Can You Hear Me Now?
Devotional Reflections on prayer, with thanks to Verizon Wireless
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for God;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
but take delight in the Lord,
and God will grant you the desires of your heart.”
--An ancient Hebrew song (Psalm 37, selected verses)
NOTE: You probably remember the Verizon Wireless commercial with the young man walking into all sorts of places to check on the “power supply” for communicating with “the person” on the other end of the line. Today is Friday and we dare to explore that question one more time as we look at another wireless connection.
Learning to let life come to us can be a challenge. The longer I live, the more I realize that I don’t need to be “doing” nearly as much as I need to be “listening”. When I listen well, many opportunities will come my way. Here is a little teaching that might be helpful as you work on listening to the Holy One.
Our true home is in the present moment.
To live in the present moment is a miracle.
The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment,
To appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.
Peace is all around us – in the world and in nature.
And peace is within us –
In our bodies and in our spirits.
When we are in touch with this peace,
we will sense healing and transformation.
Peace is not a matter of faith; it is a matter of practice.
A prayer: Holy God, guide me no further than this very moment. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
01.21.11
Showing posts with label praying. Show all posts
Showing posts with label praying. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Daily Devotion - Thursday, January 20
Can You Hear Me Now?
Devotional Reflections on prayer, with thanks to Verizon Wireless
“Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself from my supplication.
Attend to me, and answer me; I am troubled in my complaint.”
--An ancient Hebrew song (Psalm 55:1, 2)
NOTE: You probably remember the Verizon Wireless commercial with the young man walking into all sorts of places to check on the “power supply” for communicating with “the person” on the other end of the line. This week we explore that question as we look at another wireless connection.
Today’s opening verses sound like the writer isn’t quite sure if God is paying attention. Truly life is filled with many moments like this. If you listen to some of the ways we talk in our religious circles, it sounds like God is always paying attention and doing exactly what we hope God will do. Each day I encounter a number of people who feel like the person who penned the opening words in Psalm 55. The following prayer expresses my heart desires and I pray it regularly. Sometimes when I offer this prayer I’m tempted to be the Verizon wireless guy asking, “Can You Hear Me Now?”
God,
Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth.
Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust.
I pray for peace to fill my heart, this world, and our universe.
I pray that we might dream together, pray together,
and work together,
Building one world filled with peace and justice for all. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
01.20.11
Devotional Reflections on prayer, with thanks to Verizon Wireless
“Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself from my supplication.
Attend to me, and answer me; I am troubled in my complaint.”
--An ancient Hebrew song (Psalm 55:1, 2)
NOTE: You probably remember the Verizon Wireless commercial with the young man walking into all sorts of places to check on the “power supply” for communicating with “the person” on the other end of the line. This week we explore that question as we look at another wireless connection.
Today’s opening verses sound like the writer isn’t quite sure if God is paying attention. Truly life is filled with many moments like this. If you listen to some of the ways we talk in our religious circles, it sounds like God is always paying attention and doing exactly what we hope God will do. Each day I encounter a number of people who feel like the person who penned the opening words in Psalm 55. The following prayer expresses my heart desires and I pray it regularly. Sometimes when I offer this prayer I’m tempted to be the Verizon wireless guy asking, “Can You Hear Me Now?”
God,
Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth.
Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust.
I pray for peace to fill my heart, this world, and our universe.
I pray that we might dream together, pray together,
and work together,
Building one world filled with peace and justice for all. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
01.20.11
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Daily Devotion - Tuesday, January 18
Can You Hear Me Now?
Devotional Reflections on prayer, with thanks to Verizon Wireless
“How long, O Lord?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?”
--An ancient Hebrew song (Psalm 13:1)
NOTE: You may remember the Verizon Wireless commercial with the young man walking into all sorts of places to check on the “power supply” for communicating with “the person” on the other end of the line. The rest of this week we dare to explore that question as we look at another wireless connection.
A few years ago I developed a presentation, “Tell Me Your Heart Song”, I included one of my favorite stories about prayer. It is a story about Dan Rather interviewing Mother Teresa. My paraphrase follows:
Rather: “So what do you say when you pray to God?”
Mother Teresa: “Nothing, I just listen.”
Struggling quickly to come up with the next question, probably believing that the answer would be longer,
Rather: “Well, what does God say to you?”
Mother Teresa: “Nothing. He just listens too!”
The Psalmist was feeling silence from the Divine and could keep quiet no longer. The three quick questions that begin this devotional seem to cry out, “Can you hear me now?”
Sometimes prayer is like that.
--Ben Keckler
01.18.11
Devotional Reflections on prayer, with thanks to Verizon Wireless
“How long, O Lord?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?”
--An ancient Hebrew song (Psalm 13:1)
NOTE: You may remember the Verizon Wireless commercial with the young man walking into all sorts of places to check on the “power supply” for communicating with “the person” on the other end of the line. The rest of this week we dare to explore that question as we look at another wireless connection.
A few years ago I developed a presentation, “Tell Me Your Heart Song”, I included one of my favorite stories about prayer. It is a story about Dan Rather interviewing Mother Teresa. My paraphrase follows:
Rather: “So what do you say when you pray to God?”
Mother Teresa: “Nothing, I just listen.”
Struggling quickly to come up with the next question, probably believing that the answer would be longer,
Rather: “Well, what does God say to you?”
Mother Teresa: “Nothing. He just listens too!”
The Psalmist was feeling silence from the Divine and could keep quiet no longer. The three quick questions that begin this devotional seem to cry out, “Can you hear me now?”
Sometimes prayer is like that.
--Ben Keckler
01.18.11
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Daily Devotions - Wednesday, January 23
Really?
“Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night!
My life is God’s prayer.”
--Psalm 42:8 from The Message
Eugene Peterson, the writer of The Message, says, “The impulse to pray is deep within us, at the very center of our created being, and so practically anything will do to get us started—‘Help’ and ‘Thanks!’ are our basic prayers.
Untutored, we tend to think that prayer is what good people do when they are doing their best. It is not.
Inexperienced, we suppose that there must be an ‘insider’ language that must be acquired before God takes us seriously in our prayers. There is not.
It is the means by which our language becomes honest, true, and personal in response to God.
It is the means by which we get everything in our lives out in the open before God.”
My prayer for you — May your morning prayers bring you into the presence of God so you feel surrounded by Holy love as the day turns into night. Amen.
Ben Keckler
01.23.08
“Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night!
My life is God’s prayer.”
--Psalm 42:8 from The Message
Eugene Peterson, the writer of The Message, says, “The impulse to pray is deep within us, at the very center of our created being, and so practically anything will do to get us started—‘Help’ and ‘Thanks!’ are our basic prayers.
Untutored, we tend to think that prayer is what good people do when they are doing their best. It is not.
Inexperienced, we suppose that there must be an ‘insider’ language that must be acquired before God takes us seriously in our prayers. There is not.
It is the means by which our language becomes honest, true, and personal in response to God.
It is the means by which we get everything in our lives out in the open before God.”
My prayer for you — May your morning prayers bring you into the presence of God so you feel surrounded by Holy love as the day turns into night. Amen.
Ben Keckler
01.23.08
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