read more...]

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. Psalm 139: 1-2 NIVYou perceive my thoughts You perceive my thoughts, Lord.Why do You pay so much attention to me?I certainly don’t return the favor.Why do You listen so closely to everything I think and believe and act upon?I know I don’t take the time to hear You that deeply or consistently.Why are You so aware of my opinions and imagined perspectives of the world?Too often I only seek my ego-driven point of view, not pausing to wonder what You may have divinely designed.Perceive is an odd word, LordTo perceive –     to observe     to behold,        to discern and discover,          to grasp and to hear           to know and to touch and              to understand.Why, Lord?Part of me knows the answer lies in Your love, yet I resist fully believing if You really knew me, if You perceived my most inward thoughts… Would You still love me?Yet You hold fast and continue to … [Read more...]

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. Psalm 139: 1-2 NIVYou know me.You know me, Lord.Part of me takes great comfort with that statement.Yet buried deep in my ego I squirm with the idea that You really know me.All of me.The good. The bad. The hidden. You are familiar with every last atom in my body and fragment of my soul.No wonder I doubt Your love at times.I want to only share with You the decent, the behaving, the following all the rule parts. I put on my mask of self-righteousness and in vain smugness exclaiming to others: God love you!  All the while tiptoeing the reality of my belief that if You really knew me, You would leave me.Yet You call me Your child.What an amazing God You are.You welcome me with open arms, embracing all of me. So enfolding me with love that all the walls between us disintegrate and I collapse in Your heart, knowing You do love me.  Our souls meld in this all encompassing … [Read more...]