Think of one individual in your life right now.  In your mind, see that individual.  Now sit quietly before God with that individual in your heart.  What does he/she truly need?  What is most urgent for that person?  Now, pray about what you’ve heard.

You, Lord, are like the mountains.

You surround us, protect us, and inspire us.

You, Lord, make us like mountains.

You cause us to become strong, enduring, and unshakable.

Be my mountain today Lord.

Make me a mountain today Lord.

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When I look back over my life, I see one thing clearly: you are for us.  You are on our side.

There was that time when dangerous people made my life so difficult!

But you rescued me.

There was that time when all my carefully constructed plans suddenly collapsed!

But you saved me.

There’s not a single doubt in my mind.

You are for us.

You are on our side.

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I’m watching you, Lord.

My eyes are fixed on your hands.

The way a child looks to the hands of her father.

The way an athlete looks to the hands of his coach.

The way a patient looks to the hands of her doctor.

I’m watching you, Lord.

My eyes are fixed on your hands.

May they bring the mercy I so desperately need.

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Lord, you may be sought and found anywhere.

Wherever we are, you are.

But there are also special places for seeking and finding:

sanctuaries,

chapels,

monasteries,

mountains.

The places and spaces where your people gather for praise and petition are perfect for discovering the divine.

So, for these places and spaces, I pray for peace.  Peace among members.  Harmony between worshipers.

May the House of the Lord be filled with peace.

May I seek you today where you wish to be found.

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My son says, “Watch me!”

He wants whatever he’s doing to be the object of my loving gaze.

Like child to father, I say the same to you, Lord.  “Watch me!”

But before I get the words out, you make it clear to me that whatever I’m doing is already the object of your loving gaze.

You are already watching.

You watch me when the sun’s up and when the moon’s up.

You watch me when I come and when I go.

You watch me today and you will watch me tomorrow.

Even when my eyes close in sleep, yours do not.

Even when I’m not watching you, you are watching over me.

I’m thankful for many things, Lord.

But above all, I’m thankful that you watch me.

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Lord, this conflict makes me cry.

This war makes we weep.

This battle has become too great a burden.

Too quickly did the powerful move from words to war!

Too quickly did tongues send soldiers to serve!

Bring this war to an end.

Send a ceasefire.

Let there be peace on earth.

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Finding your Word Lord is like finding buried treasure.

Opening your Pages Lord is like opening a chest full of gold.

The deeper I dig, the richer I get.

Your Word overflows with a wealth of wisdom.

I’ve put an X on the map of my life to mark this spot.

It’s the place I’ll return to again and again.

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Breaking the Growth Barrier

Mike Yaconnelli offers these challenging words about a prominent barrier to spiritual growth:

“What keeps many of us from growing is not sin but speed…Spiritual growth is not running faster, as in more meetings, more Bible studies, and more praying meetings.  Spiritual growth happens when we slow our activity down.  If we want to meet Jesus, we can’t do it on the run.  If we want to stay on the road of faith, we have to hit the brakes, pull over to a rest area, and stop.  Christianity is not about inviting Jesus to speed through life with us; it’s about noticing Jesus at the rest stop.”[i]

To remain on the road of faith, we have to hit the brakes.  Deceleration is especially necessary for healthy relationships.  For many of us, it was our failure to brake which ultimately created brokenness in a relationship.  When we survey the moments in which we’ve most harmed others or most neglected others, many of them correlate with times of hurry.  The greater the hurry the greater the harm.  What keeps many of us from growing, especially in our capacity for love, is not merely the selfishness of our hearts but the speed of our lives.  If we want to break our greatest growth barrier, we’re going to have to break the speed barrier.

We cannot be who Jesus envisioned us to be in relationship to other people when rushing characterizes our lives.  Relationships take time.  Compassion takes time.  Kindness takes time.  The more we bring hurry in our encounters with others the less we bring help.  The greater our busyness around others the fewer blessings we bring to others.

The cure?  Slow down.  Joseph Bailey suggests that love has a certain speed.  Love travels at a certain rate.  What is that speed?  Bailey argues that love usually travels much slower than we do.  If we wish to practice more love we have to reduce our RPM’s so that we are traveling at the speed of love.[ii] This allows us to be fully present in any given moment—present to those around and to their needs.

What’s your current speed?  How does this differ from the speed of love?

Steps to Slowing

Slowing is a discipline designed to eradicate frenzy from our lives.  The practice of slowing involves intentionally placing yourself in circumstances which create time for noticing and attending to others.  Slowing means placing yourself in a situation where you are forced to wait.

Here are some small ways to start practicing slowing: [iii]

• Drive in the slow lane.
• Eat your food slowly.
• Get in the longest line at the grocery store.
• Go the entire day without looking at a clock.
• Make shorter appointments.
• Don’t schedule back-to-back appointments with no break in-between.
• Take a deep breath before answering the phone.

These practices only prompt growth if we are intentional within them.  We are not just creating time to kill.  We are creating time to contribute.  As we slow we strive to become attentive to our surroundings and to the Spirit.  We seek to remember that God is present in this moment and that he may wish to use us to bless someone nearby.

Take Ten

Take ten minutes today and force yourself into a situation where you have to wait.  While your engine idles, look around.  Who do you see?  What are their needs?  In what ways might God work through you to bless them?  Take a moment and silently pray for God to use this “idle” time to bless someone.

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[ii] Joseph Bailey, Slowing Down to the Speed of Love (McGraw – Hill, 2004 ).

[iii] John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted (Zondervan, 1997), 89; Adele Calhoun, SpiritualDisciplines Handbook (IVP, 2005), 81.

I’m hungry, Lord.

Starving for your statutes.

Drooling for your decrees.

I can’t wait any longer.

My soul craves your Scripture more than my lungs long for air.

So pile my plate with your Word.

Tie a bib around my neck, put a fork in my hand and step back–this is going to be messy.

I’m going to dig in like a dying man.

I’m not going to stop until I lick the plate clean.

And then I ‘ll ask for seconds.

Nothing fulfills me like your Word, Lord.

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