Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything with prayer and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6,7)
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…God is great, God is Good…Thank you for the world so sweet, thank you for the food we eat…These were my first childhood prayers. Later I learned The Lord's Prayer, and week after week our pastor prayed May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight…
Each Sunday in CrossWalks, the children gather in the chapel for a time of song and prayer. There is rarely a shortage of hands competing for attention as the kids are invited to offer up prayers of thanksgiving. "Thank you God, for cheese, for Geckie (a pet Gecko), for my family, for my friend's grandparents passing softly in their sleep, for puppies and all animals, for life, for being here, for my grandma feeling better, for our church." Two weeks ago, one six year old shouted out with unbridled joy and enthusiasm, "Thank God for God!" The gratitude of the children goes on and on, and I have so much to learn from them.
Prayers, Parables, and Promises, our church Lenten theme this year, has led me to think about how it is we learn to pray. In this Lenten season, when we frequently focus on spiritual disciplines, may we find comfort in the familiar prayers of our lives as we also open ourselves to explore other ways to offer ourselves to God in spontaneous prayers of gratitude, through breath prayers, walking prayers, and more.
Thank you, God for the gift of prayer and for your persistent efforts to teach us a language of love. May we be able to hear a little more clearly the whisper of your heart in our ears this season as we turn to you again and again and again. Amen.
Cindy Merten
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…God is great, God is Good…Thank you for the world so sweet, thank you for the food we eat…These were my first childhood prayers. Later I learned The Lord's Prayer, and week after week our pastor prayed May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight…
Each Sunday in CrossWalks, the children gather in the chapel for a time of song and prayer. There is rarely a shortage of hands competing for attention as the kids are invited to offer up prayers of thanksgiving. "Thank you God, for cheese, for Geckie (a pet Gecko), for my family, for my friend's grandparents passing softly in their sleep, for puppies and all animals, for life, for being here, for my grandma feeling better, for our church." Two weeks ago, one six year old shouted out with unbridled joy and enthusiasm, "Thank God for God!" The gratitude of the children goes on and on, and I have so much to learn from them.
Prayers, Parables, and Promises, our church Lenten theme this year, has led me to think about how it is we learn to pray. In this Lenten season, when we frequently focus on spiritual disciplines, may we find comfort in the familiar prayers of our lives as we also open ourselves to explore other ways to offer ourselves to God in spontaneous prayers of gratitude, through breath prayers, walking prayers, and more.
Thank you, God for the gift of prayer and for your persistent efforts to teach us a language of love. May we be able to hear a little more clearly the whisper of your heart in our ears this season as we turn to you again and again and again. Amen.
Cindy Merten
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