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.
Share Feelings Instead of Stuffing Them
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me. Amen.
(from the hymn, Spirit of the Living God)
Word
“Hear my prayer, O Lord: Give ear to my cry!” Psalm 39:12
Meditation
Many of us are not good about expressing feelings. We think it shows weakness. Or we’re embarrassed by how we feel. Or it’s easier to ignore unpleasant feelings than to deal with them. Or we’re too busy to stop and acknowledge them. Or we don’t know how to express them in a healthy way.
The Psalms give us a template of honest emotional expression. Over the course of 150 Psalms, there is grief, despair, joy, anger, and fear. Feelings are meant to be felt. We are made in God’s image. And we know God feels. He feels love, joy, anger, delight. We are not like other creatures. A worm doesn’t feel. A bird doesn’t have feelings. But we are created to feel.
Unexpressed emotion festers. And in this season we are experiencing profound emotions. Write down the top five emotions you have felt this past year. Share that with someone you trust.
Look at the Psalms. Notice the range of emotions. Read one Psalm a day for a week, and see what you find.
Benediction
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7)