Timeless prayers

Often I lean upon the prayers of those who have gone before us. Today I want to remind us all of this lovely prayer by Richard of Chicester - it is 800 years old, but definitely still relevant for our time.

Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
For all the benefits Thou hast given me,
For all the pains and insults Thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,
May I know Thee more clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
Follow Thee more nearly.

Is there a Pray that you turn to in your times of need? Please share it with me - I would love to know.

Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Teach us to pray

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, he gave them the wonderful words of what we refer to as the Lord's Prayer. Part of our trouble is that these words have become too familiar over the years and we miss out on the uniqueness of Jesus's teaching. Why don't you read these words today with new insight and focus:

"Father, may your name be honoured.

May your Kingdom come soon.

Give us our food day by day.

And Forgive us our sins - 

Just as we forgive those who have sinned against us.

And don't let us yield to temptation." - Luke 11:2-4

 

Why don't you use these words as the basis of your prayers today?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Breath Prayers

An ancient spiritual practise is to use a "Breath Prayer" many times in the day. This simple technique is very different from a long period of prayer, or even our quick prayers before we have a meal. A Breath Prayer is usually a sentence that we pray during the day in order to remind us of God's presence and of some crucial spiritual truth.

Here are a few examples to experiment with during the course of the next week:

"Thank you Lord for loving me."

"Jesus, you are my refuge and strength."

"O Lord, may your will be done in my life."

"Jesus, be the centre of my world."

We can actually make up as many as we like, or even use short verses from the Bible to inspire us to pray - the only thing that is necessary is to pray as often as we can. In this way, we sense the Spirit of God as close to us as possible.

May you experience the richness of God's love today.

Living in Grace
D3LM3