Keep watch, dear Lord

"Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch or weep this night,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary,
bless the dying, soothe the suffering,
pity the afflicted, shield the joyous;
and all for your love's sake. Amen." - Book of Common Prayer

I have found this prayer to be very moving and helpful in my own journey. It is part of Compline (prayers at the end of the day) from the Book of Common Prayer. I love the simplicity, but incredible depth of the words in the prayer. I believe it is most useful when one doesn't have the words to pray, but we feel the urge to pray for others.

May it be a blessing to you and your family.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Dealing with disappointment

As I write these words most of our lives have been turned upside down again. There are many of us who have just had the wind taken out of our sails. Covid-19 has played another hand and it has caused major disappointment for families who were planning on spending precious time together. None of us really expected the new variant of the virus to strike so quickly, but it has. And so now we deal with the disappointment. The question is how do we cope?

In truth, I am probably not the best person to answer this question, as usually I am bad at dealing with sudden disappointment. However, I am grateful for the words and wisdom of those who have also experienced this emotion and have discovered the capacity to handle it. 

“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.” - Henry David Thoreau

"Disappointments are inevitable; discouragement is a choice." - Charles Stanley

I think this quote is very helpful for us in today's climate. We very easily slip into discouragement, but I pray that we don't allow our disappointments to way to heavily on our hearts. May we turn to Christ and seek His peace.

Proverbs 23:18 - You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Sadness of Heart

"so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”- Nehemiah 2:2

People can see into our hearts. Well, certainly people who know us well enough - they can see when something is troubling us. The King knew Nehemiah well enough to recognise that he was wrestling with a 'sadness of heart.' Nehemiah was not showing any other visible signs of illness, but his heart was breaking.

It was through this honest exchange with the King that Nehemiah was able to express what was on his heart and in the end he returned to Israel in order to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem.

Sometimes it is very important that we express what is weighing us down to another human being. And if you struggle to do that, then at least share this with Christ.

Living in Grace
D3LM3