"Now
you will feel no rain, for each of You will be shelter to the
other.
Now
you will feel no cold, for each of You will be warmth to the
other.
Now
there is no more loneliness, for each of you will be companion to
the
other..."
(traditional
Apache prayer)
PRAYER
LIST
Frank
C. Laubach,
author of the book, "Prayer, the Mightiest Force in the
World",says that through prayer, all people,
especially those who feel most powerless to affect change, can
make a significant contribution to the world.. can help to bring
permanent peace.
Please pray for the following:
For Michael
(25) who has been in a Christian Rehab for almost 3 mos., recently
left...& did meth again. He says he is going back to rehab. Please pray
that he will. He is weak, and needs the strength of the other Christians
there. Thank you!
"Anonymous"
writes: Pray for my son who's had 2 surgeries and
may have to have another and is getting pretty depressed over it
all.
For
Julia's boyfriend - for healing and comfort during his illness. and
so that he can get interleuken chemo therapy.
"4th
Magi" so that his wife will be healed of
health complications which are making it difficult for her to get
pregnant
Soulspin asks
for continued prayers that her father's recovery from heart
surgery go smoothly and that he finds renewal from the
operation. She also asks prayers for a friend's
father-in-law who has been diagnosed with many types of cancer...
that he find strength and healing.
hsp62uk
asks for prayers for Drew Barrymore whose father John died in November of last
year; although they were estranged, she took it hard. Please pray that
God may comfort her and that her dad's soul would quickly enter
Heaven. Also please
pray for hsp62uk that he will sell his paintings on eBay
, as he is trying to become financially self supporting this
year. Thank you.
"waterdragon7:"
Would like prayers concerning whether or not to find a new
job, or to look into a certain form of
self-employment, to arrive at the best decision between
these two choices right now. And to always remember that God
is the only source of physical sustenance while on this
earth, even if things might appear otherwise.
"Enlight"
asks for prayers for courage to confront "evil and
deception" in her life, that the truth be shown, and
the hearts of her church family and herself be opened to the
truth. God grant her special help and peace during her
trials.
CloudDancer asks
for prayers for her father who has been battling prostate cancer
for over a year and now has colon cancer too. Please pray for him
and also for her mother. CloudDancer also asks for
prayers for direction in her life.
Gary and
Cindy Hogan, Gary is serving in Iraq while his young wife is
fighting cancer here. This couple needs our
prayers. It must be terribly difficult to be in Iraq with a
sick wife at home.
LightSeeker needs your prayers for her only child,
Derek, who is an alcoholic/addict and has been for 15 years. His
disease is progressing. She would like prayers especially
for protection of her grandchildren. Their names are Dylan (age 5)
and Kaylin (age 3).
Frances asks for prayers for Bill, that he may find employment fast
and that he and Mardie will not suffer too long from financial
problems.
Vivianwrites: I
look to further prayer for my life and the one that I love.
I ask for prayer that God will bring us together despite all the
challenges we are facing. Please protect him at his job and
help him to find hope for a new direction/career change. I
ask for God to bring us closer together in troubled times that we
can continue to share the love we have inside, that those around
us will come to understand our love. Please pray for God's
mercy to unite us close together and to bring peace to those
around us.
Melissa
- Dear All Loving
Father....please bestow your love and healing upon her.
Relieve her and restore her to optimal health.
"Wind
dancer" For
healing of chronic health problems.
"Inner
Light" for
the wisdom to make a difficult decision...and reach it from the
right purest place, so that she can exercise God's will, and
find meaning and happiness.
Infpthatsme for
emotional healing, guidance, hope, direction and special comfort
at this time in her life.
Christine/
spiritual
chick- for strength to accomplish changes in her life and to
weather the hard times that she is facing now. "Dear Lord,
bless and strengthen Christine in a special way during this time
in her life. Give her wisdom and guidance in all her
decisions."
Paul
(BTW) for
peace in his environment and in his heart. "Show him the path
that he should follow, Lord."
Jaki
(Jazi) - for wisdom and guidance in all
her decisions concerning changes she is now making in her life.
"God, continue to guide her on her path to wholeness - the
higher life where there is only Light and Life and Love, and many
sunny sprinkles."
Deliah
-
for
healing of a chronic health problem.
Do you
want me to pray for you? Please email me, using the form
below.
Prayer
of St. Francis
"Lord
Make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me
sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt,
faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness,
light; And where there is sadness, Joy.
O
Divine Master, grant that I may not so much to be consoled, as to
console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to
love. For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that
we are pardoned. And it is in dying that we are born to eternal
life."
A
Prayer for Protection
"The
Light of God surrounds me"
The
Love of God enfolds me,
The
Power of God protects me;
The
presence of God watches over me.
Wherever
I am God is, and all is well."
The "Our Father"
In the
Language of the Indian Sages
Our Father in
Heaven........................................The Source of our Being
Holy be your
name.........................Lead us from un-holiness to holiness
Your Kingdom
come........................... From fragmentation to wholeness
Your will be
done on earth as in heaven..........From conflict to harmony
Give us today
our daily bread.................................From time to eternity
Forgive us our
sins as we forgive those who sin against us....... From sin to grace.
Do not bring
us to the test.........................................From duality to
unity
But deliver us
from evil........................................ From darkness to
Light.
Byzantine Prayer
Byzantine
Prayer
Serene Light, shining
in the
Ground of my being,
Draw me to yourself,
Draw me past the snares of the senses,
Out of the mazes of the mind,
Free me from symbols, from words,
That I may discover
The Signified
The Word
Unspoken
In the darkness
That veils the ground of my being.
Amen"
"But
I have stilled and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child with its mother,
Like a weaned child is my soul within me."
(Psalm
131:2)
An
"HSP" Meditation
Centering
Wherever you are right now, imagine putting up sound barriers all
around you. These barriers are invisible, stretching from the
ground to the outer atmosphere. No sound, no people, no outside
intrusions can penetrate these barriers. You can put the barriers
just a foot away from yourself or surround a larger space --
whichever feels most comfortable. Within the barriers, all is
silent and peaceful. Sit within your imaginary barriers for a
moment.
Praying
It's unusual for me to feel peaceful and quiet, dear Jesus,
because there is always so much noise, so much confusion, so much
other stuff going on all around me.
People demanding my time, Projects demanding my attention,
Tasks demanding my effort.
I long for a place with sound barriers: a place where I can go to
be quiet, where I can find the peace that is missing from my life.
I know that you often felt the same way -- that you had the same
need to find a place away from everything where you could rest and
be quiet. You didn't seem to find it any easier to do that than I
do, and you are the Son of God, with legions of angels at your
command!
How I need a place of peace in my life, dear Jesus, a place just
for us. No one else but me and you. There we would be, just
the two of us. No one interrupting us with their complaints
and demands. No phones ringing, televisions blaring, or
traffic roaring.
No deadlines, no alarm clocks, no schedules. Nothing else.
Just me and you.
As I talk to you, Christ Jesus, I'm beginning to realize that in
this
talking is a peace. As I concentrate on what I'm saying to you and
listen for the sound of your voice, I'm beginning to shut out all
the noise around me.
Our communion with each other is erecting barriers all around. The
world outside me fades, the sounds die down, and I can finally
relax in this quiet space.
Here we are, resting in each other's presence. Just me and you.
I thank you, Christ Jesus, for this small space of peace and quiet
with you. I thank you that this space is always here, always
waiting for me, and in these few moments, I can find the
refreshing that I need.
That's all it takes -- a few moments with you. A few moments of
peace and quiet. Just me and you.
Listening
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you
as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not
be afraid. (John 14:27)
Returning
Continue to sit for a few moments, enjoying your quiet space.
Then, one by one, take down your invisible barriers and return to
your world. Remember that the quiet space is always there, always
available to you when you feel the need for peace and quiet.
This excerpt is taken from QUIET SPACES by Patricia
Wilson. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. For more
information, or to purchase this title, please visit The
Upper Room Store
Favorite
Quotes On Prayer and Meditation
"Prayer is something deeper than words. It is present in the
soul before it
has been formulated into words. And it abides in the soul after
the last
words of prayer have passed over our lips. Prayer is an
attitude of our
hearts, an attitude of mind. Prayer is a definite attitude of our
hearts
toward God, an attitude which He in heaven immediately recognizes
as prayer,
as an appeal to His heart. Whether it takes the form of words or
not, does
not mean anything to God, only to ourselves." Hallesby, O. _Prayer._ Augsburg Publishing
House, Minneapolis. 1931. Pg.16.
"But why is it that some people, even some who are good Christians and who
pray fervently, can't seem to make Romans 8:28 work in their lives, while for a few others
it seems to be easy and natural? The answer is in the fact that the vehicle
by which the Way is made know to man - the line that connects the individual soul with the Great Pattern - is the *unconscious mind.* You may 'say
prayers' all day, but if it's all done on a purely cerebral level - in other
words, if the door to the unconscious is closed, it's going to be nearly
impossible for the perfect spiritual answer to get through to you. It's like talking into a phone that's been disconnected. If you're going to
receive guidance, if you're going to learn to flow with the River, you're
going to have to learn to *open up the connection between your conscious and
unconscious mind.* That's the great secret. It's the door you have
to
open. "Knock and it shall be opened unto you." (Luke
11:9).
Helleberg, Marilyn Morgan. _A Guide to Christian Meditation._
Phoenix Press, Walker and Company, New York. 1980. pp.33-34.
"I like the expression 'resting in God.' When you pray
with all your heart,
the Holy Spirit is in you, and as you continue to pray, the Holy
Spirit
continues in you. You do not need to do anything else.
As long as the Holy Spirit is there, everything is fine. You are resting in God, and
God will work in you. For transformation to take place, you only need
to allow the Holy Spirit to stay in you. The Holy Spirit is the energy of
God that shines forth and shows you the way. You can see things
deeply, understand deeply and love deeply."
BlankThich
Nhat Hanh. _ Living Buddha, Living Christ._ Paperback
edition from Riverhead Books, published by The Berkley Publishing
Group, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc., New York, NY
10014. 1995 - p.181
If
we are sensitive to the Spirit of Christ within us He (She) will
suggest what is to be done at each moment in our relationship to God,
ourselves, other people, and the cosmos. When we listen to the movements
of the Spirit rather than to our own bright ideas and self-centered
programs for happiness, the internal commentary that normally sustains our emotional upsets comes to an end, enabling us to
accept difficult situations and people. The neutral zone that we provide
allows the Spirit to act." (author unknown)
"My answer is meditation; I do not know any other way
of discovering this inner harmony. If a person learned to
sit and meditate and allowed the body and the mind to become calm,
then the deeper level of the spirit would emerge." Bede
Griffiths (1907-93),
In conversation.
The Fire of Silence and Stillness: An Anthology of
Quotations for the Spiritual Journey._ Edited by Paul
Harris.
"Dear friend in God, we come from a society that is frenetic in its
activity. It is caught up in the trauma of future shock. All
it thinks
about is speed, production, wealth, and material gain. Do not be
surprised if you should find yourself the victim of criticism, even from
some good people, when you seek to give yourself to the quiet and the
dark cloud of
contemplative prayer. As Martha did not understand Mary, many
people will
not understand your loving search. They will even criticize your
meditation
practice of gently going into God's presence in love by a quiet
listening to
your prayer word as a symbol of your union with God. To such
people you are
not really praying if you are not externally active or, at the very
least,
caught up in a flurry of mental activity and intellectual speculation.
....Please remember that starting over again every day is a wonderful
form
of perseverance in the loving search. God will never abandon you.
Do not
abandon God."
Meninger,
William A. _The Loving Search for God:
Contemplative Prayer and The Cloud of Unknowing. P.26
Continuum, New York. 1998.
