2006 Lenten Devotional
A Season of Prayer
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
ASH WEDNESDAY
Philippians
4:6-7
Don’t worry or fret. Instead of worrying, pray. Let
petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your
concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming
together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens
when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
As a child I
worried ... a lot. I worried about ghosts (in my room and elsewhere), car
accidents, what might happen to me if I slept in my room with the door closed
and the hallway light off, the list could go on and on. If you can imagine it,
I probably worried about it. There were many times I worried so much that I
made myself sick to my stomach. After many long talks that involved finding out
the how’s, what’s, and why’s of my worries, my mother directed me to
Philippians 4:6-7. It became the first Bible verse I memorized, as well as the
first time that I felt the Bible was able to speak directly to me.
Verse 6 sets
things straight right from the start with “be careful for nothing,” or, “do not
be anxious about anything,” depending on which version of the Bible you are
reading. We’ve all had people sit with us, or hold us, and say, “don’t worry.” Here,
in Philippians 4:6 we have God’s equivalent. And not only are we told not to
worry, but also we are assured that our prayers will be “made known.” And, the
best part of all, my favorite part, is the promise for peace. We are told that,
“the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep our hearts and
minds safe through Christ Jesus.”
As
a person skilled in the art of worrying, I know how a worried mind works. A
worried mind likes to up the ante. It’s not enough to think “well <insert
significant other’s name> isn’t home yet, I wonder what’s holding them up?” The
worried mind thinks, “I wonder where <they> are, they should have been
home over a half an hour ago. What if they were in an accident? What if they
were mugged? What if, what if, what if?” Philippians 4:6-7 essentially tells us
forget the what-ifs. Philippians 4:6-7 works on worrying the same way Tylenol
works on a headache. It immediately begins to soothe away the discomfort. And,
unlike Tylenol, you can use it as often as needed (if there were such a thing
as being a Philippians addict, I was one). The only side affect likely to occur
is that your worrying will diminish, and your faith will become stronger.
Aprilynn Artz
Thursday,
March 2, 2006
Psalm 42:8
NIV: RSV:
During the day the Lord sends his love to
me. By day the LORD commands his steadfast love;
During
the night I sing about him. and at night his song is with me,
I say a prayer to the God who gives me life. a prayer to the God of my life.
NAB: Young’s
Literal Translation:
At dawn may the LORD bestow faithful love By
day Jehovah commandeth His kindness,
that I may sing praise through the night,
and by night a
song [is] with me,
praise to the God of my life. a prayer to the God of my life.
The
possibilities of a single verse to inspire poetry in the acts of translation
can be as inspiring as the inherent sentiments of the verse. And, regardless of
the variations on this theme, it’s the theme that draws us over and over to the
Psalms. The possibilities of the Psalms drew me to select a random verse from
among a long list of many possibilities…and this random verse, as
Life
has a way of bringing times of trial, suffering, and discouragement. We’re all
aware of losses and unimaginable disasters around the world. Last year we saw
many of our neighbors suffer the losses that came with the floods of hurricane
Ivan. We are moved to send help to survivors of the Tsunami. Miles of
devastation and great piles of hurricane debris still define the landscape of
areas in the path of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Families live with total loss
of all their possessions and of displacement far from friends and home. Families
far away are drawn into the midst of war and terrorist acts. Families across
the country are faced with the absence or loss of loved ones drawn into far
away wars. As blessed as any of us may be, our families inevitably face the
discouragement, grief, and trauma of illness and death. Some must deal with
betrayal, divorce, unemployment and financial loss. Where does such a mantra
fit in when faced with these things? Where is God’s daily kindness?
Volunteers
who have traveled to the
We
recently endured several months of unemployment for the first time in our
lives. We suffer with our daughter and grandchildren in a near daily roller
coaster of undeserved abuse, protracted separation and divorce. We have endured
years of pain management in dealing with arthritis. Where does such a mantra
fit in when faced with these things? Where is God’s steadfast love?
On
some days when discouragement is all around, reminding ourselves of God’s love
with such a prayer is ALL we have. Reminding ourselves that God’s song can sing
in our hearts is sometimes what we MUST do to sustain hope. And look, the
various translations approach the prayer with all the emotions that accompany
our lives, thanksgiving, longing, praise.
So
use it as a mantra. Repeat it as a prayer. It is TRUE. Repeat it as a prayer. It
will become so for you! The God of your life, who gives life to all, IS WITH US
in all circumstances. Repeat it as a prayer… “a prayer to the God of my life.”
Anonymous
submittal
Friday,
March 3, 2006
Isaiah 1:15
When you spread forth your
hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will
not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
Our
world and cultures are on a collision course again. People use their religion
as a weapon. “My God is the true God and I can do as I want in my God’s Name
and you don’t matter.”
Over
the centuries, wars have been fought and millions have died over religion and
God. Even today we have people publicly praying for the demise of others. And
these people are the religious voice of
Our
brothers and sisters in the
Words
are so powerful that they can turn and twist people into whatever they need to
get their point across. Plus they do it in the name of God. All for political
gain and power.
So
when do we as the human race stop using God as our personal political tool to
get what we want – and when we want it? When do we as a world start to realize
what God is all about?
It’s
really so simple that it’s in front of us all. No matter if it is the God of
our fathers, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, or others. The Word is LOVE.
We
all need to STOP using God and start understanding God. In our Christian Bible,
the question was asked of Jesus which are the most important commandments to
learn.
The
answer: Love the Lord God with all your heart and soul and Love your neighbor
as yourself.
This
easy, simple statement is universal in nature. So instead of fighting, or using
God as our personal political tool, let us pray for one another when we have
differences, let us ask God to guide us to find the way. And if someone is
using God for political power, we need to question whether this is what God
would do.
Dear God, please help me
when there are differences – misunderstandings that seem to get in my way of
living. Help me to understand You and Love and Peace. And if I have used you
Lord for my personal gains in life, please forgive me. And help me pray for
others even in the most difficult of times. And I believe, Lord, that through
the power of prayer YOU can make the difference, not us.
Dan Catanzaro
Saturday,
March 4, 2006
Isaiah 65:24
Before they call I will answer, while
they are yet speaking I will hear.
While
waiting (and waiting and waiting) for inspiration about this bible verse, I was
walking in
Then
I embarked on a serious focused critique of that song and forgot where the dog
was. That song is not about Santa, it is about God! How Santa got plugged in as
the star is a mystery. God knows when we are asleep and awake, when we are
naughty and nice. God knows all: before, during and after. God wants us to be
good, above all, for goodness sake.
Isaiah
is telling us that God is here for you and me, before we even know we need God,
before we pray. God knows us before we mumble the first begging words of a
prayer. If we can but listen, be still and look, God answers us in some way,
shape or form, before we even ask. God sees all and knows you inside and out. Even
when we display anger, say stupid words, act prideful or conceited, God still
knows us, loves us, and answers us. Humbling…..?
So
Blue dog kept up with me as I pondered this song’s revelations. Whoever wrote it goofed on a couple of
messages (God knows this too!). Santa
may be coming to town, but God IS town. God is not on his way; God is HERE NOW!
God is always present, whether we ‘watch, cry or pout’. Does God keep a list? Check it twice? Well, maybe. But it does not
mean we must meet specific criteria before God hears us. God’s love for us is
unconditional--THAT is the good news!
In
reality, that song has nothing to do with Isaiah’s words. This scripture rings
clear and true; it’s meaning is not hard to discern. It says to me that all I
have to do is believe and God’s grace is there for me. And for you too.
Dear
Lord of the Universe, guide me, surround me, be in me, take me. I am yours.
Show me your way in my every step that I may live fully in your grace. Amen.
Elena Swann
Sunday, March 5, 2006
A Prayer for
Healing
Holy
and Healing God,
Help
me see myself as you see me––
As a sacred child, created to be whole––
So that I may be healed, body, mind,
and spirit…
I
have so many doubts,
And these doubts weaken me.
So
when my doubt is strong and faith is weak,
Strengthen me so that I can abandon myself
To your healing grace…
Give
me the courage to give you my burdens––
My past, my anger, my grief, my fear, my
pain––
For these keep me wounded,
And insulate me from your
healing power…
I
open my heart to you now,
And ask you to heal me of my illness and
condition.
Chase
away all darkness from my heart,
And help me come to you in simple trust and
faith.
And
as you heal me, teach me to be your servant,
So that in being healed I might become a
healer of others,
Sharing your grace and love with all
whom I meet.