18. The Language of Love (pt1)
Wednesday 6th March
(for more details see here)
Pause:
"Lord, teach us to pray where prayer is breath
We pause
And in the pausing
Know that you were always there
Breathe deep
My soul
The air of His presence
Will not run out
This breathing underwater
Not from tank or tube
But with new lungs designed by Him to inhale love
Don't gasp and grasp
This drowning is not death but life
The job you made of breathing by yourself,
Of quickly gulping pockets of fresh air
Is done
Be still
Be still, my soul, and know that he is God
And you are not
He does not need your conjuring or your pleading
To be there
He is the air
In which you live
To know Him
Really know Him
And to make connection with the source
That came
And moved into our space, our time
Now that is breathing, that is life
Connect and learn
And in your learning
Grow and act and move and be
And taking notice of the things you see
Of those around you who can't breathe
Give life and breath
as freely as received
Breathe deep my soul breathe daily, hourly, often pause
and so together say
Lord teach us to pray..."
RUTH RICE (Slow down, Show up and Pray)
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After Jesus said this, He looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.
For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those you have given Him.
Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began."
JOHN 17. 1-5
If you knew you had one day left to live... what would you pray for?
Here in John 17 we listen as Jesus, with His eyes lifted towards the heavens, prays to His Father in heaven. And what a profoundly beautiful prayer.
This chapter is often called:
The High Priestly Prayer as Jesus cries out prayer for Himself, His disciples and for those who will come to believe in Him through their message! We're going to spend the next few days exploring this incredible prayer of our Lord.
- Praying for ourselves...
Jesus here is once again modelling how to pray... and as part of that - He prays for Himself! Which means I can confidently state:
"It's ok to pray for yourself!" It's not selfish, or self-serving, or self-righteousness. Jesus did - and so should we.
But it's interesting to note
what it is that Jesus prays for when He prays for Himself. Faced with the prospect of excruciating physical, emotional and spiritual turmoil - Jesus prays that He might glorify God the Father.
Which makes me wonder - when did I last genuinely pray for God to be glorified in me?
Reflection: A Life that Glorifies God
"I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do."
"I AM YOUR STRENGTH AND YOUR SHIELD. I continually work-sometimes in wondrous ways to invigorate you and protect you. The more fully you trust in Me, the more your heart can leap for Joy!
I want you to trust Me wholeheartedly-resting in My sovereign control over the universe. When circumstances seem to be spinning out of control, grab onto Me, believing that I know what I'm doing. I orchestrate every event of your life to benefit you in this world and the next.
While you are in the throes of adversity, your greatest challenge is to keep on trusting that I am both sovereign and good. Do not expect to understand My ways; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways and thoughts higher than yours. When you respond to trouble with thanksgiving convinced that I can bring good out of the most difficult situations -I am pleased. This act of faith encourages you and glorifies Me. I rejoice when My struggling children give thanks to Me in song!
"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." (PSALM 28:7)
SARAH YOUNG (Jesus Calling)
Questions for today:
-
Father, how can my trusting obedience bring You glory on earth today?
Prayer:
How lovely is your dwelling place?
His dwelling place
'Your glory fills the whole earth'
Yes, the whole earth
You dwell in ocean depth
and mountain height
in fragrant flowers
and eagle flight
in tiny bugs
and vast blue skies
How lovely
His dwelling place?
We 'are being built together into a dwelling place for God'
The church
His choice of dwelling place
Cement between the cracks
In varied personalities
Choosing to share
To work, to care
To love
In all its crazy forms
Regardless of our preference
And complaint
He dwells in us together And we are made for this Edifice of brokenness
Not all harmonious bliss
In meetings and in silence From mud stuck to free
In contention and compassion How lovely
His dwelling place
He 'dwells in you' by His Spirit
You, the other
Yes, I see His glory
His presence
Reflected in your eyes
You - His love, His joy, His prize
His beauty in the smallest hint of hope
The bravest acts of courage
In sharing how you cope
In shared spaces where
Each I meet shows signs Of the Master's hand Masterpiece-making
How lovely
His dwelling place
'It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me'
Me
His dwelling place
Lovely?
Now, that's a stretch For mind and heart
Where shall I start
To realize that I am lovely too In my skin
The skin he is in
I choose to live this day
And tend the beauty
As I would his earth, His church, the other
To be as careful with myself
My body, mind and spirit
As I hoped to be with nature's best,
My family and the church
My life
His dwelling place
My thoughts
My feelings
My cheers and cries
My choices
His life in me
His dwelling place
How lovely
Statement not question
His words
His time
His dwelling place
The earth, the church, Your life and mine
How lovely!
RUTH RICE (Slow up, Show up and Pray)
I prayed this.
My prayer for today: (if you would like to, please feel free to add your own prayer here):