Rest is good. We’re taking a break from producing content over the summer. Enjoy this previously produced pattern and meditation.
With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
Making the sign of the cross, I say,
O God, I whisper your name and my identity is claimed. I belong to you. So I begin this day in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
I invite my Lord:
Jesus, you send me out, but you do not send me alone. You promised never to leave me or forsake me. To always protect me and provide for me. Go with me, Jesus; this day and always. Amen.
Confession
I am honest about my frailty and failure. I confess:
Lord, how easily do I forget who I am. I obsess over what I possess, what I have accomplished, and what others think of me. I care more about what they say about me than what you say. I have forgotten you. Forgive my image obsession. Help me think more of you and less of self. You must increase, I must decrease. You alone are my joy, your love my only desire.
Word: Luke 10:3-4
Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.
Meditation
I have a mission for you. It will be under-funded and under-resourced. There’s no time to build up additional support. Oh, and by the way … there’s wolves out there. So what are you waiting for, little lamb? Let’s go!
This has to be one of the worst pep talks ever. It’s almost as if Jesus wants the mission to fail. Which of course it doesn’t. A few verses later Luke records that the mission was such a success that all seventy-two whom Jesus sent out returned with joy! Mission accomplished!
It’s amazing how often God beats the odds. A wandering nomad that becomes a great nation. A shepherd boy that takes down a giant. And twelve castoffs whose testimony turns the world upside down. A dead man who rises again. It’s when the odds look long and the chances of success seem slim that God does his best work.
This is who your Father is. So fear not, little lamb. For it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Prayer for My Life as a Child of God
- For the Father to give me care and guidance.
- For forgiveness when I wander and want my own way.
- For childlike faith, like a child crawling up into the Father’s lap and whispering in his ear.
- For the ability to be flexible, learn, and change as I age.
- For growth in faith, that I love and trust in God above all things.
- For strength to obey God.
- For the Father to heal my hurts.
- For assurance when I doubt.
- For the discipline to make necessary changes in my life.
Prayer
O God:
I am the pool, You are the waterfall. I only expend what I receive. O Lord, fall on me.
I am the shoreline. You are the sea. I am shaped by your breakers over me. O Lord, crash upon me.
I am the child. You are Father. I only live by what you give. O Lord, Father me.
I am the pool, You are the waterfall. It’s all receptivity. O Lord, fall on me. Amen.