Hope


Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.   -Isaiah 40: 28-31


Today we find ourselves facing difficult times. Our everyday is filled with uncertainty and fear. It is in times such as these that we pray for strength. Below is a spiritual practice that you can use with the verse above or one of your own choosing. This is a step by step reading that includes meditation and contemplative prayer. If you would like to learn more about spiritual practices visit the Drinking from the Well page on the Nebraska Synod website.
1.    Take a few moments to become still and quiet within.  Let go of your thoughts, worries, agendas, desires.  Turn them over to God.  Just be for a few minutes.

2.    Read the verse slowly and carefully, either aloud or silently.  Reread it.  Be alert to any word, phrase, or image that seems to have energy for you.  It could be a word that invites you, a phrase that puzzles you, an image that intrigues you.  Wait for this word, phrase, or image to speak to you; do not rush or force it.  Read the passage as many times as you like.

3.    Take whatever word, phrase, or image that has energy for you and allow yourself to ponder it in your heart.  Repeat it to yourself like a mantra.  Allow this word, phrase, or image to interact with your deepest self—your thoughts, desires, memories.  Let it speak to your life.

4.    Let your soul be deeply in prayer, allowing God to transform you through the word, phrase, or image.  Let your feelings be open and honest with God.  Consider how this word, phrase, or image connects with your life today.  How is God present to you in it?

5.    Rest silently In the presence of God.  Move beyond words, phrases, or images.  Enjoy the freedom that comes in contemplation.

6.    If you desire, write about this prayer experience in a journal.  What is your word, phrase, or image?  What does God reveal to you in it?  What does it have to say about your life right now?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stories from Across the Synod

Image
 Three Rural Churches Doing Worship in a New Way   In response to the pandemic, the three congregations of Sonrise Parish (St. John’s, Eustis; American, Cozad; and St. John’s, Cozad) moved to video-only worship beginning on March 18, 2020.  Three months later, as warmer weather had arrived, the churches decided to do outdoor Word and Sacrament at each site on a weekly rotating basis, beginning at Eustis on June 14.  A weekly virtual brief worship recording was also continued!  The city street, parking lots, and grassy areas became the places to gather in lawn chairs or in cars in a physically-distanced manner.  A low-power FM transmitter broadcasted to those who wanted to stay in their vehicles.   A music group with percussion, guitar, horns, vocalists (and sometimes keyboard) led the services.  For sixteen weeks through the end of September the outdoor services continued, with attendance ranging from 50-60 to as high as over 100.  Two c...
Read more

150 Years of Mission & Ministry

Image
 By Bishop Brian Maas We have now formally kicked off the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Nebraska Synod. We’ll spend the next year reflecting on our shared history and inviting each congregation to reflect on its own history as well. We do this not to rediscover some glorious past to which we might return (we won’t—we can’t); rather, we study our histories because they remind us of our stories. Our story reaches back not only 150 years, but millennia, to the very origins of God’s people. The Bible is our story, every bit as much as our local histories. We reflect on that story so that we might continue to live that story; to see what chapters are yet to be written. This is the why behind the reflection and the history-telling; to remind ourselves of all of those times when God was present in spite of what seemed to be happening in the world—to see God at work in the joys and celebrations we’ve known, and to recognize God’s presence with us in the sorrow...
Read more

Arise! Wake up! Look around!

Image
By Deacon Connie R. Stover Director, Seeking the Spirit Within Today as I write this blog article, I cannot see the sun, and it is bitterly cold outside.   It looks like the sun has disappeared and abandoned me, as the sky is a dulling, gray slate of sameness.   I want to wrap myself in a warm, soft blanket and hibernate.   But alas, today is the deadline for this article to be written.   People are reaching out to me with their questions through phone calls, text messages and emails.   As I sit at my computer, I realize that I am hungry.   It is as if God is saying to me, “Arise!   Wake up!   Look around!” For me, God’s call to arise, wake up, and look around, comes each morning as I sit myself down in my sacred space to spend time with God.   This is a daily intention to first look to God for the gifts of light and warmth in all days – the gray days of routine sameness and the bright days of exciting newness.   If I ...
Read more