Thank you for joining me in this guided meditation and prayer for God's peace.
As we approach this holy ground,
Let us free ourselves from all that might hinder or distract us,
The interferences of our daily lives,
The obligations that call to us so insistently,
The endless ruminations and circling of our thoughts.
Right now,
For this special time of peace and devotion,
We will concentrate on being fully present,
Attentive to the presence of our God and the very breath he has given us.
Let us begin this meditation by taking a deep breath in and then releasing it,
Noticing as we do this how God sustains us even in the simplest of acts,
How breathing in and out is a constant reminder of our intimate connection with God,
Of his deep and abiding love for us.
And now,
With our next inhalation,
Let us open ourselves up even more fully to God as we imagine his love entering us,
Filling us until it radiates through our entire body.
And on the exhalation,
Returning to him what he has given us,
The gift of a loving and devoted heart.
And now,
Let us pray.
Holy Father God,
We are gathered here today to praise and worship you.
You have said that whenever two or more are gathered in your name,
You will be with them.
Father,
We ask that you hear us now.
Thank you,
God,
For the gift of yourself and for all the blessings of this life that you have bestowed upon us,
Your great goodness,
The beauty of your creation,
The joy of celebrating you and worshiping you now and forever.
You are the Lord of Lords,
The King of Kings,
The Giver of Life and of all that we have and are.
Forgive us our trespasses,
Sins we've committed knowingly and unknowingly.
Allow us to come,
Purified,
Into your holy presence.
Grant that we might be blessed by this time with you and leave refreshed,
Whole,
And sanctified.
Fill us with your peace,
The peace which passes all understanding,
As we meditate on who you are.
You are the great I AM,
Our wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Grant,
Too,
That we might remember who we are.
You have told us we are your sons and daughters,
Children of the Most High.
That you love us with a love that is everlasting and worth dying for.
That we have nothing to fear,
For you are with us,
Our protection and salvation.
Lord,
We believe with Paul that nothing will separate you from us.
We,
Too,
Are persuaded that neither death,
Nor life,
Nor angels,
Nor principalities,
Nor powers,
Nor things present,
Nor things to come,
Nor height,
Nor depth,
Nor any other created thing,
Shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
Which is in Christ Jesus,
Our Lord.
You know every hair on our head,
Knew us even before we were born.
You chose us to be part of your royal family,
And brewed over us like a mother over her young.
You love us with an eternal love.
You smooth our paths,
Part the waves,
Calm the storm.
You make the lion lie down with the lamb and carry us when we are too weak to go further.
When we are in the valley of doubt and despair,
You comfort and lead us.
You give us the swift feet of deer and the wings of eagles.
In you and with you,
We can scale whatever heights we might face.
No human or spiritual enemy will prevail over us.
Even in the darkest valley,
We need not fear evil because you are with us.
Lord,
We trust that you will use whatever was meant to harm us for our good,
To grow us into the likeness of your Son,
Jesus Christ.
Even when the vision tarries,
You have promised it will come at the appointed time.
You mean to prosper us and not harm us,
To give us hope and a future,
To give us yourself.
Thank you,
Father,
For the promises you have made us.
Promises to guide,
Protect,
Heal,
And strengthen.
Words of hope,
Not despair.
Encouragement,
Not heartbreak.
Courage,
Not fearfulness.
You have planted your Spirit in us so that we might know and worthily magnify your name.
Show us the way we should go,
Make our paths straight,
And guide us into the life everlasting so that we might remember who we are,
Your holy children.
Let us remember that we are more than overcomers in you,
That we have been given a spirit of faith,
Not fear,
Peace,
Not anxiety.
That we are not to worry about tomorrow,
For tomorrow will take care of itself.
That if we seek first your kingdom and righteousness,
All our other needs will be taken care of.
You know what we need better than we do ourselves.
With the help of the Holy Spirit,
We will take our thoughts captive to you,
Lord Jesus,
Focusing on what is pure and good and praiseworthy.
We will place our full trust and faith in you,
God.
We will not let our hearts be troubled or our minds be afraid,
Because we know you care about us.
We will not be anxious about anything,
But instead let your peace,
Which transcends all understanding,
Guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Father,
Help us to go out into the world,
Secure in the knowledge that you are with us every step of the way.
When the waves rise and the winds howl around us,
Let us remember that we can be at peace,
Knowing you are in charge,
You are in control.
Even when night closes in around us,
You are the light that goes before us,
Shining through the darkness.
Make us mindful of your presence all around us,
In the world you've created,
In our circumstances,
Our relationships,
Ourselves.
Show us the path to walk so that we might finish the race you have set for us and worthily magnify your name.
Stay close to us and show us how to be lights to others,
Set on a hill,
In a firm foundation,
Abiding in you,
Our one true God.
In the name of the Father,
Son,
And Holy Spirit,
We pray.
Amen.
What a gracious God we serve,
And what a joy it is to worship together like this.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to walk with you.
God bless you and keep you,
Now and evermore.
Amen.
