Praying With Our Eyes, Ears and Heart.

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“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”
Colossians 4:2 New Living Translation

Today is the National Day of Prayer, established in 1952 as a day set aside, other than a Sunday, as an official day for all to pray. We are blessed to live in a nation that has a law in place requiring our President to proclaim a National Day of Prayer each year on the first Thursday in May. We can still worship and pray to God in the US. Many places do not have the freedom to do this. So take some time today to reflect and pray to the Lord who created us, loves us and wants to be in communication with us.

Some thoughts for potential reflection and prayer:

Praying with the eyes

We see so much beauty in the world but often take it for granted. Praise God for the beautiful things that stir your soul, that move you to joyful tears, which take your breath away. Lift up prayers of praise and thankfulness to the Lord who creates beauty and blesses you to enjoy it.

We see so much ugliness in the world. Pray even more fervently for the things you see that make you look away, that tear your soul apart with grief or sadness, that melt your heart in helplessness.

Praying with the ears

Bells ringing at a nearby church. A choir singing your favorite hymn. A child’s laughter. A roaring stream in the mountains or wind rustling aspen leaves. Neighbors fighting so loud you can hear it with their windows closed. Sirens piercing the night. We’ve all heard the sounds, but have you ever prayed for the sounds? For the nearby church to be a blessing to its community. For the children to know how much God loves them. Prayers of praise for the sounds of creation. Heartfelt prayers for those on the traumatic end of the sirens. Listen for the sounds that activate praise. Hear the sounds around you that command your prayers.

Praying with the heart

What consumes your heart each day? Children, grandchildren or friends? Our nation, neighbors, health or finances? If thoughts like these consume chunks of your day, lift them up in prayer believing that our Lord hears them. Not as a Santa Claus God whom we expect an answer that we are comfortable with, but as a loving Lord who uses our prayers to change us and others into his children—deepening our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:14-21 New Living Translation

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO