Prayer

I received the following in an email from my Uncle...one of those things you are supposed to forward to everyone. I really like this pray and thought I would share it here.

Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through Your eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth of my wrongdoing, and receive forgiveness.

And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those who are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those who don't believe. But I thank you that I believe.

I believe that You change people and You change things for good reasons. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every one of my family members and friends and their families. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than You. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly.

This is my prayer.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

Each Day...

From Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado:

Each Day...
It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.
In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.
For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.
I Choose Love...
No Occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God Loves.
I Choose Joy...
I will invite God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I Choose Peace...
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I Choose Patience...
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I Choose Kindness...
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God treated me.
I Choose Goodness...
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.
I Choose Faithfulness...
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My [spouse] will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their [parent] will not come home.
I Choose Gentleness...
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I Choose Self-Control...
I am a spiritual being...After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek grace. And then when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

A friend gave me this devotional book about three years ago and I have never read through the whole thing. Being the first of the year, I was looking through my books to see what I might want to read through this year and saw this. It is going to go beside my makeup mirror to be read each morning. I really liked this preface to the devotional. It would be a great prayer to begin each day.

(Note: When I quoted things I used to put my comments in green, but starting today I will be putting what I quote in green.)

LESSONS FROM A BUZZARD, A BAT & A BUMBLEBEE

I pray to you, LORD. So when the time is right, answer me and help me with your wonderful love. ~ Psalm 69:13 (CEV)

My sister sent me this today:

LESSONS FROM A BUZZARD, A BAT & A BUMBLEBEE
BUZZARD
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6' x 8' and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10-12.' Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
BAT
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and painfully until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
BUMBLEBEE
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
PEOPLE
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is
look up. Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us.

I need to look to God to answer my prayers and to help me with my fear of change and of the unknown.

Planning Meeting

Today was the annual planning meeting at work. I was really dreading it because I hate them and I didn't feel as prepared as I should have been because I have been busy getting ready to be off for surgery. But...it went fine. I owe it all to prayer. Not just my prayer either. One of the owners asked to start the meeting off with a prayer. That has never happened before. It made a difference.

Quote Day!

The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another. ~ Mother Theresa

Just like when you take a magnifying glass and direct the sun's rays on a piece of paper you can set the paper on fire, so when one prays for someone, they become a human magnifying glass, and focus the grace of God on that person and set them on fire with the Holy Spirit. ~ Father Larry Richards

Our God, before whom the kings of the earth are less than a spark in the full blaze of the sun...this great God, nevertheless, shows himself eager to hear us at any hour of the day or night that suits us to address him. ~ St. Jan Frances de Chantal

Let us be vigilant to see Christ in whatever good is done for us and to make him manifest in the good we do for others. ~ The Magnificat, 12-3-6

The Divine Praises

I didn't watch the Emmy's and I don't watch the news, but from what I gather someone took the Lord's name in vain during their acceptance speech. This morning on EWTN Fr. Anthony suggested that we make reparation for the Lord's Name being taken in vain by praying the Divine Praises for nine days.

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.
May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.

The Spiritual Search

"What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will he give him a stone?" ~ Matthew 7:9
The illustration of prayer that our Lord uses here is one of a good child asking for something good. We talk about prayer as if God heard us regardless of what of our relationship to Him (see Matthew 5:45). Never say it is not God's will to give you what you ask. Don't faint and give up, but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search and examine the evidence. Is your relationship right with your spouse, your children, and your fellow students? Are you a "good child" in those relationships? Do you have to say to the Lord, "I have been irritable and cross, but I still want spiritual blessings"? You cannot receive and will have to do without them until you have the attitude of a "good child."
We mistake defiance for devotion, arguing with God instead of surrendering. We refuse to look at the evidence that clearly indicates where we are wrong. Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want, while refusing to pay someone what I owe him? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am withholding it from someone who belongs to me? Have I refused to forgive someone, and have I been unkind to that person? Have I been living as God's child among my relatives and friends (see Matthew 7:12).
I am a child of God only by by being born again, and as His child I am good only as I "walk in the light." (1 John 1:7) For most of us, prayer simply becaomse some trivial religious expression, a matter of mystical and emotional fellowship with God. We are all good at producing spiritual fog that blinds our sight. But if we will search out and examine the evidence, we will see very clearly what is wrong - a friendship, unpaid debt, or an improper attitude. There is no use praying unless we are living as children of God. Then Jesus says, regarding His children, "Everyone who asks receives..." (Matthew 7:8) ~ From My Utmost for His Highest

Ouch! This one convicted me. I have been praying for a new job for a LONG time. This convicted me that I have not been a good employee where I am currently. I have spent too much time checking personal emails, reading blogs, and surfing the net while I am at work. So, if you don't see as many comments from me, please don't be offended. I am just working.

Prayer-Battle in "The Secret Place"

From My Utmost for His Highest:

"When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret. place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." ~ Matthew 6:6
Jesus did not say, "Dream about your Father who is in the secret place," but He said, "...pray to your Father who is in the secret place..." Prayer is an effort of the will. After we have entered our secret place and shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray. We cannot seem to get our minds into good working order, and the first thing we have to fight is wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is overcoming this problem of our idle and wandering thinking. We have to learn to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful, deliberate prayer.
We must have a specially selected place for prayer, but once we get there this plague of wandering thoughts begins, as we begin to think to ourselves, "This needs to be done, and I have to do that today." Jesus says to "shut your door." Having a secret stillness before God means deliberately shutting the door on our emotions and remembering Him. God is in secret, and He sees us from "the secret place" -- He does not see us as other people do, or as we see ourselves. When we truly live in "the secret place," it becomes impossible for us to doubt God. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else. Enter into "the secret place," and you will find that God was right in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless you learn to open the door of your life completely and let God in from your first waking moment of each new day, you will be working on the wrong level throughout the day. But if you will swing the door of your life fully open and "pray to your Father who is in the secret place," every public thing in your life will be marked with the lasting imprint of the presence of God.

My prayer life has not been great lately. I have my "quiet" time that is spent doing my bible reading, but I am not spending much (really any) time in prayer and silence before the Lord. I will start working on that even if it means setting a timer for 5 minutes to just get myself started.

Pray for Restoration

As we grow to become more like Christ, our behavior grows more distinctive from the world. Believers should be known for their eagerness to do good and help others.

Get it straight: Someone who sees grace as permission to sin has missed grace entirely. Mercy understood is holiness desired. "[Jesus] gave himself for us so he might pay the price to free us from all evil and to make us pure people who belong only to him--people who are always wanting to do good deeds" (Titus 2:14)

Note the last phrase: "people who are always wanting to do good deeds." Grace fosters an eagerness for good. Grace doesn't spawn a desire to sin. If one has truly embraced God's gift, he will not mock it. In fact, if a person uses God's mercy as liberty to sin, one might wonder whether the person ever knew God's mercy at all.

When my father gave me his [credit] card, he didn't attach a list of regulations. There was no contract for me to sign or rules for me to read. He didn't tell me to place my hand on the Bible and pledge to reimburse him for any expenses. In fact, he didn't ask for any payment at all. As things turned out, I went a few weeks into the semester without using it. Why? Because he gave me more than a card; he gave me his trust. And where I might break his rules, I wasn't about to abuse his trust.

God's trust makes us eager to do right. Such is the genius of grace. The law can show us where we do wrong, but it can't make us eager to do right. Grace can. Or as Paul answers, "Faith causes us to be what the law truly wants" (Romans 3:31). ~ From In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado via the Life Lessons in my Devotional Bible.

This reminded me of something that happened several years ago. Sugar Pop's daughter Rosebud was driving to visit her sister - a six hour drive. Her car was fairly reliable, but we gave her one of our cell phones just in case she had any problems. We explained that he had limited minutes on our plan and that we just wanted her to have a phone in case she had any problems. She racked up over $300 in charges on the phone during that trip. She totally abused our trust. I could go one at list similar incidents with her, but that would only serve to make me angry. Please just pray for her because she is estranged from her parents, grandparents, siblings, and her own daughter. Mostly she is estranged from God. If her relationship with God is restored, all the other relationships in her life will be restored.

8 Quick Time–Outs for Your Soul

This was set to me by a co-worker today:

When life seems overwhelming and you are worried or feeling frazzled, do you yearn for some kind of escape Here are some ways to get through those unquiet times. Each two-minute activity includes an inspiring passage from Scripture for you to read.

When you feel like Complaining
Read: Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:34
Prayer: All too often, my focus is on what I don’t have, Lord. Please forgive me and help me to focus on and be grateful for what I do have.

When you feel that you’ve failed
Read: Each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. ~ 1 Corinthians 7:7
Prayer: Father, I’ve been guilty of coveting the gifts You’ve given others while disparaging the ones You’ve given me. Help me know what You’ve created me to do and give me opportunities to do it.

When you’re feeling down
Read: Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful ~ 1 Kings 21:7
Prayer: I praise and celebrate You today, Lord, in spite of my aching heart.

When you’re feeling frazzled
Read: If there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ~ Philippians 4:8
Prayer: Thank You, Father, for this great idea. I remember when ________________________________________________________ (you fill in the blank)

When you’re feeling stuck in your job
Read: The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks him. ~ Lamentations 3:25
Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the grace to keep doing, joyfully and patiently, what You’ve called me to do until You tell me to do something different. I believe You have a plan; please don’t let my impatience mess it up.

When you’re struggling with a problem
Read: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. ~ Proverbs 3:5
Prayer: Father, forgive me for trying to help You answer my prayers, and thank You for answering them better than I could have imagined.

When you’re thinking negative thoughts about someone
Read: Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful ~ Luke 6:36
Prayer: Lord, forgive my critical attitude toward ________________________(you fill in the blank) and help me to see the positive qualities You’ve put within him/her.

When you’re worried
Read: Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! ~ Mark 9:24
Prayer: I do want to trust You more, Lord. Please help me overcome my unbelief.

Prayer List

When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! ~ Job 42:10

I read this in My Utmost for His Highest today. At one time I had a prayer list of people I prayed for every day. I can not remember the last time I went through that list and prayed for them. I opened it up today and prayed. I have updated it and moved it to an excel spreadsheet that I open every day so that I will see it and remember to spend time in prayer for others. If the Lord blesses me and restores my fortunes (thinking "provides me with a new job") that would be wonderful, but I already feel blessed because I prayed for someone else.

Quotes from Brother Lawrence

God alone is capable of making Himself known as He really is; we search in reasoning and in the sciences, as in a poor copy, for what we neglect to see in an excellent original. God Himself paints Himself in the depths of our souls. We must enliven our faith and elevate ourselves by means of the faith, above all our feelings, to adore God the Father and Jesus Christ in all their divine perfections.

The prayer time was really taken at both the beginning and the end of my work. At the beginning of my duties, I would say to the Lord with confidence,

"My God, since you are with me and since, by Your will, I must occupy myself with external things, please grant me the grace to remain with You, in Your presence. Work with me, so that my work might be the very best. Receive as an offering of love both my work and all my affections."

During my work, I would always continue to speak to the Lord as though He were right with me, offering Him my services and thanking Him for His assistance. Also, at the end of my work, I used to examine it carefully. If I found good in it, I thanked God. If I noticed faults, I asked His forgiveness without being discouraged, and then went on with my work, still dwelling in Him. Thus, continuing in the practice of conversing with God throughout each day and quickly seeking His forgiveness when I fell or strayed, His presence has become as easy and natural to me now as it once was difficult to maintain.

God of Perfect Timing

I read this yesterday at Happy Catholic:

Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To: Divine Answers to Life's Most Difficult Problems by Anthony DeStefano
... One thing that you learn as you progress in the spiritual life is that God is a God of perfect timing. Since he is able to see the "big picture," he knows just when you should move on and when you should stay where you are. And sometimes before you move on he has to "arrange" a thousand different details in order to make that move possible. That arranging takes time.People who travel frequently on airplanes know just what I mean, because they have experienced the frustration of "circling." Usually this happens near the end of the flight, just when you're most anxious to get off the plane ... you've gone into the dreaded holding pattern... The point is that, despite the frustration of the passengers, and despite the pilot's ability to freely control his aircraft, another entity -- air-traffic control -- has made an over-riding decision to prevent the plane from landing. And there's just nothing that anyone can do about it.The very same thing often happens to us in life. We can decide what we want to do and where we want to go, but God is still in charge of "air-traffic control." He sees everything on his omniscient radar screen -- the weather, the airport, all the other planes in the area. Sometimes, for reasons he may or may not disclose, he decides that the best thing for us to do is remain in a "holding pattern." While we're busy circling, he's busy clearing obstacles, solving problems and moving people around until things are just right. Then and only then does he permit us to come in for a safe, smooth landing.

I had prayed earlier in the morning that God would give me a message of encouragement on my job situation. This was an answered prayer.

Son-Bathing

The most important thing that ever happens in prayer is letting ourselves be loved by God...Prayer is like sun bathing. When you spend a lot of time in the sun, people notice it. You look like you've been out in the sun because you've got a tan. Prayer -- or bathing in the Son of God's love (Son-bathing?) -- makes you look different. The awareness of being loved brings a lightness and a tint of brightness and sometimes, for no apparent reason, a smile plays at the corner of your mouth. ~ Brennan Manning from Lion and Lamb (quoted in The Dieter's Prayer Book)