10/1/12

Praying 10 minutes today: TUESDAY 10/2


Find a quiet time and place to pray... take a few deep breaths...
be still... and know that God is near...


A word to reflect on:   
Trust God at all times, my people!
Pour out your hearts to God our refuge...
   -Psalm 62







(Before moving on to the reflection below,
   spend some quiet time with the scripture verse above...)

I want to pour out my heart to you, Lord,
   but you know better than I
      the secrets my soul wants to keep, even as I pray,
         even as I stand in the light of your presence...

You know me better than I know myself
   but still I pretend you won't find, won't see
      what's hidden in my heart, shadowed in my shame,
          too much for me to bear, to share,
             even with you...

Do I fear being known, found out, exposed -
   by you who made me?
Have I sins to hide from you -
   whose gaze is mercy?
Are there stories I won't tell myself -
   pretending you don't know them?

Are there wounds too fresh or hurts too raw
   for me to even mention in my prayer?

Am I afraid to know myself as well as you know me?
Am I afraid to tell you, Lord, what you already know?
Am I afraid to love myself as much as you love me?
Am I afraid you won't forget what you long ago forgave?

Trust God at all times, my people!
Pour out your hearts to God our refuge...

Open the floodgates of my soul, Lord,
   and let me pour from my heart into yours
      the sin and hurt, the memories and the pain I fear
          might drown me in my sorrow -
when all the time you're at my side, close by
   to rescue and to save me...

Help me trust, Lord, that pouring out my heart to you
   is the safest, sanest, saving way
      towards healing, health and holiness:
         no other way more sure, no other path more true...

Dispel whatever keeps me from such trust, Lord
   and stretch your arms to catch me as I free-fall 
      from my fears into your waiting arms...

In the quiet of my prayer, let me hear and speak within
   what you already know
and let me share, for my sake, not for yours,
   the stories and the sorrows that lay heavy on my heart...

In the stillness, help me trust that you are near,
   that you love me more than I can know,
   that your mercy's depths are without end,
   that all that flows from my heart into yours
      will be received, refreshed, revived and healed,
         made whole again until my heart is one with yours
            and with all whose paths cross mine...

Help me trust you at all times
   and help me pour out my heart into yours
for you are my refuge, my God, 
   my Savior and my Lord... 

To ponder and pray over...
Are there parts of my heart I try to hide from the Lord?
What keeps me from baring, sharing my heart with the Lord?
Which of my memories and fears are in need the Lord's healing?
Do I need God's help in trusting in his love for me? in his mercy?
What will I ask of the Lord today?
From this prayer time, what word or phrase will I keep with me
   to carry through the rest of my day?

(After you spend some time with these questions,
   pray the reflection above one more time...)


Here are some tips for praying 10 minutes a day.  If you find these daily prayer reminders helpful, please let me know - and share them with others.  You'll find an archive of these daily posts here.

 
 
   
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