Dear Lord, I pray that Your peace will come upon me. I repent for the times when I have looked to different things in this world to find peace. You are the Prince of Peace. You are aware of all my stressful situations and how I have been desperately looking for peace. Even now, I come to You, believing that You are able to fill me with Your perfect peace that is secure and permanent. Let Your presence surround me, and let Your peace that passes all understanding engulf my heart. Make me lie down in still waters and let me be at peace in all situations. Thank You, Lord, for Your caring and protecting presence. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Good morning! I wanted to forward this to all of you because I think it’s timely and very helpful. This is a daily devotion I get from Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation. I pray this blesses you!
•Praying in Crisis•
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Brian McLaren is an author and contemplative activist. He spent over twenty years as the pastor of a church where he lived, worked, and prayed with people in good times and bad. Responding to crises is not theoretical for him, but a deeply felt and lived experience which comes through so clearly in these words. I hope you will feel encouraged to take this practice to your own time of prayer in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
When we call out for help, we are bound more powerfully to God through our needs and weakness, our unfulfilled hopes and dreams, and our anxieties and problems than we ever could have been through our joys, successes, and strengths alone. . . . [1]
Anxieties can gray the whole sky like cloud cover or descend on our whole horizon like fog. When we rename our anxieties, in a sense we distill them into requests. What covered the whole sky can now be contained in a couple of buckets. So when we’re suffering from anxiety, we can begin by simply holding the word help before God, letting that one word bring focus to the chaos of our racing thoughts. Once we feel that our mind has dropped out of the frantic zone and into a spirit of connection with God, we can let the general word help go and in its place hold more specific words that name what we need, thereby condensing the cloud of vague anxiety into a bucket of substantial request. So we might hold the word guidance before God. Or patience. Or courage. Or resilience. Or boundaries, mercy, compassion, determination, healing, calm, freedom, wisdom, or peace. . . . [2]
Along with our anxieties and hurts, we also bring our disappointments to God. If anxieties focus on what might happen, and hurts focus on what has happened, disappointments focus on what has not happened. Again, as the saying goes, revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing, so simply acknowledging or naming our disappointment to God is an important move. This is especially important because many of us, if we don’t bring our disappointment to God, will blame our disappointment on God, thus alienating ourselves from our best hope of comfort and strength. . . .
Whether we’re dealing with anxieties, wounds, disappointments, or other needs or struggles, there is enormous power in simple, strong words—the words by which we name our pain and then translate it into a request to God. Help is the door into this vital practice of petition, through which we expand beyond our own capacities and resources to God’s. . . .
Through this practice of expansion and petition, we discover something priceless: the sacred connection can grow stronger through, not in spite of, our anxieties, wounds, disappointments, struggles, and needs. The Compassionate One is our gracious friend, and we don’t have to earn anything, deserve anything, achieve anything, or merit anything to bring our needs to God. We can just come as we are. [3]
If you found this effective for you in your life during this time I highly recommend you subscribe to it. Click the link below to receive daily meditations like this one.
Ai
Richard Rohr suggests finding peace amidst chaos through
"deep time" contemplation, recognizing God's presence in the world, letting go of perfectionism, and creating inner sanctuary by embracing stillness, presence, and acceptance rather than escaping or fighting external chaos. True peace isn't the absence of trouble but finding spiritual grounding within challenging circumstances, often by shifting from frantic clock-watching to deeper, divine awareness and inner calm, creating a resilient space for the soul.
Key Rohr Concepts for Inner Peace:
Deep Time: Instead of being ruled by the ticking clock and constant demands, live in "deep time," listening for God's presence in the "now," recognizing the inherent sacredness in everyday moments.
Contemplation: View the physical world as both a hiding place and a revelation of God, allowing for a calm, deep seeing that makes the world feel like home, even with its chaos.
Inner Sanctuary: Create an internal space of calm, like a hedgehog curling up, through practices like deep breathing, quiet rituals, and nature walks, establishing self-preservation.
Acceptance, Not Escape: Peace isn't found by escaping chaos but by accepting its presence and finding stillness within it, acknowledging that external factors are fleeting, notes this Facebook post.
Love & Kindness: Cultivate love and kindness within your own "bubble," spreading it outwards as a ripple effect, creating the world you wish to see, as suggested in this Facebook post.
Practical Applications:
Pause & Breathe: Make space for stillness and deep breathing to reset your nervous system.
Shift Perspective: See your challenging situation as a place where God meets you, not as something to be fixed before peace can begin, says this YouTube video.
** Embrace Imperfection:** Let go of the need for perfect circumstances or people, as this is the real obstacle to peace, according to this YouTube video.
Find the Divine in the Mundane: Look for moments of grace and beauty even amidst difficulty, transforming the ordinary into something sacred, suggests this Facebook post.
5. MEDITATION
https://youtu.be/mFGW0EYnRYg?si=evGLWCRJuh0Lx8yL
6. SHARING
7. INTENTIONS AND PRAYER
Prayer for times of fear:
Lord Jesus, You see the storm all around me. You know the anxiety I am feeling as I journey through these difficult circumstances. I ask You to calm the pain in my body, soul, and spirit as I cling to You. When I feel discouraged, bring me small bits of encouragement. I praise You that although I feel like I’m drowning, You are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me in this valley of darkness. Thank You that no matter how chaotic things get, You will not let go of me. Your right arm holds me up and I cling to You. I praise You that You are more powerful than the storm I am facing (Psalm 23:4, Psalm 139:7, Psalm 63:8).
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