Friday
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from
their troubles.
Psalm 34:17
Friday
Prayer
Lord, my heart is occasionally inclined toward stirring up
conflict. One tiny word spoken can cause
a ripple of hurt and resentment. You, O
Lord, do not stir up conflict. You, O
Lord, speak words of love to your people.
Teach me to guard my tongue so that the words coming out of my mouth are
filled with love. Give me your Spirit so
that my words can cause a ripple of renewal.
Amen.
Friday
Meditation
If we pray, and really pray, we can hardly escape the fact
that our cares for the moment, big and small, will fill our prayer and often
make it nothing but a long list of requests.
Often this prayer of petition is treated with a certain disdain. Sometimes we regard it as less than prayer of
thanksgiving and certainly less than a prayer of praise. Prayer of petition is supposedly more
egocentric because the person is putting his own interests first and trying to
get something for himself. The prayer of
thanksgiving, it is said, is directed more toward God, even if it is in
connection with gifts which he has given.
And prayer of praise is devoted directly to God for his own sake apart
from anything we may or may not have received from him. But the question is whether this distinction
helps us understand what prayer is. The
important thing about prayer is not whether it is classified as petition, thanksgiving or praise, but whether
it is a prayer of hope or of little faith.
-
Henri Nouwen
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