Distracting thoughts are great enemies of prayer. They can be like buzzing bees that drive us crazy!
Today I enjoyed Sabbath time with Jesus. With My Psalms Prayer Book in hand and candles lit at the altar in my prayer room I kneeled and prayed from Psalm 118.
The Word of God helped inflame the Spirit in my heart and burn away the distracting thoughts until little by little I was centered in God’s presence and my thoughts became as incense…
It lasted awhile. Of course, the bees came back! Lord, help me to keep the fire going! Guard my mind and heart with your peace (Colossians 3:1-3).
Try centering yourself in my Psalm 118 Prayer to calm down your anxious thoughts till they rise as incense prayers to God. Enjoy God’s presence. Re-kindle the fire as often as you can.
Thoughts as Incense (A Prayer from Psalm 118:8-14)
It’s better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in myself;
It’s better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in my thoughts.
~
Distracting thoughts surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.
They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord Jesus I cut them off.
They swarmed around me like bees; in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I cut them off.
~
I was about to fall, but the Lord freed me from diversion;
The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
~
It’s better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in myself;
It’s better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in my thoughts.
~
Distracting thoughts surrounded me, but the fire of the Spirit in me burned them as incense.
They surrounded me on every side, but the fire of the Holy Spirit in me burned them as incense.
They swarmed around me like bees; the fire of the Holy Spirit of Christ in me burned them as incense.
~
I was besieged, but the Lord flamed my thoughts into prayers;
The Lord captivates me with his glory! He is the delight of my heart!
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Showing posts with label centering prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label centering prayer. Show all posts
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Friday, December 11, 2009
Be Quiet to Welcome Christmas
Christmastime can be so noisy and busy! Perhaps God is inviting you to make time for quiet prayer?
Zechariah (John the Baptist’s father) waited in silence ten months for the first Christmas! We might do well to pray in quiet for ten minutes! Or an hour or two.
Be still to anticipate Christ’s coming and like Zechariah you too will burst forth with joyous Christmas praise! Set aside some time alone with God and quietly pray to prepare your heart to experience Christ’s birth anew this Christmas.
To help you to quiet your heart try a Centering Prayer on Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” Slowly and gently repeat God’s Word to yourself… Breathe the words in and out…
Then pray for someone else to slow down and appreciate the spirit of Christmas.
Luke 1:5-25, 67-80
Zechariah (John the Baptist’s father) waited in silence ten months for the first Christmas! We might do well to pray in quiet for ten minutes! Or an hour or two.
Be still to anticipate Christ’s coming and like Zechariah you too will burst forth with joyous Christmas praise! Set aside some time alone with God and quietly pray to prepare your heart to experience Christ’s birth anew this Christmas.
To help you to quiet your heart try a Centering Prayer on Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” Slowly and gently repeat God’s Word to yourself… Breathe the words in and out…
Then pray for someone else to slow down and appreciate the spirit of Christmas.
Luke 1:5-25, 67-80
Monday, November 30, 2009
Small Beginnings
What makes for a “good day”? For me it starts with prayer.
This morning I awoke early. My thoughts started down the path of planning all I had to do and I started to feel anxious… How easy it is for me at that point to get out of bed and go to work!
Instead, as CS Lewis described so aptly, I shoved back all those “wild animals” and began to pray! I laid in bed. I grabbed an ancient little prayer and held on for dear life!
“Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me!”
“Have mercy on me, O Lord” is how Psalm 51 begins, my Psalm for the morning. This is s a favorite Centering Prayer of mine.
As I laid in bed I slowly breathed in and out the words: “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me.” I confessed my sins. I submitted each aspect of my day to God. I interceded for people I’ll be interacting with today.
And I’m shooting up little “arrow prayers” today: “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me!”
A simple prayer of the heart in the morning is a small doorway to a good day. It’s like the door to the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem that leads to the sacred site of the birth of Christ. I’ll never forget stooping down so low to get into this ancient church that shelters the holy ground where Jesus first touched the earth.
The same little prayer can “rebuild” a day that’s not going well. The prophet Zechariah teaches that small beginnings are crucial to great successes. It was his encouragement along these lines that helped the Israelites to complete the rebuilding of their temple after they returned from captivity in Babylon (Zechariah 4:10).
This morning I awoke early. My thoughts started down the path of planning all I had to do and I started to feel anxious… How easy it is for me at that point to get out of bed and go to work!
Instead, as CS Lewis described so aptly, I shoved back all those “wild animals” and began to pray! I laid in bed. I grabbed an ancient little prayer and held on for dear life!
“Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me!”
“Have mercy on me, O Lord” is how Psalm 51 begins, my Psalm for the morning. This is s a favorite Centering Prayer of mine.
As I laid in bed I slowly breathed in and out the words: “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me.” I confessed my sins. I submitted each aspect of my day to God. I interceded for people I’ll be interacting with today.
And I’m shooting up little “arrow prayers” today: “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me!”
A simple prayer of the heart in the morning is a small doorway to a good day. It’s like the door to the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem that leads to the sacred site of the birth of Christ. I’ll never forget stooping down so low to get into this ancient church that shelters the holy ground where Jesus first touched the earth.
The same little prayer can “rebuild” a day that’s not going well. The prophet Zechariah teaches that small beginnings are crucial to great successes. It was his encouragement along these lines that helped the Israelites to complete the rebuilding of their temple after they returned from captivity in Babylon (Zechariah 4:10).
Monday, April 27, 2009
Do you see God smiling at you?
One of my favorite ways to pray is to imagine Jesus' smiling at me.
As I've said before, I pray from the Psalms everyday. The Psalms are full of prayers and meditations that refer to the Lord delighting in us, shining his favor on us, or smiling on us.
For instance, today I'm praying from Psalm 138 and have been "centering" myself (returning again and again quietly and meditatively to the prayer:
"Though the Lord is on high, he smiles upon the lowly, like me and _________." (Psalm 138:6).
To help me "see" the Lord's loving, joyful smile I have put into my personalized Psalms prayer book pictures of artists' renderings of the smile of Christ. (You can google this online!)
What a blessing this simple way of prayer is for me! It lifts me eyes to heaven. It brings a smile to my face. It makes my steps lighter - even in the midst of daily stresses and challenges and pains.
Do you ever imagine Jesus smiling at you? How does this or would this effect you?
As I've said before, I pray from the Psalms everyday. The Psalms are full of prayers and meditations that refer to the Lord delighting in us, shining his favor on us, or smiling on us.
For instance, today I'm praying from Psalm 138 and have been "centering" myself (returning again and again quietly and meditatively to the prayer:
"Though the Lord is on high, he smiles upon the lowly, like me and _________." (Psalm 138:6).
To help me "see" the Lord's loving, joyful smile I have put into my personalized Psalms prayer book pictures of artists' renderings of the smile of Christ. (You can google this online!)
What a blessing this simple way of prayer is for me! It lifts me eyes to heaven. It brings a smile to my face. It makes my steps lighter - even in the midst of daily stresses and challenges and pains.
Do you ever imagine Jesus smiling at you? How does this or would this effect you?
Monday, March 9, 2009
A Little but Powerful Prayer for Lent
One of the things I'm doing for Lent is carrying a rock in my pocket. Sounds like a funny thing to do, huh?
It's a prayer rock. I have a number of them. I found this one in Israel at what may have been the Apostle Paul's prison cell at the palace in Caesarea by the Sea.
I use it to remind me to shoot up little arrow prayes as I go about my day: "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (the Apostle Paul's words in Philippians 1:21).
Sometimes I breathe in deep and slow as I whisper: "To live is Christ." I hold my breath to help me hold the Spirit and the Word in my consciousness. Then I release: "To die is gain." My exhaling a prayer helps me to let go of agendas and ambitions and to follow Christ's leadership.
The rock and the prayer remind me to turn my thoughts toward Christ and his sacrifice for me and you.
Maybe you've tried a form of Centering Prayer that you'd like to share? Or perhaps you have a way you're celebrating Lent that could encourage others?
It's a prayer rock. I have a number of them. I found this one in Israel at what may have been the Apostle Paul's prison cell at the palace in Caesarea by the Sea.
I use it to remind me to shoot up little arrow prayes as I go about my day: "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (the Apostle Paul's words in Philippians 1:21).
Sometimes I breathe in deep and slow as I whisper: "To live is Christ." I hold my breath to help me hold the Spirit and the Word in my consciousness. Then I release: "To die is gain." My exhaling a prayer helps me to let go of agendas and ambitions and to follow Christ's leadership.
The rock and the prayer remind me to turn my thoughts toward Christ and his sacrifice for me and you.
Maybe you've tried a form of Centering Prayer that you'd like to share? Or perhaps you have a way you're celebrating Lent that could encourage others?
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