grasping, friday

Friday, January 23

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

          

Opening Prayer: Lord God, give me open hands and not clenched fists as I walk with you and for you in the midst of this day— that I might be able to live with a true sense of freedom from the need to grasp desperately for love and value from those I come into contact with.  For Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

Scripture Reading for the Day: Psalm 16:1-11

Reading for Reflection:

 

     To pray means to open your hands before God.  It means slowly relaxing the tension which squeezes your hands together and accepting your existence with an increasing readiness, not as a possession to defend, but as a gift to receive.  Above all, therefore, prayer is a way of life which allows you to find a stillness in the midst of the world where you open your hands to God’s promises, and find hope for yourself, your neighbor, and your world.  In prayer, you encounter God not only in the small voice and the soft breeze, but also in the midst of the turmoil of the world, in the distress and joy of your neighbor, and in the loneliness of your own heart. (With Open Hands by Henri J. M. Nouwen)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself    

                      

Closing Prayer: Keep me safe, O God, I’ve run for dear life to you.  I say to God, “Be my Lord!”  Without you, nothing makes sense.  And these God-chosen lives all around—what splendid friends they make!  Don’t just go shopping for a god.  Gods are not for sale.  I swear I’ll never treat god-names like brand-names.  My choice is you, God, first and only.  And now I find I’m your choice!  You set me up with a house and yard.  And then you made me your heir!  The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart.  Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.  I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.  You canceled my ticket to hell—that’s not my destination!  Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face.  Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way. (Psalm 16, The Message)