Prayer Tip: You Will Be My Witnesses
Daily Scripture
Acts 1:6-11
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
This year I attended the “Inspired for Life” women’s conference. I was particularly interested in a book by Kate Bowler, one of the speakers, called The Lives We Actually Have, but I thought I would wait to buy it.
God can be quite funny at times. Several weeks later, a classmate in a seminary class shared a devotion that truly touched me. When I asked her resources, she mentioned this book. It happened again with a friend who sent me an email with a beautiful devotion. Same book! I smiled and thought, “Okay, God, I will get the book. There are clearly treasures for me to find in it and share to bless others as well.”
Here’s an excerpt of one we can all use at times.
A devotion for when you need a gentle day
God, I need a gentle day,
A respite from the strident voices
And the attention economy, problems I can’t solve.
I need a break.
God, shelter me a while.
Blessed are we who come to you
just as we are,
Asking to be gathered, hidden,
and held,
shielded for a time
From things too hard for us,
too heavy to hold for this long.
God, give us grace for one whole day
of gentle turning,
of turning away from worry
Toward restful action,
of turning from the troubles
of yesterday or tomorrow.
Blessed are we when the unsolvable problem
comes to mind again,
to turn from it, just for now.
When checking the news one more time
seems like a good idea,
to let the hands rest and computer screen go dark.
When the muscles in the body
speak their right reminders,
to listen to them long enough
To give them release,
to gentle up the breathing and lower the eyes,
to let ourselves be small again,
wrapped up, and lifted in your arms,
for long enough until the stirrings of enoughness come-
Enough energy to tend
just the little space
that is within reach today. *
May it be ever so. Amen.
* Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie, The Lives We Actually Have. 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days. 2023.
Prayer
GPS Insights
