Living the faith: Prayer/Wed. Sept. 25

Last night we talked about living out our faith and looked at excerpts from the Directory for Worship (something that guides life and worship from the Presbyterian Church) that talk about how our faith and life/worship and work are the same.

Here are some excerpts:

Persons respond to God’s call to honor and serve God in every aspect of human life

a. in their work and in their play,

b. in their thought and in their action,

c. in their private and in their public relationships.

God hallows daily life, and daily life provides opportunity for holy living. As Christians honor and serve God in daily life, they worship God. For Christians, work and worship cannot be separated.

Here is what we reflected on:

• What are the gifts and abilities God has given  you?
• How often do you think of your daily life as an act of worship?  Would that change your thoughts, actions? 
•  How can you be more intentional about seeing yourself as worshipping God in all you do?

Then we tried out some prayer activities that might be easy to do each day as a way to turn ourselves to praise throughout the day.

First,

Prayer sentences:  These are brief lines of scripture or song that can be repeated over and over during the day, or can be used as a breath prayer with part being said at the inhale and the other part at the exhale.  Here are some verses that would work:

Come, Lord Jesus

The Lord is My Light

The Lord is my Shepherd

Amen

And it was good

I am who I AM

I am with you always

God is Good

Bless the Lord, O my soul

Peace be with you

Second,

Squiggle Prayers: Draw a continuous squiggle.  Use each blank to doodle and write words that lift up prayers such as:  things you are thankful for, prayers for the community/world, prayers for friends/family, prayers for self, words of prayer.  (idea from:  Praying in Color.

Third, 

Rule of Life:  A set of brief thanksgiving prayers to use throughout your day (John Calvin).

Prayer at the start of the day:  Ps. 103:1

103 Let my whole being bless the LORD!

    Let everything inside me bless God’s holy name!

Prayer when start work/school:  Ps. 71:12

12 Don’t be far from me, God!

    My God, hurry to help me!

Prayer at mealtime:  Ps. 24:1

24 The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it,

    the world and its inhabitants too.

Prayer after eating:  Ps 100:3,4

3 Know that the LORD is God—

    God made us; we belong to God.

    We are God’s people,

    the sheep of God’s pasture.

4 Enter God’s gates with thanks;

    enter God’s courtyards with praise!

    Thank God! Bless God’s name!

Prayer at end of day:  Ps. 4:8

8 I will lie down and fall asleep in peace

    because you alone, LORD, let me live in safety.