Praise the LORD, O my soul;        all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the LORD, O my soul,        and forget not all his benefits-  who forgives all your sins        and heals all your diseases,  who redeems your life from the pit        and crowns you with love and compassion,  who satisfies your desires with good things        so that your youth is renewed like the … [Read more...] about Praising as Prayer

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:1, 5 Prayer is worship. But what is worship? And why does God need our worship? I think novelist Marilynne Robinson summarized well what is at the heart of worship: “God … [Read more...] about Worshipping as Prayer

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:1-4 Those of us who have lived for years in places where the primary lights in … [Read more...] about Experiencing Awe as Prayer

But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. Psalm 5:7 Sometimes when we open ourselves to God in prayer, we remember that we are in the presence of One who is mystery. We acknowledge with awe and wonder that all that God is—all of God’s love and goodness and beauty and power—is far beyond our capacity to know or comprehend. As … [Read more...] about Bowing as Prayer

 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3 Prayer reminds us that God is our Maker. That we belong to God. That God is our Shepherd and we are the sheep of God’s pasture. These are truths that prayer helps us to know as living truths. An important aspect of knowing that God is God, is knowing that we … [Read more...] about Knowing that God is God as Prayer

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part… Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. … [Read more...] about Being Open to Mystery as Prayer

I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief. Mark 9:24 Sometimes prayer is saying “maybe” to God. It is saying “I want to believe you are a God of love, I want to believe you love me, I want to believe you are for me and not against me. Help me to believe these good things about you. Heal the fears I have about you.” We may be guarded and hesitant. Our false and frightening idol gods may … [Read more...] about Saying Maybe to the God of Love as Prayer