Monday 16th February

Quiet your heart and mind. Consider breathing deeply and exhale slowly. Focus your mind on God.

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song..."

Psalm 95:2

Ponder: List 5 things about God that you are thankful for. Sit quietly and speak your thanks to Him.

Scripture

 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,  being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,  and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

Colossians 1:9-12 

First, listen for what this prayer says to you. Insert your name and imagine someone is praying this for you. Read the verses again slowly. What message do you hear?

Prayer warriors

In reading the letters of St. Paul, I am often challenged by 2 things in particular. The first of these is how often he tells the readers how he has not stopped praying for them, and sometimes this is only since hearing about their faith but not having met them. The second challenge is the specific prayers he prays. Here, he prays that the Colossians will be filled with knowledge and understanding, that they would be strengthened with power and that they would be blessed with endurance and patience. It humbles me when I think about the regularity and substance of my own prayers for those congregations I minister to.  

I recall a few years ago when my home church had a 24/7 week of prayer, where people signed up for hour slots across the week. I took the early morning slots, 2am, 3am or 4am. The church had created and still runs a prayer room, filled with creative ways to pray. One such way was to write down our prayers. I remember being very much challenged by the written prayers of many who would not be front of house people, those who would be much too shy to speak with any confidence of their faith. I was humbled and challenged by the depth of love in those prayers, prayers of people much simpler than myself, prayers of people I had underestimated in the high opinion I had of myself. My prayer life changed forever after that week and the peep into the prayers of my humble brothers and sisters. 

Prayer Room 

I felt like a fountain 

Overflowing with thankfulness, 

Appreciation, 

Just to be there. 

Thoughts bubbling over 

Catching the written prayers of others, 

Prayer tree, prayer board, prayer pictures, 

Making them my own 

Falling into a deeper pool 

Than I ever knew was there 

Immersed in unspoken care, 

A holy place in a holy week 

Walking without shoes 

On the floorboards of reflected love, 

Of a people gathered in care 

Just glad to be there. 

Brian Callan, Trustee on the Board of TeachBeyond UK & Ireland, Ireland

Now ask God who you can pray this prayer for. Insert their name(s) as you pray.

Kids’ Question: What are some creative ways you might pray to God?