Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to
be still before God.
Opening Prayer: O Lord our God, help us to live our lives with
the faith and courage necessary to live by love and not by fear. Forgive me when my seeing and my thinking get
so distorted that I allow fear to control me and make me its slave—even when I
don’t fully realize it. Seize my heart
and soul with your perfect love in such a way that it drives out all fear and
gives me the freedom to truly love, rather than manipulate, those in my life
and world. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Scripture Reading for the Day: Isaiah 41:8-10
Reading for Reflection:
We are fearful
people. The more people I come to know
and the more I come to know people, the more I am overwhelmed by the negative
power of fear. It often seems that fear
has invaded every part of our being to such a degree that we no longer know
what a life without fear would feel like.
There always seems to be something to fear: something within us or
around us, something close or far away, something visible or invisible,
something in ourselves, in others, or in God.
There never seems to be a totally fear-free moment. When we think, talk, act or react, fear
always seems to be there: an omnipresent
force that we cannot shake off. Often
fear has penetrated our inner selves so deeply that it controls, whether we are
aware of it or not, most of our choices and decisions. (Lifesigns by Henri J.M.
Nouwen)
Reflection and Listening: silent and written
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Closing Prayer: O Lord, my God, I prayed to you, and you
answered me. You freed me from all my
fears. Those who look to you for help
will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and you listened;
you saved me from all my fears. Thank
you. Amen. (Psalm 34:4-6 NLT)
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